New Cinema Paradiso

Every city has its own story of cinema "Paradiso"

In my previous post I shared illustrations of an encoded film "Cinema Paradiso" (1988) by Giuseppe Tornatore. The Italian director dedicated this semi-autobiographical film to his Sicilian hometown telling us a story about love, friendship and whole life with a cinema theatre "Paradiso" in the background.

Oksana Belousova

CEO & Founder of MY KINOROOM, Film Director

In my hometown there is a cinema theatre "October", or rather, there was, or perhaps it still exists but at the same time does not. In 1950s a lot of townspeople took part in theatre's construction and even with their own hands. Moreover, a brass band used to play before screenings. It was the first cinema that I used to wacth films at in 1990s. Then it started to fall into decay. Somebody was talking about restoration since it was an object of architectural and cultural value. In the end the cinema theatre was sold to private hands, which built an extension to it and opened pizza place "Sicilia" (hi there, Tornatore) and McDonalds. Officially "bread" has won over "circuses".

We are used to claiming that cinema, as an art form, urges to enlighten, cherish spiritual values, mentor people and make them better. Maybe, if the new owner of "October" and the previous one had seen "Cinema Paradiso", then they would have become enlightened and would have cherished spiritual values, and cinema, as an art form, would have fulfilled its mission. If Tornatore's film did not have this power, it would not have got the jury prize at Cannes Film Festival back in 1989, Golden Globe and Oscar for the best foreign picture, British Academy would not have awarded the legendary actor Philippe Noiret, and nobody would be touched by the music composed by outstanding Ennio Morricone. However, times are changing and maybe nowadays this mission is to be carried out by pizzas and burgers?