The eighth cell of the old prison has been converted into a cinema room by the Dynamo Film Club, which has been the meeting place for the youth centre in recent years.

It is the "smallest cinema in the Basque Country", with 18 seats, which, as many Bergarans will remember from the photos, are not just any chair: They are the seats of the legendary Novedades hall, which has been closed for 12 years. "Before the building was dismantled, we were told that we could take what we wanted and then we set up the whole operation. We want to thank the generosity of the Novedades," said Dynamo member Ugutz Basauri.

According to Basauri, they had to obtain a generator of electricity for the transfer because there was no electricity in Novedades, in addition to needing a truck, rotaflexa and several assistants.

18 climbing chairs, hard work

Putting the chairs in the cell was the most difficult task: "We decided to include two full rows of seven chairs to keep the charm. It was impossible to enter through the stairs, so we hired friends who were experts in different disciplines: a climber, a firefighter, a friend of the Municipal Brigade... In fact, we took advantage of a roof beam to climb chairs with pulleys and always in a safe way,” says Basauri.

Preview on the 20th

For the opening of the new cinema, a preview will be held on July 20. The eighth cell was used for rehearsals by the Eyharts group, formed by Jokin Guridi and Alain Carazo, and in this preview they will give a concert in the same cell.

The eighteen people who have obtained the ticket for this preview are already selected: "We organized a raffle to finance the expenses of the Cineclub and the winners of this raffle will have a ticket to the cell. In addition, there will be those from the film club and those who helped us to assemble it; there is not much to fill, in fact [Barre]."

Basauri is pleased that they will have a fixed place in the future: "It already smells like a movie theater [they already have a machine to make palomites in it]; it's nice to be able to enjoy classic movies in the same youth center. In addition, we have kept the character of the dungeon intact, which is heritage."

Twelve years without Novedades

The hall will stabilize the fluctuating trajectory of the Dynamo film club in recent years and, although in a small format, it will serve to satisfy the appetite of some film lovers of the town "It has been twelve years since the closure of Novedades; we always went there after buying Harindondin's treats. Since then, we have had to go to Eibar or to the capitals. I don't know if there's a need for a movie theater in the village or not, but it gives it another charm. And to have the opportunity to enjoy in the same youth center a room with a pronounced Novedades flavor... It's amazing," says Unai Garmendia, a member of the Dynamo Film Club.

Initially, a series of fixed films will be programmed; then they will be organized according to the people who show interest.

Only the final touches are missing

The final touches are missing for the pre-release on July 20. Improvement of the electrical system, some decorations that will give it the air of a cinema –they will install LED lights to represent the special lighting before the beginning of the film–... and they will install the original fabric of Novedades. "It will take the form of a real room, but in a small format," they say.

This news has been published by Goiena and we have brought it to LUZ thanks to the CC-by-sa license.