Søllested Bio

Søllested Bio is a cinema and cultural centre located in the small town of Søllested on the island of Lolland, Denmark. It is one of the few remaining cinemas in Denmark still operating in a minor railway town and, apart from the cinema at the Lalandia Rødby holiday resort, the only cinema in Lolland Municipality. The cinema consists of a single auditorium with seating for 120 people, plus loose chairs added as needed. The venue is owned by Lolland Municipality and run by the association Søllested Bio og Kulturhus, founded in 1998. The cinema celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. The history of Søllested Bio dates back to 1915, when master mason Ludvig Mogensen built a cinema building in the courtyard at Hovedgaden 23 in Søllested. The first screening was the Danish film Af Elskovs Naade starring Betty Nansen, a silent film accompanied by live piano music. Over the following decades the cinema operated under various owners, including mechanic Egon Folmer Plenborg from 1938, who modernised the auditorium and projection equipment and installed one of the first CinemaScope systems in a provincial Danish cinema. In 1963 Plenborg obtained a licence to run Nørre Alslev Biograf and had to divest the Søllested cinema after a transition period. In 1965 the cinema was taken over on a five-year lease by Jørgen Clausen, who revolutionised the venue. Together with Peter Refn and his distribution company Camera Film, Clausen launched the so-called "Søllested Project", showing a curated list of artistic films on Mondays and Tuesdays (later also Wednesdays). The initiative attracted audiences from all over Lolland and was supported by 14 provincial cinemas, with financial backing from the Film Foundation. The project led to several Danish premieres of quality films in the provinces before they reached Copenhagen, and it became the starting point for the Danish Film Institute's more permanent art film support scheme for smaller provincial cinemas. When Clausen's lease expired in 1970, the old building was in poor condition, so he initiated the construction of a new cinema building in Højrebygade, designed by architect Laust Ørnsholt and inaugurated on 10 March 1971 with a screening of Robert Wise's West Side Story. The old Søllested Biografteater closed on 30 August 1970 with a farewell screening of Det tossede paradis. Jørgen Clausen and his wife Lis continued to run the cinema for many years, celebrating their 25th anniversary in the town in 1990. A few years later Clausen sold the cinema to the municipality but continued to manage it until November 1997; he died the following year. The cinema continued in its established style under daily manager Johnny Christensen. In 1998 the association "Søllested Bio og Kulturhus" was founded and has since operated the cinema, which has been modernised several times, including the installation of 120 new and softer seats in 2006. In 2016 the cinema celebrated its 100th anniversary. Today, Søllested Bio & Kulturhus serves as both a cinema and a cultural centre, hosting film screenings, lectures, and other events, and offering membership in its support association.

