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Project

CineMi

CineMi is an archival project about cinemas in Milan from 1896 to 1955, with a focus on spectatorship, architecture, and the relationship with the city. The attention is shifted from the movie itself to how the movie theatres influence and determine the experience of the audience, which is always context-dependent. During the 20th century, cinemas in Milan were widespread – whether newly-built or readapted from previous buildings. They had a tangible presence in the urban fabric, especially in the periphery where they represented one of few places for social gathering and cultural promotion. Barring a few exceptions, Milan has completely removed the memory of its former cinemas: the buildings have been destroyed or redeveloped. 

The research is conducted using archives and first-hand sources in order to reconstruct and evoke the memory of those places and the social role they played. Among the many archives consulted for this project, particularly important is the Cittadella degli Archivi, which preserves documents such as notary acts, architectural sketches and photos. The Civico Archivio Fotografico provides documents from the beginning of the twentieth century, whereas the Raccolta Bertarelli is a collection of posters, tickets and flyers. The Corriere della Sera archive supplies important data, particularly about the attendance at screenings. Books by Mario Cavallé and Antonio Cassi Rametti provide an insight into movie theatre architecture, offering context to how new technological innovations met the audience’s changing needs. Finally, a series of people were interviewed to collect memories of the places in question, providing a more emotional and personal perspective on movie-going.

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