According to NRK Buskerud, Heidi Palm Sandberg described how Drammen kino has gone from senior cinema once a week to having it every day, and offers free youth cinema on Fridays, baby cinema, and knitting cinema. Some men even suggested starting whittling cinema. Sandberg noted that Drammen is a diverse city and the film program should reflect the population, so the cinema has held Polish film days and Turkish film weekends for people to watch films in their native language. It also offers culinary cinema with food and drink service.
Film critic Birger Vestmo, speaking to NRK Buskerud, expressed that activities in the cinema during films feel wrong, and he fears streaming services are changing how films are made for the worse. He cited the film 'The Rip' where Matt Damon revealed they had to repeat the plot for viewers on their phones. Espen Lundberg Pedersen, managing director of Film og Kino, attributed Drammen kino's success to good work with youth, a varied curated program, and many activities. He noted that Norwegian cinema attendance has dropped due to the pandemic and Hollywood strikes in 2023, but big Hollywood films are now returning.
We are replacing the small, unsocial mobile screen with the large, social canvas.
We have gone from senior cinema once a week to having it every single day. We have free youth cinema on Fridays, in addition to baby cinema and knitting cinema. There were even some men who suggested we should start whittling cinema.
Drammen is a diverse city. Then the film program must reflect the population. We have had everything from Polish film days to Turkish film weekend, so that people can watch films in their own language and feel that this is their cinema.
I understand that for others it might be an okay way to watch films, but for me it feels a bit wrong. It feels wrong that other things should happen in the cinema auditorium besides exactly this bond between the audience and the film.
I am afraid that it changes the way films are made, and not for the better. In the film 'The Rip' from earlier this year, actor Matt Damon revealed that they received clear instructions that they had to repeat the plot several times, precisely for those who are on their phone while watching the film.
Drammen kino does a lot of things right. They do a very good and solid job aimed at young people. In addition, they have a very varied, curated program for all age groups and target groups, and many activities.