The Film Archive of Catalonia

If your passion is films, you love the great classics and would like to read the cinematographic texts and find out more about the first films in history, then The Film Archive of Catalonia is the perfect place for you.  A venue in which to spend a really enjoyable evening.  The Filmoteca (as it is known locally), in addition to a projection room and a library, has a room that is dedicated to exhibitions that are constantly being updated and which you can visit for free.  The exhibitions last for around a month and will enthrall all movie lovers with a wonderful collection of documents, photographs, documentaries and more.  In fact, if you live in Barcelona or your visit is long enough to enable you to take advantage of the opportunity, a subscription to the projection room is very competitively priced and is a great way in which to learn a new language.  

The Archive's History 

The Film Archive of Catalonia was founded in 1981 and is the main source of reference throughout Spain when it comes to research, conservation and distribution of films.  The library houses more than 9,000 videos and DVDs, 5,000 sound-tracks on CD, 25,000 photographs and much more.  We're talking about a truly authentic cinematographic heritage with plenty of Catalan, national and international works which have been preserved and are available for use.  In February 2017, The Film Archive of Catalonia celebrated 5 years in its new headquarters in Raval.  The director, with great pride, relates that the new headquarters was visited by more than 750,000 people and more than 50,000 students have attended the Archive's numerous courses.  

What you can do at the Film Archive

The Film Archive is so much more than just a museum or an ordinary cinema: it is a magical place where you can access high quality, famous content at a reasonable price as a result of the institution's popular mission.  There are two screening rooms and the location has two exhibition halls.  In fact, another thing that you can do at the Archive is to visit the current on-site exhibitions for free, for example, focusing on the work of directors who have taken on a project of particular interest.  In addition to this, at the Filmoteca you can also just relax and enjoy a good coffee at the Bar-Restaurant which is a perfect meeting place in which to have a chat about the film you have just seen, (because, it is well known that a true cinema lover won't want to talk during the screening).  If, on the other hand, before giving your opinion, you would like to be better informed about the film, a director or a particular artistic genre, you will have access to the Film Archive's Library.  And finally, the building  also has a book shop - we completely understand if you can't wait to buy a poster of your favorite film to take home! 

The programming

The programming schedules can be checked directly online and are shown by month and with the films' respective time slots.  Every day there are shows scheduled from 16:00 to 18:00 with the last showing at 22:00.  If the film, documentary or show is at an awkward time for you, don't worry. It will be repeated at another time or on the following day.  If you want to check the screening times on the Archive's website, you can have a look at Filmoteca.cat.

How to get there

The Film Archive of Catalonia is situated in the central and very typical neighborhood of el  Raval, on the Plaza  Salvador Seguí. Getting there is easy as it is close to the Rambla del Raval, just a few minutes on foot from the famous monument, El Gat (the cat), a work by Fernando Botero. If you are in the area on a Saturday or Sunday, you will also be lucky enough to visit the small market in Raval with its craft stalls and a small gazebo with an Arab bar which serves wonderful teas and sweets in the Arab tradition.  The means of transport that you can use are the Metro, Line L3 at the Liceu stop and the L2 for the Parallel stop.  The buses are numbers 21/24/88/91 and the number 59 which stops on La Rambla opposite the Boquería market. 

Opening Times 

The screening rooms are open to the public from Monday to Friday from 16:00 until 22:00 hours.  The library is open from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 until 19:00 hours and on Fridays, from 10:30 until 14:30.  The exhibition rooms have free entry on Sundays from 16:00 until 21:00.  And to finish, the box office for Filmoteca is open from 10:00 until 15:00 and in the afternoons, from 16:00 until 21:30. 

Prices

With regard to the screenings rooms, you can buy an individual ticket for €4.00 per adult or €2.00 for children (up to the age of 12).  You can also purchase subscriptions for a year or on a weekly basis or for 10 accesses at €90.00, €50.00 and €20.00 respectively.  However, the exhibition halls do not charge for entry.  But, if you would like to make use of a guided tour, the price is €2.00 per person.  Individual access to the library costs €2.00 per adult and €1.00 for children but you can also request an unlimited annual access for the price of €10.00 for adults and €5.00 for children.