Our Sidetracks & Detours office recently received a press release, all about a little arts-house cinema in Arrecife, from Cultura Lanzarote. The news item informed us that the Cabildo has invested 43,711.36 euros from FDCAN funds to update and modernize the lighting and audio equipment of the small theatre / cinema upstairs at CIC El Almacén.
The Department of Arts And Culture at Cabildo of Lanzarote, coordinated by the councillor Alberto Aguiar, has authorised this expenditure to renew the technology at the Buñuel Cinema of CIC El Almacén. Re-installation work has recently been completed with Aguiar himself assisting his technicians in testing and supervising the new equipment.
It was in October 2019 that The Cabildo de Lanzarote agreed the go ahead of the supply and installation of audio-visual equipment, sound and lighting to CIC El Almacén, with the expense to be met by The Canary Islands Development Fund (FDCAN) for an amount of 47,925 euros, effectively match-funding the Pre-de-Pre-de-Media SL awarded a total of 43,711.36 euros.
Equipment subsequently renewed includes all the sound and lighting material of the Buñuel Cinema room, including speakers, subwofer, digital table, digital matrix, LED even spotlights, 25/50 LED clipping projector focus, wireless DMX transmitter and receiver, DMX/Ethernet converter and laptop. That might not mean too much to most cinema goers but it will surely enhance our visiting experience.
The work has been carried out taking advantage of the fact that the cinema is still closed to the public.
´The renovation of all the audio-visual equipment of Cine Buñuel was a necessary measure that was already delayed too long and we decided to undertake it during the last year, 2019. Funding was made available at the beginning of 2020 and we are taking advantage of that now, while the room is still closed to the public, to undertake the replacement work´, said Alberto Aguiar.
´With this step´, added the director of Cultura del Cabildo de Lanzarote, ´we faced the necessary improvement of the quality of the audio-visual equipment of cic El Almacén, which could not continue to be further delayed, since too often the equipment failed. When we can resume screenings and other activities in the Buñuel Cinema, which we hope can be done as soon as possible, the public will enjoy a remarkable improvement in the quality of the sound and the lighting of the events that are held there,´ concluded The Director Of Arts and Culture´.
I would assume that such an expenditure on this cinema suggests the authorities anticipate that the venue will eventually or sooner re-open as an arts space, and that in itself is very encouraging. We have been fortunate to see a couple films here, telling the life-stories of local celebrated artists and we have even seen live events too, such as a poetry reading and debate and a talk by magazine editor and author, Larry Yaskiel, who does so much good work for the island.
That the venue is an upstairs room above Cic El Almacen means you can enjoy a great meal and drink in a buzzing atmosphere downstairs before or after a screening or event, and if you arrive there early you can also enjoy a quick walk through the exhibitions currently being housed in the galleries.
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For further information visit Cultura Lanzarote.