Cinema Centenario is shutting its doors. Image: Facebook/@PHCinema100
Cinema Centenario, which has been dedicated to showcasing quality local films, announced its closure yesterday, Oct. 8.
The beloved Quezon City movie house, situated along Maginhawa street, gave a sentimental goodbye to its patrons on Facebook.
“After more than 200 days ng aming pagsasara buhat ng pandemic, nais naming magpaalam dahil tuluyan na naming isasara ang pinto ng ating Tahanan sa Maginhawa (After more than 200 days of closure due to the pandemic, we are saying goodbye and will close the doors of our home in Maginhawa),” the team behind the Cinema Centenario said.
“Malaking factor sa aming desisyon ang safety and sustainability, kahit payagan pang magbukas ang mga sinehan, it won’t work sa aming kinalalagyan,” it said. “Hindi biro ang safety concerns na hatid ng pandemyang ito kaya umabot kami sa desisyong ito.”
(Safety and sustainability were important factors in our decision. Even if cinemas are allowed to open, it won’t work for us. Safety concerns due to the pandemic are no joke, which is why we came to this decision.)
The movie house not only made local films more accessible, but also gave an intimate viewing experience to acclaimed local indie films like “Apocalypse Child” and international gems such as the Oscar-winning “Parasite” with its carefully designed theater.
Cinema Centenario was conceptualized by Hector Barretto Calma back in 2016, eventually co-founding it with fellow filmmakers.
Its website is still up and continues to provide updates about Philippine cinema. /ra
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