Happy birthday, Kino Aero!
The iconic Prague 3 cinema turns two decades old in February 2018, and to celebrate will be hosting a week-long celebration that kicks off on the 1st.
Located in a residential courtyard off of Žižkov’s Biskupcova street, the cinema itself has stood for the better part of a century. The original Kino Aero was inaugurated way back in 1933 by Hugo Haas and Lída Baarová, and has undergone numerous transformations over the years.
Modern management took over the cinema in 1997 after winning a tender from the city, adding a lobby bar and transforming the premises into the Kino Aero we all know and love.
“The cinema’s technical condition was poor,” recalls Pavel Rajčan, one of the modern founders, in a press release.
“The average daily attendance was thirteen people. With a group of friends, we began an intensive three-month repair of the cinema and established a new artistic direction.”
The cinema was officially re-opened on February 6, 1998, with a screening of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s A Taste of Cherry. It set the tone for what would become Prague’s premiere destination for arthouse cinema over the next two decades.
Now, Aero’s attendance is stronger than it has ever been.
“Over the last few years, we have welcomed more than 70,000 visitors annually,” notes Kino Aero director Zuzana Kameníková.
From February 1-7, Kino Aero will be hosting a special week-long series of events to celebrate 20 years of success. It includes a diverse lineup of classic films, new premieres, a pair of free screenings and even a Tata Bojs concert.
Highlight: on Sunday, organizers from Aero’s popular Shockproof Film Festival will present a day of films that includes Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon (with live Czech dubbing) and a screening of the William Castle horror movie The Tingler in “Percepto”: a gimmick that involves electric buzzers on selected seats that go off during key scenes.
On Thursday, February 1, the fest kicks off with a pair of free Oscar nominated screenings: The Darkest Hour and The Shape of Water. Both will be screened free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.
Here’s the full schedule of events celebrating 20 years of Kino Aero; tickets run 120 CZK unless noted:
Thursday, February 1:
13:30: The Darkest Hour (free entry)
18:00: President Blaník (in Czech)
20:30: The Shape of Water (free entry)
Friday, February 2:
19:00: Cinema Paradiso
Saturday, February 3:
15:00: Early Man (Czech dubbed)
17:30: Phantom Thread
20:30: Blind Date with Aero (free entry)
23:00: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Sunday, February 4:
18:00: The Last Dragon (Czech dubbed)
20:30: The Tingler
Monday, February 5:
19:30: Concert: Tata Bojs (450 CZK)
Tuesday, February 6:
18:00: African Winter (Discussion with author Tomáš Šebek / 150 CZK)
Wednesday, February 7:
18:00: Breathless
20:30: Goodfellas
More info can be found at the Kino Aero website and Facebook page.
