{"id":131749,"date":"2024-06-14T12:49:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T11:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/?guid=d806cbfa5fc5f0dc8791de2de56765ed"},"modified":"2024-06-14T12:49:10","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T11:49:10","slug":"the-possibilities-and-problems-of-mexicos-cineteca-nacional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/14\/the-possibilities-and-problems-of-mexicos-cineteca-nacional\/","title":{"rendered":"The possibilities (and problems) of Mexico\u2019s Cineteca Nacional"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

O<\/span>n the afternoon of Wednesday 24 March 1982, it was warm and dry in Mexico City with a moderate breeze in the air. High schoolers and university students would have strolled out of class, smoked a cigarette, and squeezed onto a bus or the metro to see what was on at the Cineteca Nacional \u2013 Mexico\u2019s state-funded film archive and movie theatre located in the capital\u2019s south. They might have bought a ticket for Andrzej Wajda\u2019s The Promised Land which was showing in the main auditorium as part of a Polish film series. Or maybe they\u2019d hang around flirting, teasing each other, and making the most out of every last drop of a cold glass bottle of Coke.<\/p>\n

At 5:50 p.m., during the screening, eight explosions were heard, allegedly coming from the onsite film-processing lab. Audience members gasped, unsure whether the noises were a cause for concern or a part of the film (there\u2019s a scene in The Promised Land where a factory is spectacularly burned down). Then, a tongue of fire burst from the screen. Everyone rushed to the exits. One report mentions a stampede. For 16 hours the blaze roared through the Cineteca, killing at least five people and irreversibly destroying over 6,000 reels of film as well as countless stills, scripts and books. Despite the heroism of over 300 firefighters, the losses to human life and cultural heritage were tremendous. Although other archives did exist, a significant portion of the nation\u2019s early film history had been erased. Films dating as far back as 1920 would never be seen again.<\/p>\n

The government-led investigation yielded no definitive cause. Cans of highly flammable, lustrous nitrate film were being stored in unventilated areas designed to hold acetate prints. Theories circulated: the film spontaneously combusted; there was an electrical short circuit, and even that it was an arson attack. However the fire started, there was substantial negligence on the Cineteca’s part. The film archive should have been stored in climate-controlled vaults away from the public. The dangers of nitrate were already well understood: 85 years before, in 1897, a nitrate fire killed 126 people at the Bazar de la Charit\u00e9 in Paris.<\/p>\n

I wonder if news of the 1982 Cineteca fire was published in Italian papers and might have inspired the then-twenty-something Guiseppe Tornatore to write the scene in Cinema Paradiso, where Alfredo the projectionist is blinded by a can of nitrate film that suddenly explodes. In the film, the ruined cinema is rebuilt by a private financier. The Cineteca was also rebuilt, but with public funds, and the new site was inaugurated in January 1984. Again in the city\u2019s south, in the leafy, tranquil, and well-to-do neighbourhood of Coyoac\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

The Cineteca rose from the ashes, in many ways greater than its former self \u2013 though there was the loss of the Cine M\u00f3vil: vans that transported the big screen to rural communities. The current iteration of the Cineteca boasts ten auditoriums, an open-air screen, a video library, a digital restoration lab, a multi-storey car park, bars, caf\u00e9s, restaurants, and \u2013 crucially \u2013 temperature-controlled vaults that safely house over 15,000 films. I am privileged to have experienced the Cineteca intimately, on many occasions and no occasion at all. When I lived in Coyoac\u00e1n, I found myself strolling into the Cineteca a few times a week, almost always alone, maybe with a book or my laptop. I\u2019d sit under a parasol in the courtyard and do some writing with a coffee, then I\u2019d mill about before taking a look at what was showing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

The first film I saw there was Sebasti\u00e1n Lelio’s Disobedience<\/a> as part of the International Jewish Film Festival in Mexico. I grew up in northwest London with mostly Jewish friends, so to see Rachel McAdams as an orthodox Jew snogging Rachel Weisz behind a tennis court in Golders Green while sitting in an armchair in Mexico City was nothing short of surreal. Next was Roma<\/a>, Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n\u2019s ode to childhood, set in La Colonia Roma, a 30-minute cycle north of the Cineteca. My soon-to-be first girlfriend and I went on one of our first dates. To my mind then, every frame was filled with love. A rewatch years later would allow me to see darkness in those scenes that shed light on issues of political corruption, classism, and inequality that are widespread in Mexican society. It might be reasonable, therefore, to ask, does the Cineteca, as a public cultural space, serve as a social good?<\/p>\n

