From old Soviet-style auditoriums to hi-tech multipleses, the capital's theaters are becoming big draws
While the Ukrainian movie industry may be floundering for lack of funding, venues for viewing films are flourishing. From old, Soviet‑style auditoriums with tinny acoustics to modern multiplexes outfitted with Dolby Surround Sound, moviegoers have a range of cinemas to satisfy their fetish for flicks.
Kyiv’s movie theaters tend to fall along a typical cinema divide. Modern venues show big‑budget productions and charge higher ticket prices, while the older establishments tend to provide more of an art‑house repertoire, featuring international films for those with more discriminating visual palettes.
There is a tremendous predominance of American films in Kyiv. They are usually dubbed into Russian, not Ukrainian, and appear at least several months after their release in the States.
There are several traditions that are peculiar to Kyiv theaters and that can be found even in the newer venues. Foremost among these is assigned seating. This is, of course, a double‑edged sword. On the up side, you don’t have to fight for a seat. On the down side, you don’t have the opportunity to fight for a decent seat if you happen to be last in line at the box office.
Plus, pricing tends to vary not only with the time of day but with seat placement and even with your choice of movie hall. Theaters often have one hall equipped with a better sound system or additional seating, and they charge accordingly.
At some places, patrons are expected to wait in the lobby before the film starts until the buzzer sounds. This theatrical device often leaves people watching the clock and pawing at the red carpet like horses before the Kentucky Derby. Of course, this is totally unnecessary, as seating is assigned.
One unfortunate quirk of Kyiv’s movie scene is that scheduling is more an exercise in approximation than definite planning. Theaters often change their programs with little or no notice and even cancel shows if few tickets are sold. It is always best to call and verify in advance.
There is one genuinely charming practice that is quickly falling by the wayside: the hand‑painted movie poster. There is a great tradition of poster‑making in Ukraine and older theaters continue to create painted reproductions of commercial movie posters. Sadly, as they slowly renovate and expand, many are switching to the more mundane, mass‑produced versions. Quite frankly, it does Tom Hanks a world of good to be represented with a slightly impressionistic flair.
Kinopanorama
Kinopanorama still provides an old‑fashioned, no‑frills, Soviet‑style cinema experience. It’s wrought‑iron facade and cold‑gray stone floors tell you right away that the seats will be hard and the sound quality poor. It often advertises films in “Dolby Stereo,” and while the movie may have been filmed to those specifications, you can bet the oval, high‑ceilinged auditorium is not exactly up to snuff.
Aesthetically, Kinopanorama reeks of a not‑so‑valiant attempt at grandeur. Its stone walls are only slightly softened by the red and blue velvet curtains, dulled gilding and its tattered parquet floor.
Kinopanorama offers both Hollywood films and a reasonable repertoire of international art films. It recently presented an extensive series of films by directors from the Czech Republic. And it is currently showing films by Ukrainian cinematographers daily at 7:45. The series runs through the end of May. Ticket prices range from Hr 6 to Hr 18.
Zhovten
At Zhovten, you’ll find the full range of offerings, from big‑budget “masterpieces” like “Coyote Ugly” to festival winners like “Chocolate,” and even small series of international offerings like the recent Japanese film festival.
While the one remaining auditorium – the upstairs auditorium has been converted into the popular Al Capone nightclub – has been outfitted with Dolby Digital sound, it still maintains the faux‑grandeur of the Soviet era. The lobby’s murals, depicting Ukrainian folk scenes in the strident realist style, do little to soften the atmosphere.
Zhovten is trying to drum up additional business by catering to a younger clientele with its “Kino Main Stream” series. For a Hr 20 flat fee, midnight film mavens can view a program of three films starting at 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday evening. The program began April 20.
Prices are middling at Zhovten, with tickets running from Hr 10 to Hr 20 for daytime screenings and up to Hr 25 for evening shows. The building also hosts a movie‑themed cafe that serves cheap popcorn, sodas and Obolon draft beer for a reasonable Hr 3.
Dom Kino
Every city needs a noncommercial film center, and Dom Kino is Kyiv’s. Located in a 30‑year‑old, crumbling socialist monstrosity, this disco‑by‑night also screens a wealth of international art films. While the facilities are archaic, the breadth and depth of the programs is a boon for cinema lovers.
Dom Kino regularly hosts lectures from local and regional film directors, editors and critics. Patrons can see highbrow fare like the works of Jan Renoir or Cedric Klakish, or view selections from special presentations like the recent Dutch Film Festival.
