The “Paolo Grassi” Cinema reopens, thanks to the volunteers

The “Paolo Grassi” Cinema in Tradate has reopened as a community hall, cinema hall, and meeting point. This is after several calls for management bids went unanswered, as well as an announcement to sell the building. And now, a miracle has occurred, thanks to the volunteers; after the local council had decided to invest in renovating the building, a great number of volunteers came forward to give their time and knowledge to repair the seats, paint, clean, dismantle and repaint. The project was coordinated by Town Councillor Rolando Codato, who is in charge of the cinema and who chairs the cultural committee, who set up a program of free initiatives, for adults and children alike, that began on the evening of Friday, 28 November, that will continue throughout December.

The date when films will be shown again has still not been established. However, after the council’s investment of €25,000, to purchase materials, to build a bathroom for the disabled and to rebuild the entrance stairway, now the purchase of a digital projector is planned. This will cost around €70,000, which will come from the next urbanisation commitments. "We’re already preparing cost estimates,” said Codato, “but we want to go in that direction and create a program that, for a 300-seat hall like this, will satisfy different tastes in the same week: from a film club to children, from commercial films to shows. And we’re going to get the schools involved. All with the help of the many volunteers who have contributed over these weeks to revive this historic hall.”

"I’m doing this because, like many others in Tradate, it’s a dream of mine to bring this hall back to life,” the councillor continued. With the ‘Fornace’ Multiplex, we wanted to bring the centre of town to the suburbs. Now we want to do the opposite. Today, we can afford this relaunch because, thanks to the volunteers, it’s been possible to create a complete program, including shows and music. Now, we’re dreaming of bringing the cinema back, to fill it as we used to, keeping up with the times and with the demands of the town. In the past, it was said this hall had no parking; but that’s not true, less than 200 metres away, there’s a multi-storey car park in the square in front of the post office. There’s everything we need to reopen the “Grassi” Cinema. Even the passion.”