alternative & open-air cinemas around belgrade

 

This article was developed within the program Venture an Idea funded by the USAID.

 

Photo: Catch 22 Facebook

Every other building in Belgrade hides a secret; Whether an old, Neoclassical edifice cloaking an alt-style cinema, or an unassuming art space with a colorful year-round program, they're all worth exploring at different parts of the year.

Take the New Star Cinema, for instance.

Imagined as a glorified photographic atelier (first of its kind in the city), it is now the meeting point for film fans of every disposition. Erected in 1903, the building housed its first moving images shortly after.

It was repurposed into Belgrade's first official cinema in 1911, seats and all. The Colosseum, as it was called, screened movies even under the Nazi occupation.

The cinema's post-war history is one of communist appropriation (hence the Star in the name), heyday, closure, and then spectacular reopening by a group of enthusiasts in 2014.

Today, the New Star Cinema puts up varied artistic programs, sporting an open-air movie reel in the summer months. While waiting for the terrace to open, though, here's what you can see at the New Star in the coming days:

Thursday, June 22: Roma

Friday, June 23: Back to the Future - India

Saturday, June 24: Beau Is Afraid

Sunday, June 25th: Spirited Away

Similarly, The Kolarac Art Cinema is another gathering point for movie lovers that turns into an outdoor film oasis during hot summer days.

Located inside the historic Kolarac building, the cinema cherry-picks the very best of European motion pictures and boasts of several film festivals throughout the year. Like you, we're still waiting for the open-air program so stay tuned.

Our guess is they're waiting for the weather to settle.

Another open-air cinema solution is Catch 22.

Named after Heller's mesmerizing novel, it is an alternative gallery slash music slash art space that successfully juggles classical music, punk, performance art, modern theatre, and, of course, film.

Fluidity is the word here. A week in Catch 22 would start off with a classical movie only to shift the gear with a more socially-engaged movie screening. As the week nears its end, Catch 22 would turn into a gallery or a comic book workshop and wrap it up with a musical performance or two.

Likewise, during blazing summer days, the space unveils its timeless terrace for a month-long open-air film festival of its own. Again, no schedule as of yet, but here's what's going on at the Catch in the next few days.

Thursday, June 22nd: Band Fireflies

Saturday, June 24: Concert by Pavle Popov - Daydreaming Piano

 

This article is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this program are the responsibility of Nova Iskra and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.