Documentary cinema to open in Moscow

Russia’s first dedicated documentary cinema opens today in Moscow. The new cinema, which is part of the Museum of Moscow in the centre of the city, is the culmination of the recent success of the new Centre for Documentary Film. This initiative was started in September 2012, with the support of the Moscow City Government, in order to provide a platform for quality documentary film, including regular commercial film showings, as well as festivals and special screenings. The cinema’s programme begins with the Beat Film Festival of music documentaries.

Before the opening of the new cinema, which is housed in a nineteenth-century former warehouse, documentary screenings were held at various temporary locations, including the press centre of RIA Novosti, Russia’s largest press agency, which is the Museum of Moscow’s neighbour and information partner. The concept and design of the cinema was the work of Wowhaus, the architecture bureau responsible for designing Strelka and redeveloping Gorky Park.