Shot on a handmade 16mm iodo-bromide emulsion, Lindsay McIntyre’s short film tells the distressed story of the old theaters that are being abandoned and went bankrupt thanks to the less demand of movie tickets that couldn’t cover the seats of the grandiose cinema halls. They once were so famous and glamorous, but nowadays even the films made on film face an overrated phase due to the transition to the digital era.

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The decision to structure the short documentary around the interviews, while different images play right in front of our eyes was a great idea and we were deeply impressed by the interviewed people’s thoughts. They didn’t expect that film will ever be old fashioned, but little did they know that the digital era was coming soon. As they state: ’’You get old, you get forgotten, you get replaced’’ and that’s how the circle of life works, even when it comes to films. Working with film instead of digital is a more intimate form of filmmaking, while nowadays you can shoot as much as you want, even more than necessary. However, a handmade film is like a living being – you get results while working with it. They - as well as we - hope that even if there aren’t that many old cinemas open, film is not dead, as there will always be people interested and fascinated by it.

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We loved how the ratio aspect of the film begins with 4:3 and then goes at 16:9 widescreen, underlying the changes that occurred in the evolution of the cinema throughout time. McIntyre’s style is a dynamic symbiosis between medium, maker, and subject. The craft and construction of experimental celluloid filmmaking serves as means of both articulation and experience, while the music she uses in this film is properly chosen and enhances the dramatic mood of the subject.

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We definitely recommend this short documentary to any film enthusiast and we look further to see other keen projects like this one. Therefore, all things considered, we may affirm that film is not dead.