Cinemes Texas

Cinemes Texas (also known as Cines Texas and, since 2023, Espai Texas) is a cinema and multidisciplinary arts venue located at Carrer de Bailèn, 205 in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Spain. It occupies the site of the former Lauren Gràcia cinemas. The original Texas cinema was opened on 17 September 2014 by the Catalan filmmaker Ventura Pons, who programmed it with a distinctive identity: revivals in original version with Catalan subtitles (VOSC), children's films dubbed into Catalan, thematic marathons, presentations, and recovered classics. Between 18 September 2014 and September 2016 the Texas screened 285 films in VOSC and 91 children's films dubbed in Catalan, with support from the Directorate General for Language Policy of the Generalitat de Catalunya, attracting close to 400,000 spectators. In 2016 it was chosen as the best cinema in Spain by Europa Cinemas. In 2017 a sister cinema with the same philosophy, AlbaTexas, opened in Valencia, though it later had to close. The original venue closed in October 2020, having been shut since March of that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Neighbourhood mobilisation in Gràcia, including a petition, a manifesto, and a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than €100,000 from residents and organisations, was key to its reopening. In 2023 it reopened under the name Espai Texas with a new management team of 11 performing-arts and cinema professionals, among them Isona Passola and Anna Rosa Cisquella. The new project is a multidisciplinary space comprising two cinema screens, a 200-seat theatre, and a bar. The original four-screen configuration had 540 seats and digital 2D projection equipment (IMS2000 Dolby Doremi with Christie CP2208 processors); each screen was named after a figure linked to Catalan cinema: Néstor Almendros, Bigas Luna, Francesc Rovira i Beleta, and José Luis Guarner. Today Espai Texas continues to programme a mix of films, theatre, and community events, with a strong emphasis on Catalan-language culture and neighbourhood engagement.

Cinemes Texas occupies the same space where the old Lauren Gràcia cinemas were located, at Carrer de Bailèn, 205 in Barcelona's Gràcia district. The cinema was opened on 17 September 2014 by the Catalan filmmaker Ventura Pons. Its programming was distinctive: revivals in original version with Catalan subtitles (VOSC), children's films dubbed into Catalan, thematic marathons, sessions with presentations, and the recovery of classics. From 18 September 2014 until September 2016, the Texas screened 285 films in VOSC and 91 children's films dubbed in Catalan, with the support of the Directorate General for Language Policy of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Close to 400,000 spectators attended its screenings. In 2016 it was chosen as the best cinema in Spain by Europa Cinemas. In 2017, cinemas with the same philosophy opened in Valencia under the name AlbaTexas, although they later had to close. The original venue had four screens equipped with digital 2D projectors (IMS2000 Dolby Doremi with Christie CP2208 processors) and a total of 540 seats. Each screen was dedicated to a personality related to Catalan cinema: Néstor Almendros, Bigas Luna, Francesc Rovira i Beleta, and José Luis Guarner. In October 2020, news of the cinema's closure was made public; it had been closed since March of that year due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Since the news broke, residents of the Gràcia neighbourhood mobilised continuously in the hope of saving one of the neighbourhood's most emblematic and vital projects. Among other actions, they collected signatures and drafted a manifesto. The neighbourhood movement was key to its latest reopening, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign promoted by the venue's new promoters, which raised more than €100,000 from residents and organisations. In 2023 the venue reopened under the name Espai Texas with a new management team of 11 performing-arts and cinema professionals, including Isona Passola and Anna Rosa Cisquella. The new project is a multidisciplinary space that includes two cinema screens, a 200-seat theatre, and a bar. Today Espai Texas continues to operate as a cultural hub in Gràcia, programming films, theatre, and community events with a strong Catalan-language and neighbourhood focus.

• Cinemes Texas opens, founded by Ventura Pons.

• Start of programming period during which 285 VOSC films and 91 Catalan-dubbed children's films were screened until September 2016.

• Chosen as best cinema in Spain by Europa Cinemas.

• AlbaTexas cinemas with the same philosophy open in Valencia (later close).

• Cinema closes due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

• Closure of the cinema is made public; neighbourhood mobilisation begins.

• Reopens as Espai Texas with a new management team of 11 professionals, including Isona Passola and Anna Rosa Cisquella.

A community-oriented, Catalan-language-focused cinema and multidisciplinary arts venue in the Gràcia district of Barcelona.

• Cinema screenings (original version with Catalan subtitles)

• Children's films dubbed in Catalan

• Theatre performances

• Bar service

• Film cycles and festivals

1. 1Espai Texas - Cinemes, teatre i barespaitexas.cat
2. 2Cinemes Texas - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Cines Texas - Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org