Cinema Teatro Antoniano

Cinema Teatro Antoniano is the cinema and theatre venue operated by Antoniano in Bologna, Italy. Antoniano is the ETS (Ente del Terzo Settore, a third-sector non-profit entity) branch of the Provincia S. Antonio dei Frati Minori, the Franciscan province of St. Anthony. The venue sits within a broader charitable and cultural complex that also includes a soup kitchen for the poor, a therapeutic centre for children, a production centre, and the famous Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano children's choir, known for the Zecchino d'Oro song contest. The origin of the whole Antoniano project dates to 1953, when a young Franciscan, padre Ernesto Caroli, moved by the suffering he had witnessed during the Second World War, laid the first stone for a soup kitchen for the poor. His vision went beyond a single meal: he believed people also needed new hope. Out of that vision the cinema-teatro was born, conceived as a cultural engine to sustain the social initiatives and the Piccolo Coro, which spreads values of solidarity and love of neighbour through music. Today the Cinema Teatro Antoniano functions as a programming venue and events hub. Its calendar mixes film screenings, children's cinema (CineMINI Kids, CineMINI Talk), talks, book presentations, workshops, music, theatre, and community gatherings such as the Festa di Sant'Antonio. The official site lists dozens of Cinema Teatro items alongside events, courses, and laboratories, reflecting a busy, socially oriented cultural programme aimed at families, children, and the wider Bologna public. As part of Antoniano, the venue is not a conventional commercial cinema chain but a mission-driven cultural and charitable brand. Revenue and activity support Antoniano's social services, including the mensa (soup kitchen), welcome services for families and individuals in difficulty, the Centro Terapeutico for fragile children, and the Laboratori Migranti. The organisation publishes an annual Bilancio Sociale (social report), underscoring its non-profit, accountability-oriented character. The venue is based in Bologna and reachable via the Antoniano switchboard and secretariat contacts published on its site.

The history of Cinema Teatro Antoniano is inseparable from the history of Antoniano itself. According to the organisation's own account, everything began in 1953 from the dream of a young Franciscan, padre Ernesto Caroli. Having seen many people suffer during the Second World War, he wanted to do something concrete against poverty, and his dream was to serve the poor as if in a restaurant. In 1953 the first stone was laid for the construction of the soup kitchen for the poor. Padre Ernesto's ambition was larger than a single meal. He understood that people needed not only food but also new hope. Out of this conviction the cinema-teatro was created, intended to sustain social initiatives through culture, alongside the Piccolo Coro, which spreads the values of solidarity and love of neighbour through music. In this sense the cinema-theatre was from the outset a fundraising and cultural-education instrument for Antoniano's charitable mission rather than a purely commercial entertainment business. Over the decades, new activities were added to the original initiatives, including the Centro Terapeutico (therapeutic centre) and the Centro di Produzione (production centre). The Antoniano complex thus grew into a multi-service institution combining solidarity, entertainment, and social communication — a formula the organisation itself summarises as "Solidarietà, intrattenimento e comunicazione sociale." By the 2020s the Cinema Teatro Antoniano was operating a dense programme of screenings, talks, workshops, and events. Its online listing shows dozens of Cinema Teatro entries alongside a broader events calendar that includes cinema, formation, meetings, music, theatre, and services. Recurring formats include CineMINI Kids and CineMINI Talk for younger audiences, MERENDAGIOCO! Academy sessions on food and nutrition, and the Festa di Sant'Antonio. The venue also hosts projections tied to social themes, such as documentaries and films discussed in its talk series. Throughout, the venue has remained part of Antoniano, described on its site as the ETS branch of the Provincia S. Antonio dei Frati Minori. It publishes social reports (Bilancio Sociale) for recent years, and its activities are interwoven with Antoniano's social services in Bologna, including the mensa, welcome services, the therapeutic centre, and migrant workshops. The cinema-theatre therefore represents both a cultural amenity for Bologna and a funding and outreach arm of a Franciscan charitable enterprise rooted in the post-war period.

• 1953

  Padre Ernesto Caroli lays the first stone for the soup kitchen for the poor, the origin of the Antoniano complex.

• 1953

  The cinema-teatro is created to sustain social initiatives through culture, alongside the Piccolo Coro.

• Over the years, the Centro Terapeutico and Centro di Produzione are added to the original initiatives.

• The venue runs recurring formats such as CineMINI Kids, CineMINI Talk, MERENDAGIOCO! Academy, and the Festa di Sant'Antonio.

A mission-driven cinema-theatre within Bologna's Antoniano complex, using culture and entertainment to fund and support social and charitable initiatives.

• CineMINI Kids

  Children's cinema programme; e.g. screening of "Prendi il volo".

• CineMINI Talk

  Film talk format; e.g. a session on "Tully".

• MERENDAGIOCO! Academy

  Educational sessions on food, nutrition, and creativity for children.

• Festa di Sant'Antonio

  Annual celebration event associated with Antoniano.

• Social-themed film screenings

  Projections such as "Still life" and "Sconosciuti puri" tied to social themes.

1. 1Cinema Teatro Antoniano | Antoniano e Zecchino d'Oroantonianobologna.it
2. 2Chi siamo | Antoniano e Zecchino d'Oroantonianobologna.it
3. 3Chi siamo | Antoniano e Zecchino d'Oroantonianobologna.it
4. 4Sociale | Antoniano e Zecchino d'Oroantonianobologna.it
5. 5Cinema Teatro Antoniano (Wikidata)wikidata.org