The Varia cinema-theater in Charleroi, Belgium, in 2008. SIMON EDELSTEIN
In a few days, Simon Edelstein will board another flight, this time bound for Zaragoza in northeastern Spain. The city's most beautiful cinema, the Elíseos, was bought by McDonald's. Its owners preserved the façade and even kept the auditorium intact, only replacing the seats with tables.
Edelstein is determined to photograph this relic. For more than two decades, in over 30 countries, he has documented the façades and interiors of former cinemas – some converted into restaurants or shops, others simply abandoned. His aim is to immortalize these venues before their memory disappears, once they are demolished.
This former Swiss director of photography and filmmaker, who directed four feature films between 1973 and 2008, began photographing these neglected cinemas about 20 years ago, "as a hobby," as he puts it.
'People used to fight for them'
