The oldest cinema in Kyiv still works at Miniland.UA!
He is more than a hundred years old. It changed several names, worked even during the Second World War, was a stable, withstood a fire and an attempted barbaric demolition. All this is about the legendary metropolitan “Ekran”, a small cinema with a long tragic history.
And we really want it to have a big happy sequel. Therefore, the “Ekran” cinema in Miniland is successfully showing movies, although it has not shown screenings in the “big world” for more than ten years. Otherwise, everything here is like in real life: the roof of the building is covered with real iron; the windows are made of two-component transparent plastic; inside there is an auditorium with chairs and a working screen; there is a buffet and even a toilet.
You can see all this with your own eyes, because the layout of the “Ekran” cinema is shown in section. Look through the back wall, see? A documentary about how we made our mockup is on now!
And if you want to learn more about the “Ekran” cinema, keep scrolling!
Being on business near the metro station “Zhytomyrska” in the capital, few people pay attention to this inconspicuous one-story building, lost among the MAFs. It’s a pity, because the first senses started here back in 1911, when this area was not even Kyiv.
Civil engineer Ilya Shtein, a German by origin, opened a cinema in the then country suburb. The first name of the institution has not been preserved. But when Svyatoshyn was annexed to the borders of Kyiv in 1923, it already had a fairly standard communist name: “The First May Cinema”. However, later it was renamed to the usual “Screen”.
During the German occupation of 1941-43, the cinema was called “Express” and showed propaganda films about the greatness of the Reich. But when things went badly for the invaders, the building was converted into a stable for horses.
In the post-war period, the cinema was for a certain time again named “Pershy Travny”, and in 1978 it was slightly expanded and again called “Ekran”.
So he quietly worked on the outskirts of Kyiv for the next several decades. Even after Ukraine regained its independence, the “warm lamp atmosphere” was preserved here: a small hall, a retro buffet, and most importantly, hand-drawn posters. And this is in the age of ultra-modern blockbusters and glossy posters!
In 2004, the territory on which “Ekran” is located was given to the developer of another residential complex. Its owners planned to demolish the cinema, and instead “revive” it within the walls of the newly created complex. The crisis of 2008 brought these plans to nothing and “Ekran” continued to show films until 2010.
In 2013, the KMDA finally revoked the decision to demolish “Ekran”. However, since then, movies have not been shot here. The building was used as a cafe and even a public toilet. And in 2018, a fire broke out in “Ekran”. Rumor has it that it was arson.
[/spoiler]
As of 2023, there are discussions at the level of the capital authorities about the reconstruction of “Ekran”, and local residents have collected signatures for the preservation of the old cinema. Therefore, we are sure that this “grandfather” will wait for better times!
Meanwhile, “Ekran” in Miniland works and gathers willing people from all corners of our fairy-tale-real country for screenings. Cartoons and Hong Kong action movies are in the greatest demand. Of course, they are shown only when none of the visitors and employees see it. Honestly honestly!).
[/spoiler]