This provokes the preliminary question: Who does the Cineteca serve? In theory, the answer is everyone. During its opening hours, the Cineteca welcomes all, irrespective of nationality, race, class, gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status. The space is open; the entrances have no doors, sweeping ramps deliver wheelchair accessibility, sunlight is divided justly by thousands of criss-cross openings in the roof, and there’s plenty of well-kept grass for the wildflowers of young love to bloom. On Tuesday to Thursday evenings, a film is projected on the open-air screen with blankets provided for free.<\/p>\n

However, the fact remains that the Cineteca tends to attract a certain demographic: artsy folk who drink beer that isn\u2019t yellow, intellectuals, university students, hipsters, and foreigners like me. This can be explained, in part, by the programming which blends arthouse, independent, international, and classic Mexican cinema. Unlike Toluca\u2019s Cineteca Mexiquense, which resorted to screening Minions to get bums on seats, the Cineteca Nacional\u2019s greatest pull \u2013 besides its terrace bar \u2013 is its thoughtfully curated film offering. Diverse programming is what distinguishes the Cineteca from the multiplex experience that dominates the rest of the city (don\u2019t get me wrong, I love a multiplex in a mall, especially when there\u2019s Doritos-infused popcorn in the mix).<\/p>\n

Yet even though the Cineteca doesn\u2019t show many blockbusters, it still draws in regular Mexican moviegoers looking for something a little different. There\u2019s a viral meme<\/a> about the Cineteca: A middle-aged bloke with gel in his hair is holding a large Coke and popcorn with the caption \u201cSell me a ticket to the least mainstream movie you\u2019re showing\u201d. The meme reflects how the Cineteca is part of the cultural fabric and, to some extent, attracts a socially mixed audience. It can\u2019t hurt that ticket prices are between half and two-thirds the price of Cin\u00e9polis or Cinemex (the equivalent of Cineworld or Odeon). Thanks to the Cineteca being funded by the federal government it\u2019s significantly cheaper than commercial cinemas.<\/p>\n

However, it is important to emphasise that the activity of going to the cinema is economically straining for most. Relative to Mexico City\u2019s average salary, the cost of a ticket, even at Cineteca prices, represents 1.4% of monthly earnings. That might not sound like much, but as a point of reference, a ticket at the Curzon Soho would be 0.3% of an average Londoner\u2019s monthly wage. Comparatively, it\u2019s five times more expensive to go to the movies in Mexico City than in London. While the Cineteca does serve its public, it certainly doesn’t serve everyone \u2013 or even most of the city’s residents. As a public service, that\u2019s not good enough.<\/p>\n

Despite the costs, on weekends you will find cinema complexes across Mexico packed with families, groups of friends, and couples. Curiously, many in line at the concession stand have no intention of seeing a film. They are waiting for fresh popcorn. That\u2019s a thing \u2013 you can order on an app and collect your popcorn in a takeaway box with a handle. Without good popcorn, any cinema, even the Cineteca, would fail to draw crowds in Mexico where food is such a large part of culture and daily life.<\/p>\n

The linking of popcorn to the movies might originate as a gringo marketing ploy, but as with hot dogs and burgers, Mexicans have made popcorn their own. At the Cineteca, I like to get a 70:30 mix of butter and jalape\u00f1o popcorn, then I\u2019ll pump over lashings of Valentina hot sauce and grab a stack of napkins on my way in. Recently, I visited the BFI Southbank and was offered nuts or olives when I asked about popcorn. I have nothing against nuts and even less against olives, but the choice not to sell popcorn feels intentional. My concern is that if you exclude the exciting snacks that draw some people to the cinema, you might lose that audience too.<\/p>\n

Now I\u2019m back in London, I look at my times at the Cineteca with immense nostalgia. The last film I saw there was Woman of the Port, a minor work by the Mexican director Arturo Ripstein. The protagonist, a sailor, was madly in love, just as I had been on my first visits to the Cineteca. It was exactly the kind of film destined to be projected there, where the mission is to protect, conserve, and most importantly, share Mexican cinema with an ever-wider audience of new generations. It\u2019s an institution that goes back fifty years, to 1974, when the original site on the corner of Tlalpan and Churubusco first opened. Eight years later the Cineteca would be obliterated before its splendid rebirth. Metres from the location of the fire (and two miles from the current Cineteca), a derelict multiplex has been converted into the brand-new Cineteca Nacional de las Artes, with twelve screens. I went soon after it opened last year \u2013 it was cold and the popcorn sucked. But hey, it\u2019s still early days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The post The possibilities (and problems) of Mexico’s Cineteca Nacional<\/a> appeared first on Little White Lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A state-funded cinema and archive, the Cineteca Nacional is a beautiful example of a public arts space \u2013 but is it for the few, rather than the many?<\/p>\n

