Films in original version in Barcelona
Various city cinemas show films in their original language. Discover them!
Curling up to watch a film on the sofa at home with a blanket and slice of pizza is fine, yet the experience of going to the cinema holds an indescribable magic which so many people can relate to. Get comfy in your seat, disconnect and embark on a journey through the featured film. Pizza makes way for popcorn, becoming immersed in the film shuts out all external stimuli and the cinema hall gobbles up the living room.
The big screen has an authentic appeal, and even now, in a time of unlimited entertainment platforms, very often we want to make space in our agenda to get along to the cinema. If you love films in their original version (OV), Barcelona has a wide range of cinemas which offer these. Here are some of them:
One of these has a prominent place in one of the busiest streets in the neighbourhood, the other is a discrete affair in a small street nearby. While they don’t share the exact same location, both cinemas represent something of a union: located in the heart of the Vila de Gràcia neighbourhood, both establishments offer independent auteur works in their original version, produced in Spain and other countries. International films are shown with subtitles.
The result of the renovation of some old cinema halls twenty-five years ago, the Cinemes Girona offers a reduced yet very carefully selected range of films. Also located in the Gràcia neighbourhood, this centre classifies films in different sections. These include independent works which have won awards at festivals, manga films and even works in the sphere of opera and ballet.
Even though it only opened a few years back, the Phenomena awakens a taste for bygone cinema. That said, the venue offers the very latest in screen and sound quality. The queen of C/ Sant Antoni Maria Claret, this cinema features a large foyer which oozes elegance, with original posters and photochromes of the films being shown. The icing on the cake is a bar for spectators to relax before and after (not during!) screenings.
In La sombra del viento, Carlos Ruiz Zafón invites readers to lose themselves in the Gòtic neighbourhood. Whether you’re from Barcelona or not, its streets hold a captivating appeal which can keep you walking around them for hours. Have you ever considered rounding off a stroll like that at a cinema? Small and narrow like its surroundings, the Maldà offers screenings for a whole day! With over 75 years of history and its old-fashioned seats, the cinema is the ideal place for film marathons.
Located in Sants, Zumzeig is Catalonia’s first cooperative cinema. Made up of a social base of more than 300 people, the venue offers a meeting point for reflection and leisure, with independent film screenings in original version and various artistic, social and solidarity initiatives. Its programme seeks to redress the invisibility of a lot of cultural content, alternating screenings with debates, film presentations, encounters, concerts, communal paella meals and more.
If you’ve been through Plaça de Salvador Seguí, you’re bound to have seen this building. A neighbour of the MACBA, the centre is the scenario for film festivals and retrospectives. The Filmoteca shows works from various genres and origins, paying particular attention to films from Catalonia. In addition, the cinema works to conserve and restore films, photos, music, books, magazines, posters and cinema documents, and in general, anything relating to the history of cinema.
Many other cinemas to discover
These cinemas are just a taste of what’s on offer around the city. The Comèdia, the Renoir Floridablanca, the Balmes Multicines VO, the Yelmo are examples of others. The streets of Barcelona are home to a large number of cinemas waiting to be discovered. Are you up for it?
