As we continue our series paying homage to the esteemed Film houses of the world this month, we travel to Berlin, Germany.
The Kino International Cinema is situated on Karl-Marx-Allee in former East Berlin and was constructed between 1961 and 1963. It is now a protected building and serves as one of the venues for the annual Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).
The theater, located on Karl-Marx-Allee, was designed by Josef Kaiser in 1958. It’s a three-story reinforced concrete building with light sandstone façades. Kaiser was also the designer of Kino Kosmos and Café Moskau.
The theater was opened on November 15, 1963, after two years of construction. It was built to accommodate an audience of around 600 and has an inclined design. The acoustic technology used in the theater was specifically developed for it and is similar to that of a recording studio. The walls are covered with acoustic dampening panels, while the wall coverings, made of offset wood panels with open joints, ensure a unique acoustic experience. The waved ceiling is also designed to reflect sounds effectively to the seating area.
In the 1980s, Kino International was one of the first cinemas in the GDR equipped with Dolby Stereo.
In 1990, the theater underwent renovations, and the Kino International building and a group of other buildings were granted heritage protection.
The Kino International, currently managed by Yorck Kinogruppe, remains a popular venue for filmmakers to showcase their premieres because of its ambiance. The theater still features hand-painted film posters outside, showcasing the movie of the week.
Visit them HERE
If you think a theater deserves recognition in our “Sacred Houses” series, kindly contact us with details of its name, location, and significance to either you or your community. We’re enthusiastic about backing local theaters and feel they should be celebrated alongside the more renowned historic venue
The Other Cinema 