Our latest project aims to commemorate one of the most important and oldest movie theaters in Gdańsk. We would like to collect archival photos, materials, documents, and memories. We want to create a virtual database that takes visitors through the cinema’s auditoriums, its nooks and crannies, and its stories. Let’s create the “Tu było Kino Neptun” website together.
The Neptun Cinema (known as the Leningrad Cinema from 1953 to 1993) was built on the site of the pre-war Tobis Palast Cinema in Gdańsk’s Main Town. Throughout its existence, the theater’s auditorium was the largest single auditorium of its kind in Poland, seating up to 1,200 people. Together with the Kameralne and Helikon theaters located on the same lot, it formed the largest cinema complex in Pomerania. The building also featured artistic works by Gdańsk artists: the lobby and waiting areas were adorned with sgraffito by Jacek Żuławski. The building’s façade, meanwhile, featured works by Roman Madejski and his team. The western exterior wall of the building, on the other hand, was adorned with an abstract mosaic by Anna Fiszer.
Most of the film premieres in Pomerania took place at the Neptun Cinema.
Some nationwide premieres and special screenings of films with themes related to Pomerania were held here. It was here that the Polish Feature Film Festival began, and the cinema has hosted renowned figures from Polish and international culture, including Volker Schlöndorff, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Alan Parker, Tony Palmer, Jean-Jacques Beineix, Piotr Dumała, Bogusław Linda, and Günter Grass. In the 1990s, numerous film events took place here, including the National Film Knowledge Contest and the Yach Film Music Video Festival.
For many years, the Neptun Cinema was an important venue for the people of Gdańsk. Some had the opportunity to see the latest movie premieres and new releases there, as well as meet renowned filmmakers.
Stages of the “This Was the Neptun Movie Theater” Project
- Collection and digitization of archival photographs from among those collected by residents of Gdańsk, representatives of cultural institutions, and individuals associated with the film industry. (2022–2023)
- The creation of 360-degree multimedia photos by photographer Sławomir Pultyn, which will include detailed panoramas of individual rooms, lobbies, and screening rooms. (2022–2023)
- Interviews with People Who Work in or Are Involved with the Film Industry (2023)
- Call for submissions of historical texts describing the history of cinema and the related developments within Gdańsk’s film community. (2022–2023)
- A collection of archival articles, plans, artifacts, and documents (from 2023) related to cinema that we will digitize.
- The creation of an interactive website (in 2023) that will host all the collected materials and allow users to view them for free.
The project was co-financed by the City of Gdańsk.