Søllested Bio's history began in 1915 when master mason Ludvig Mogensen built a cinema building in the courtyard at Hovedgaden 23 in Søllested. The first screening was the Danish film Af Elskovs Naade starring Betty Nansen, a silent film accompanied by live piano music. The cinema operated for many years under various owners. From 1938 it was run by mechanic Egon Folmer Plenborg, who modernised the auditorium and projection equipment several times and installed one of the first CinemaScope systems in a provincial Danish cinema. In 1963 Plenborg obtained a licence to run Nørre Alslev Biograf and had to divest the Søllested cinema after a transition period, as regulations did not allow him to run both cinemas for long. In 1965 the cinema was taken over on a five-year lease by Jørgen Clausen, who revolutionised the venue. Clausen shared a great love of artistic films with Peter Refn, who that same year had bought the Copenhagen cinema Boulevard Teatret and transformed it into Copenhagen's first art cinema under the name Camera. In collaboration with Refn and his distribution company Camera Film, Clausen issued a list of a long series of artistic films that he would show at the Søllested cinema every Monday and Tuesday (later also Wednesday). Interest proved to be very large, and people from all over Lolland began flocking to Søllested to see quality films. The initiative was also supported by a number of art-interested directors from other provincial cinemas, and a total of 14 cinemas joined together in what was called the "Søllested Project", which with financial support from the Film Foundation screened a series of selected, artistically valuable films. The Søllested Project made Clausen known as something of a phenomenon in the cinema industry, and he himself doubled his turnover. The project led to a series of Danish premieres of quality films in the provinces before they came to Copenhagen. Thus three films had their Danish premiere at Søllested Biografteater in 1969/1970: Jeg elsker - du elsker, Mishandlingen with actor Björn Granath, and Ugetsu – en bleg og mystisk månes fortælling efter regnen directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. The project also became the beginning of the Danish Film Institute's more permanent art film support scheme for smaller provincial cinemas showing import-supported films. When Clausen's lease expired in 1970, the owner of the cinema (Plenge) was not interested in continued cinema operation and the existing cinema building was also in very poor condition, so Jørgen Clausen took the initiative to build a new cinema building in the town. Minister of Culture Kristen Helveg Petersen arranged for the Film Foundation to provide support, and Højreby Municipality also approved the plans for a new art cinema building in Søllested. The old Søllested Biografteater therefore closed on 30 August 1970 with the farewell screening Det tossede paradis. The building still exists, and the words "Biograf-Teater" still stand in white letters in a round arch over the gate into the former cinema auditorium on Hovedgaden. The new cinema building in Højrebygade was built by architect Laust Ørnsholt and inaugurated on 10 March 1971 with the screening of Robert Wise's West Side Story. There was an 80% occupancy rate in the first months, and a high proportion of artistic films continued to be shown, though this gradually decreased during the 1970s. In 1985, when the Roxy cinema in Nakskov had closed, Clausen tried to start the cinema Teater-Bio in that town in the municipal theatre hall, but this experiment was not successful and lasted less than two months. But at Søllested Bio, Clausen and his wife Lis continued and celebrated their 25th anniversary in the town in 1990 with a handful of Danish film gems in the light genre. A few years later Clausen sold the cinema to the municipality but continued to manage it until November 1997. He died the following year. The cinema continued its previous style with Johnny Christensen as daily manager. In 1998 the association "Søllested Bio og Kulturhus" was founded, which has since operated the cinema. The cinema has been modernised several times, including with 120 new and softer seats in 2006. In 2016 the cinema celebrated its 100th anniversary. Today, Søllested Bio & Kulturhus operates as a cinema and cultural centre, offering film screenings, lectures, and other events, and inviting the public to support it by becoming members of the association.

• 2016

  Cinema celebrates its 100th anniversary.

• 2013

  Chairman of the cinema receives Lolland Municipality's culture prize.

• 2006

  Auditorium renovated with 120 new seats, new screen, and digital projector.

• 1998

  Association Søllested Bio og Kulturhus founded to operate the cinema.

• 1997

  Clausen ceases management in November; dies the following year.

• 1990

  Jørgen Clausen and wife Lis celebrate 25th anniversary in the town.

• 1971

  New cinema building inaugurated on 10 March with West Side Story.

• 1970

  Old cinema closes on 30 August; new building project initiated.

• 1969

  Three films have Danish premieres at Søllested Biografteater.

• 1965

  Jørgen Clausen takes over on a five-year lease and launches the Søllested Project.

• 1963

  Plenborg obtains licence for Nørre Alslev Biograf and must divest Søllested cinema.

• 1938

  Egon Folmer Plenborg takes over operation and modernises the cinema.

• 1915

  Cinema building constructed by Ludvig Mogensen; first screening of Af Elskovs Naade.

A community-owned cinema and cultural hub preserving cinematic heritage in rural Denmark.

• Film screenings

• Cultural events

• Lectures

• Membership in support association

1. 1Søllested Bio & Kulturhus official websitesoellestedbio.dk
2. 2Wikidata entry for Søllested Biowikidata.org
3. 3Danish Wikipedia article on Søllested Bioda.wikipedia.org