Cinema in crisis, says Renda patron of the Centrale: “At the end of the red zone I will reopen even without a film”

The lights of the Central cinema are turned on again to denounce the crisis in the Turin cinemas. The risk is that two out of three do not reopen before autumn and that many screens never turn on again. “We need to give a signal because not everyone, not even in the ministry, is aware of the situation of the cinemas. We make 70 percent of our revenues between autumn and April and with the pandemic we have lost two years of box office. new programming and rules “explains Gaetano Renda, a historic Turin exhibitor, and adds:” As soon as we move to the orange zone, I will open the Central even if I can’t make projections – he says – I hope he can act as a megaphone on the problems we face, I will not be able to inform project. I throw open the doors to let him breathe and to remind us that cinemas are safe places “.

How long will it take to get the screens back on?
“Since a date will be communicated to us, the technical times to reopen are 60 days, we have to look for the films, and many have already been passed on online platforms without going through the cinemas. This is why I say that we need rules and instead Minister Franceschini he wasted time with impossible promises like the one about theaters and cinemas that opened in March when it was clear to everyone that this would not happen. We need precise planning: production and distribution companies must tell us if the films coming out will be simultaneously in cinemas and online, how much time will pass from screenings to arrival on Netflix, Amazon or DisneyPlus. The film market during the pandemic was disrupted and without laws protecting them, cinemas risk being crushed “.

What is the economic situation of the Turin cinemas?
“Very complicated because we had, as I said, losses spread over an important portion of 2020 and also of 2021. Refreshments for the halls are limited, in the latest decree of the Draghi government, sums have been provided on the basis of the halls that have remained still , but the Piedmont Region, for example, on immediate refreshment points had decided to give 1500 euros to each company name, without evaluating whether that company managed one or 10 rooms. In general, the restart will be very complex and especially if the rules are the current ones, that is, that if it were to reopen it could only accommodate 25 percent of the capacity we would all close because it would be uneconomical “.

Is Turin’s culture at risk?
“In Turin alone, more than 3 million spectators go to the cinema every year and this means that cinemas, private theaters and independent bookshops are the cultural engine of the city. The Region and the City, however, only invest in cultural institutions. and on associations, while theaters are never involved. Cultural institutions will recover because they are supported while private cultural entrepreneurs will come out with broken bones. ”

What to do then?
“Last year when Torino Città del Cinema was created, there was a sensitivity towards cinemas: for example, the funds destined for events were poured into cinemas and this must be acknowledged. I also agree on the approach to the new call for proposals. of “Turin under the open sky”. I think it is essential that the Region build a relationship with cinemas: public bodies start from the assumption that they do not give money to private individuals. On a theoretical level I agree, but if you believe that the rooms are part of the cultural system in a situation like this city and region must intervene “.