History of the
Gollut Festival
The Gollut Festival is a film festival held within the century-old Cinema de Catalunya.
The Festival began in 2014, organized by the film club association Amics del Cinema. The Festival is now celebrating its 9th edition, with the aim of continuing to keep the Cinema de Catalunya alive—a movie theater that had to close its doors in 2008 and was able to reopen thanks to the campaign “Salvem el Cinema de Catalunya” (Save the Cinema de Catalunya).
“Només entre tots podem fer-ho” (Only together can we do it), promoted by Amics del Cinema, the Ribes de Freser Town Council, and Eugeni Casals, owner of the Cinema de Catalunya.
Since then, the festival has continued screening films in the theater, preventing one of the oldest cinemas in the country—according to the Catalan Film Academy—from falling into oblivion. All of this is, in large part, thanks to the persistence of its members.
The Cinema Catalunya
A Century-Old Theater
1900
The Beginnings of Cinema de Catalunya: El Teatre Foment: Today’s Cinema Catalunya, located at 19 Major Street in Ribes de Freser, was called Teatre Taga back in 1900. It was owned by Mr. Nicolàs Vilageliu i Mallol, who remodeled it during 1903. When Mr. Vilageliu died without direct descendants, his niece, Antònia Vilageliu, inherited it as a theater-café.
1920-1930
Teatre Taga. A Silent Cinema, Theater, Concert, and Dance Hall: Although it had been called Teatre Foment, from the 1920s to the 1930s it took the name Teatre Taga, a venue that hosted theater, cinema, concerts, and dancing on Sunday nights. It was the headquarters of the Casal Ribetà, where silent film screenings were brought to life by the music of a player piano. During those same years, the Cooperativa venue—the current Casal de Cultura—was inaugurated, founded by workers and located at Carrer Eres, no. 6.
1930
The Arrival of Sound Cinema: “Un hombre de Suerte“: The exact date of the arrival of sound cinema in Ribes de Freser is unknown, but it premiered with the screening of the film “Un hombre de suerte” (A Lucky Man) by Madrid-born director Benito Perojo González. It is a lost film, with no known surviving copies in any archive.
1955
Ribes de Freser, the Wealth of Having a Town with Two Cinemas: In 1955, the Spanish Cinema Yearbook confirmed that there were two cinemas in Ribes de Freser: the Casal Ribetà cinema, which was renamed “Salón Catalunya” and had 510 seats, and the “Cinema Puigmal,” which was the former cinema of the Cooperativa la Unió Ribetana, founded by workers. This created strong competition between the two theaters.
1956
From Teatre Taga to Cinema de Catalunya: In 1956, the owner of the cinema was Joan Tarruella, and Mr. Eugeni Casals joined as the projectionist. The cinema was then permanently renamed “Cinema Catalunya.”
1973
The Cinema Catalunya Undergoes Remodeling: In 1970, Eugeni Casals took over ownership of the cinema, which then became a commercial movie theater. Three years later, the owner began remodeling the venue, repairing the ceiling and excavating the floor to create a sloped main seating area. A total of 315 “Sudan Cónsul” model seats were acquired…
1996
New Acquisition: The DSSA VI-C Projector: In August 1996, a DSSA VI-C projector was acquired, equipped with a DSSA Type x 2,500 XENON lamphouse
2002
New and Comfortable Seats. Front Row, Row 13?: In May 2002, the DOLBY RACK system was installed, and the seating was upgraded with the purchase of 180 ESERAY seats coming from the Grito cinema in Olot. Currently, if you buy a ticket for the Cinema Catalunya in Ribes and want to sit in the front row, you will be assigned a seat in row number 13. This is neither a mistake nor a challenge to bad luck, but rather due to the acquisition of the seats from the Grito cinema, which could only adapt to the theater’s slope starting from row 13.
2003
The Amics del Cinema de la Vall de Ribes: In 2003, the film club “Amics del Cinema de la Vall de Ribes” was founded, with Carme Barceló Marginet serving as its first president. The association became a member of the Catalan Federation of Film Clubs.
2008
Save the Cinema Catalunya. A Theater on the Verge of Extinction: In 2008, the cinema’s owner, Mr. Eugeni Casals, retired, and the Amics del Cinema de la Vall de Ribes launched a campaign to save the theater. Through the association called “Amics del Cinema de la Vall de Ribes,” they sought members and volunteers to keep the project moving forward. In 2009, the Association took over the management of the theater through an agreement with the Town Council, which would lease the facilities from the owner to transform it into a public-use space. Thus, the Cinema Catalunya reopened—not as a commercial movie theater, but as a public screening venue. Joaquim Roqué became the new president of the Association.
2014
First Edition of the Gollut Festival: In 2014, the first edition of the Gollut Festival was organized under the direction of Joaquim Roqué.
2018
Premi de Ripollès Líders en la categoria Projecció ecològica cultural popular: Premi de Ripollès Líders 2018 en la categoria Projecció ecològica cultural popular 2018 a l’associació dels “Amics del cinema” de Catalunya. Sergi Díaz nou president de l’associació.
2020
Change of Direction: Jaume Palmés became the new director of the Gollut Festival.
Centenary Cinema. The Catalan Film Academy recognized and paid tribute to Cinema Catalunya as one of the thirteen active Centennial Theaters in the country, presenting it with a commemorative plaque.
2022
The 9th Edition of the Gollut Festival: This year marked the ninth edition of the Gollut Festival, an edition dedicated to the “margins.” Jan Baeta became the new director of the Gollut Festival.
2023
The Gollut Festival Celebrates its 10th Edition: Under the title “Following the Thalweg,” this edition places special emphasis on the cinematographic representation of rural life.
2024
Jan Baeta Presents the 11th Gollut Festival
2024
Change of Direction: Marina Saura, new director of the Gollut Festival (12th edition).