The post The possibilities (and problems) of Mexico\u2019s Cineteca Nacional<\/a> appeared first on Little White Lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[6166],"tags":[61,122,127,129,124,128,125,132,131,133,126,130,123,66,94,88,97,56,64,65,60,112,6188,6181,40,75,95,6191,6189,104,6196,6206,6183,6186,33,120,6185,105,101,6199,6190,6193,6202,6195,6204,98,115,30,29,41,86,70,69,68,72,71,26,118,108,87,46,55,48,52,54,51,50,83,6197,62,58,57,6177,109,6201,35,59,63,85,79,82,96,80,27,81,114,44,42,43,45,38,39,6205,6198,6187,6200,6192,6194,6203,110,117,6184,100,111,116,73,89,90,92,91,6180,93,84,78,37,6182,102,34,36,77,67,74,99,113,119,28,121,6179,6178,32,47,49,53,103,31,76],"class_list":["post-131749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie","tag-airpods","tag-anime","tag-anime-characters","tag-anime-cosplay","tag-anime-edits","tag-anime-merchandise","tag-anime-movies","tag-anime-news","tag-anime-recommendations","tag-anime-reviews","tag-anime-series","tag-anime-streaming","tag-animes","tag-app-store","tag-app-store-samsung","tag-appgallery","tag-appgallery-oneplus","tag-apple","tag-apple-music","tag-apple-tv","tag-apple-watch","tag-bbc-sport","tag-behind-the-scenes-footage","tag-best-comedy-movies","tag-best-mobile-games","tag-bixby","tag-bixby-xiaomi","tag-box-office-hits","tag-celebrity-interviews","tag-champions-league","tag-cinema-history-and-evolution","tag-cinematic-virtual-reality-experiences","tag-classic-romance-movies","tag-critically-acclaimed-dramas","tag-cyberpunk","tag-cyberpunk-2077","tag-family-friendly-movies","tag-fantasy-football","tag-fifa","tag-film-director-profiles","tag-film-festival-highlights","tag-film-industry-news","tag-film-production-techniques","tag-film-soundtracks-and-scores","tag-film-inspired-travel-destinations","tag-football","tag-formula-1","tag-fortnite","tag-free-fire","tag-free-mobile-games","tag-freebuds-pro","tag-galaxy-a52","tag-galaxy-note-20","tag-galaxy-s21","tag-galaxy-watch-4","tag-galaxy-z-fold-3","tag-game","tag-games","tag-golf","tag-harmonyos","tag-how-to-backup-iphone","tag-how-to-factory-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-reset-iphone","tag-how-to-restore-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-5","tag-how-to-unlock-iphone-6","tag-huawei","tag-in-depth-film-analysis","tag-ios","tag-ipad","tag-iphone","tag-latest-movie-releases","tag-live-soccer","tag-local-cinema-listings-and-showtimes","tag-lol","tag-macbook","tag-macos","tag-mate-40-pro","tag-mi-11-lite","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p","tag-mi-home-security-camera-basic-1080p-huawei","tag-mi-smart-band-6","tag-minecraft","tag-miui","tag-mlb-scores","tag-mobile-game-design","tag-mobile-game-development","tag-mobile-game-marketing","tag-mobile-game-monetization","tag-mobile-games","tag-mobile-gaming","tag-movie-adaptations-of-books","tag-movie-merchandise-and-collectibles","tag-movie-reviews-and-ratings","tag-movie-ticket-discounts-and-offers","tag-movie-trailers-and-teasers","tag-movie-trivia-and-facts","tag-movie-themed-quizzes-and-games","tag-nba-scores","tag-nba-standings","tag-newest-horror-films","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-scores","tag-nhl-scores","tag-one-ui","tag-oneplus","tag-oneplus-9-pro","tag-oneplus-buds-pro","tag-oneplus-nord-ce-5g","tag-oscar-nominated-films","tag-oxygenos","tag-p40-pro-plus","tag-poco-x3-pro","tag-pokemon","tag-popular-action-films","tag-premier-league","tag-pubg","tag-pubg-mobile","tag-redmi-note-10-pro","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-pay","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-steam","tag-steeam","tag-top-10-anime","tag-top-rated-movies-2023","tag-upcoming-hollywood-movies","tag-valorant","tag-when-do-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-does-the-iphone-7-come-out","tag-when-is-the-iphone-7-coming-out","tag-world-cup","tag-xbox-series-x","tag-xiaomi"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131749"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131818,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131749\/revisions\/131818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}