Have Street Cinemas Died? Reasons Behind Suburban Struggles in Defense of Street Cinemas as Spaces of Collective Memory and Transformative Force in Territories

Abstract

Cinema as a physical space has undergone various changes over time, but the multiple ways of producing, distributing, and exhibiting audiovisual content do not diminish the power of cinematic exhibition venues to sustain societal resistance. This article explores why the population continues to engage in the defense of sidewalk cinemas in Rio de Janeiro, even as many believe that these establishments are destined for obsolescence in contemporary times. By examining the life that cinema venues bring to the streets, to people, and to social movements in support of cinema and culture, we come to understand their importance in altering exclusionary experiences. Thus, this work revolves around cultural access and the cinematic potential when the protagonists are suburban individuals often marginalized by the commodity city.