The open-air cinema of Sala Montjuïc turns 20

Little did Nathalie Modigliani, Mireia Manén, and Guillem Galeria imagine 20 years ago that their idea of organizing open-air cinema screenings would end up becoming one of the essential summer events in the Catalan capital. The classics and cinematic novelties chosen by Sala Montjuïc have convinced attendees to climb Montjuïc mountain, an excursion not much appreciated by Barcelonians. And, furthermore, they have done so despite the July and August temperatures and the typically local mugginess. No more, no less, they have already seduced almost 515,000 spectators since 2003.

It all arose with the ambition of offering a Barcelona version of the open-air cinema held in La Villette park in Paris. Lawn and sun loungers to have a drink before the film, with live music, to then immerse oneself in the cinematic plot of each night. There are those who experience it as if it were the first time, those who let themselves go and laugh and cry accompanied, less constrained than in the darkness and silence of a cinema hall, and there are also those who fall asleep until the applause wakes them up.

Achieving a space that allowed all this was not easy. The directors of Sala Montjuïc, three friends with no experience in organizing cultural events, spent two years searching for the ideal location, until they found the moat of Montjuïc Castle. The views of the city, the protection of its centuries-old walls, the comfort of the lawn, and the ample available surface ended up convincing them. Both the Barcelona City Council and Cinemes Verdi helped them finalize the last details of the project. For the first edition, they expected 500 people per day, but the first session, with Amélie, already mobilized 2,500.

"Like books that take flight or songs that transcend their authors, Sala Montjuïc is no longer that open-air cinema we once imagined but a cultural activity that many people have made their own, that they live as something personal and genuine, that is part of their annual ritual or the memory of their youth. In short, a common place for many Barcelona residents. And that, why deny it, excites us and makes us feel happy," the organizers state. The Charles Chaplin cine-concerts and films by Wes Anderson, Billy Wilder, Lars von Trier, Asghar Farhadi, and Agnès Varda are some of those that the three directors of Sala Montjuïc most remember from all these years, in which 240 films and 153 shorts have been screened, in addition to having heard more than 200 concerts.

In the 20th edition, from July 1 to August 5 and without capacity restrictions, it will be the turn of recent titles such as Coda, Belfast, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, Palm Springs, Licorice Pizza, and A Hero. This year, Carla Simón's Alcarràs, the undisputed new success of the Barcelona native and her close and delicate, but unpretentious, way of telling stories, could not be missed. For those who want to return to classics, the Sala Montjuïc team asked their followers which films they absolutely wanted to see again, and the winners have been Pulp Fiction, Grease, Call Me By Your Name, Interstellar, Lost in Translation, Wild Tales, The Big Lebowski, and North by Northwest. Only the film for the last day remains to be known, always a surprise. Ticket prices range from 7.50 euros to 10.50 euros, depending on whether one prefers to stretch out on the grass or opt for a sun lounger. The pandemic canceled the combined ticket that allowed visiting Montjuïc Castle and, for now, it has not been recovered.

The program will be completed with the previous concerts, among which the Catalan soul trio The Sey Sisters stands out, who will accompany Quentin Tarantino's film, or the Irish folk music band Los Stompers, who will provide the soundtrack to Kenneth Branagh's childhood memories. Also present will be Los Carosones, La Kolmena and Yacine Belahcene, among others. Likewise, there will be space for short films, with the screening of the winning fiction works of the VOC Awards, Elsa by Albert Carbó and Sintra III by Ivan Casajús. There will even be a micro-short film contest to celebrate the 20th anniversary. The three best will be screened at the inaugural session, opening for Uma Thurman, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson.