Activists have occupied the Berger Cinema in Frankfurt after three years of vacancy. Their goal: convert it into a cultural center. A way out of the cinema crisis? Two Hessian arthouse cinemas show what this path can look like.
Von Tamara Marszalkowski
Audio contribution
Audio 03:01 Min | 14/03/24 |Tamara Marszalkowski
Frankfurt cinema occupied
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First dates, making out, going to the cinema with the children for the first time and good entertainment – that’s what people associate with the cinema. However, more and more cinemas are having to give up, most recently the e-cinemaes on Frankfurt’s Zeil after 70 years.
The Berger cinema in the Bornheim district stood empty for three years – until the collective “queereskino069” occupied it last Saturday and wanted to set up a self-managed, donation-based cultural center there.
The collective has hung a white poster at the entrance on which people can write what they like about the cinema. The response here and on social media is great. Meanwhile, Frankfurt city politicians are discussing support options, as was the case on Tuesday in the local advisory board – the outcome is unclear.
“Economically necessary step” E-cinemaes in Frankfurt will close in the spring
Another traditional cinema in Frankfurt is giving up: As the operating family Jaeger announced on Wednesday, the lights in the e-cinemaes in the city center will go out for the last time at the end of April. Reason: There aren’t enough visitors.
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“Existing locations must be preserved”
There are currently 68 locations in Hesse with film theaters and municipal cinemas, says Erwin Heberling from the Filmbüro Hessen, an association of cinema operators. He is quite happy with the number, even though it used to be over 100.
“But that was a long time ago,” he says, pointing out that cinemas were already dying in the 1980s. “Now it’s about ensuring that the existing locations are preserved,” he emphasizes.
The Filmbüro Hessen association has long called for investment support for cinemas. Cinemas have now been able to apply for them to the Film Funding Agency (FFA) for eight years. This has enabled some cinemas to advance their modernization, says Heberling.
Operator sees black for commercial cinemas
But that alone doesn’t help many cinemas. The Berger cinema in Frankfurt had to close after forty years of operation not only because things were going badly during the corona pandemic, explains the tenant and operator Harald Metz. With his decades of experience in the industry, he sees black for commercial cinema, as he says.
Streaming services, among other things, would make it more difficult for operators to offer programs that cover costs. Because: Potential cinemagoers are increasingly watching available blockbusters on their big screen at home quickly after the cinema release.
Showing films – in his opinion, this is only possible as a non-commercial cultural venue, without being dependent on film distributors. He had already presented the city of Frankfurt with a new concept for his cinema in 2021 and wanted to turn it into a culture and communication center. But there is currently no prospect of funding for this, and political discussions about it have repeatedly come to nothing.
Kino Traumstern in Lich as a positive example
But there are also positive examples throughout Hesse of how things can go well. The Traumstern cinema in Lich (Gießen) was endangered twelve years ago and the building was threatened with demolition, says Edgar Langer. He runs the cinema together with Hans Gsänger.
The two founded a cooperative that bought the cinema and property. It now has 290 members and its art house cinema has won many awards. Visitors to the cinema have to endure long journeys – for film gems that usually have no space in multiplex cinemas.
There are also discussions with directors and actors, as well as concerts and readings. Langer and Gsänger consciously maintain their niche, but are constantly struggling with the black zero, despite funding from the Gießen district.
Success varies from case to case
Giovanni Speranza explains that it is impossible to say in general terms what ultimately helps to keep a cinema afloat. He had the courage to take over a cinema during Corona.
He has been running the film stage in Bad Nauheim (Wetterau) for two years now. He knows the cinema from his childhood, he says, and his motto when taking over in the midst of the corona-related cinema crisis: “act counter-cyclically”.
Another motto: “You never sit in the wrong film in the right cinema.” He had every other row of seats removed for more legroom. Small tables and selected snacks and drinks are intended to create a special atmosphere. And he also foregoes mainstream on screen, invites actors and directors to discussion groups and organizes special events.
Margins for arthouse cinemas are low
The margin is also low on such an offer, he admits. He doesn’t make any money from film tickets because around half of the ticket price goes to the distributor. The trained advertising specialist is still successful, as he says: “We have good occupancy,” an average of around 55 visitors a day. There have been 34,000 spectators in the cinema since May 2022.
“That’s the same as the population of Bad Nauheim,” he says proudly. He is also proud that the film stage was ranked 13th out of 1,000 cinemas across Germany in a ranking by the independent Berlin comparison portal Testberichten.de.
Despite the success, the balance is almost zero. He won’t get rich by running a cinema, says Speranza and jokes: “I hope I can pay myself a salary at some point.”
Gloria Cinemas in Dillenburg The only cinema in the Lahn-Dill district is opening again
The Gloria cinemas in Dillenburg have been closed since the end of September – the last cinema in the Lahn-Dill district. Now it has changed hands and reopened – with a few changes.
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“You don’t want to be incapacitated by occupiers”
In the Berger Cinema in Frankfurt, the occupiers have turned on the popcorn machine again and are showing films on projectors that they brought with them. If they had their way, things could just continue like this, says Jule, one of the occupiers.
Operator Metz has ambivalent feelings about the occupation: “It’s a mixture of sympathy, and on the other hand, the cinema has been my baby for 40 years. Of course you don’t want to be incapacitated, not even by 20-year-old occupiers.” What will happen next for them is still unclear.
The owner of the building, the mayor of Bornheim and Ostend, Hermann Steib (Greens), would like to talk to Metz and other interested parties for the cinema in the near future, as he says. The cast is not helpful in any of this.
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Editor: Sonja Fouraté
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2024-03-14 16:20:44
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