Aside from the administrative offices for the National Filmmakers Association, Dom Kino boasts three halls and lecture facilities. Management organizes special limited‑run showings and lectures in coordination with other cultural organizations. Such screenings are by invitation only, but you may be able to finagle an invitation by contacting Dom Kino.
Zaryany
This monolithic stone structure looks as cold and airless on the inside as it does from the outside. It has all the charm of an auditorium in an inner‑city middle school – and the technical apparatus to match.
Zaryany is, however, the one theater that hosts regularly scheduled afternoon showings of classic children’s films. It is also home to Kino Club, which organizes screenings and lectures on a variety of topics.
The cinema also hosts regular Saturday (4 p.m.) and Sunday (noon) showings of films from around the former Soviet Union.
Otherwise, Zaryany’s single hall is relegated to the dregs of Hollywood film production (i.e. films involving Kevin Bacon).
Kyivsky Rus
This massive cement structure at the end of Artema contains two movie halls, although only one is operational at present. The cashier competes with a bookmaking facility, and movie times are interspersed with the latest soccer statistics. Management has, however, taken pains to modernize the facility. The lobby is festooned with blue paint and faux‑leather couches. It also boasts the Kino Bar, which features a full range of cafe fare, liquor, bargain popcorn and soft drinks.
While the one working movie hall holds 200 of the most uncomfortable seats in town, it does possess a large screen and a legitimate surround sound system, which competes only with the hum of subway cars passing below.
The Rus generally runs children’s features in the afternoons and big‑budget Hollywood films in the evenings. Most films run for two weeks. The last showing is set at a rather early 8 p.m., but you can’t beat the price. Tickets range from Hr 6 to Hr 12, and Rus offers a weekday student rate of Hr 6.
Druzhba
Located in the middle of Khreshchatyk within an imposing monolith of a building constructed in the 1940s by German prisoners of war, the “Friendship” theater fails to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
The gray‑marble entryway (again, don’t be confused by the bookmaking facility) opens onto two halls, the larger supposedly equipped with Dolby Digital stereo. But the linoleum floor, the walls covered in the type of acoustic corkboard favored by recording studios of the 1930s, and the audible cranking of the projector fail to make any showing at Druzhba an engrossing cinematic experience.
The Druzhba serves up typical Hollywood fare for Hr 12 to Hr 18, depending upon section, show time and hall.
Kino Palace
Kino Palace is appropriately named, and not just because it is located in the meticulously maintained neo‑classical Institute of Culture high on a hill overlooking Khreshchatyk. Kino Palace also manages to appropriate the architectural frills and ornaments of turn‑of‑the century architecture and combine them with the technological advances necessary to appreciate the big‑budget cinematic fare it offers. The net result is an old‑school movie‑palace experience.
The main hall has been beautifully renovated with large, red‑velvet seats, an enormous chandelier, deep‑blue walls trimmed with white, an enormous screen and a large, shadowy balcony. This is the quintessential get‑intimate‑with‑your‑date venue.
But you’ll have to pay a steep price for the privilege. Tickets run from Hr 20 for the morning showings (as early as 9:20 a.m.) to Hr 48 for prime‑time seating. The last showing is at 11 p.m.
Kino Palace also features a modern snack bar with all things salty and sweet, though this too will cost you. A medium‑sized popcorn and a small soda will run you Hr 12.
Ukraina
Unlike Kino Palace, Ukraina is modeled along the more modern, multiplex design. Its smaller, carpeted halls with lounge seating, sleek new tile and flashing neon marquis all speak of clean modernity.
In terms of sound quality, Ukraina is certainly the best theater around. Equipped with Dolby Digital, its halls are also designed for maximum acoustic effect.
Of course, you’ll find all of the traditional movie trappings at Ukraina, including snack bars stocked with popcorn and candy. The complex also features Fellini, an upscale Italian restaurant that serves excellent pasta dishes.
Again, modernity costs. Ticket prices range from Hr 30 to Hr 40 for the theater’s small hall and Hr 35 to Hr 45 for the larger, terraced auditorium. But before 6 p.m. prices drop to between Hr 20 and Hr 25. The last showing is at 11 p.m. on weekends.
PICK YOUR FLICK
Druzhba
25 Kreshchatyk. Tel: 228‑1848
Zhovten
26 Konstantinovska. Tel: 417‑3004
Dom Kino
6 Saksahanskoho. Tel: 227‑4663
Kyivsky Rus
93 Artema. Tel: 216‑7474
Kino Palace
1 Institutska. Tel: 228‑1848
Kinopanorama
19 Shota Rustavelli. Tel: 227‑7223
Zoryany
31 Moskovska. Tel: 290‑7552
Ukraina
5 Horodetskoho. Tel: 229‑5462
