Apolló is the oldest and smallest cinema of Pécs, a town in the southwest of Hungary, and it is the only art cinema of the region. This 2-screen theater has been in the Europa Cinemas Network for 12 years already, it was challenged a while back when the former operator left and the remaining team successfully found an action plan to build its new identity and get the public engagement !

Team Apolló met last night to streamline their programming for Art Cinema Day and took some time to answer our questions :

— How long have you been involved in EACD ?

We’ve been taking part since the first one, 2016. It was a welcome initiative. As the only art cinema in our region in rural Hungary, we greeted the sense of belonging, of connectedness.

— What happened last year ?

Last year was better than the year before, and this year’s going to the the best yet. It’s clear that this is just the beginning of something that could easily become one of the great cinematic events of the year once it’s established — if we continue to offer something truly spectacular

— How do one build the special programming for this day ? 

We went with our own version of the programming suggested by the Hungarian Art Cinema Association, our team of curators tried to get as much as possible out of it, we dedicated the whole day to the event, two screens, six films, all of them premieres: 3 European coproductions and 3 Hungarian films, 2 newbies and a 50-year-old, restored classic. It’s the most impressive line-up yet.

— What about D Day?

Well, we don’t expect things! We make things happen. But yes, we always hope that our viewers welcome and embrace the event as one of our regular milestones of the year and love it as much as we do. The idea is simple and bold: the whole continent going to cinema together on this one day. Somehow it rhymes with the very idea of cinema itself: an experience that is both about togetherness and solitude: doing the same thing, watching the same movie, and yet having very different points of view — figuratively and literally.

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PROGRAMME OF THE DAY

3:00 PM Stars of Eger – PREMIERE! Digitally restored on the 50th anniversary of the film, Hungarian historical adventure drama, 145 minutes, 1968, director: Zoltán Várkonyi

4:00 PM Happy as Lazzaro – PREMIERE! Italian feature film, 125 minutes, 2018, directed by Alice Rohrwacher. Awards: Cannes 2018, Best Screenplay.

6:15 PM Bergman — A Year in a Life – PREMIERE! Swedish-Norwegian documentary, 117 minutes, 2018, directed by Jane Magnusson.

6:30 PM Ruben Brandt, collector – PREMIERE! Hungarian animated film / action thriller, 96 minutes, 2018, directed by Milorad Krstić.

8:30 PM One day – PREMIERE! Hungarian feature film, 99 minutes, 2018, director: Zsófia Szilágyi. Awards: Cannes 2018, FIPRESCI Prize.

8:30 PM The guilty / Den Skyldige – PREMIERE! Danish thriller, 85 minutes, 2018 (16), directed by Gustav Möller. Sundance Film Festival 2018, Audience Award.

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Website http://www.apollopecs.hu/en/

Facebook page https://bit.ly/2PulV0N

Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/291702444764757/

Features Image caption: Team Apolló doing night shift home office programming, streamlining the EACD screenings. @Bálint Rádóczy

Charlotte Wensierski