Cinematek cancels several screenings due to shortage of projectionists

Brussels’ iconic movie museum, Cinematek - a treat for people wanting to watch old films - has had to “exceptionally” cancel some film screenings due to illness and holidays and is training a new projectionist to rectify this shortage.

Several scheduled screenings have not taken place in August. “This almost never happens,” said Cinematek spokeswoman Sarah Gury.

The centre has a team of about half a dozen film operators, who are also responsible for screenings at Flagey – another venue for independent and classic films.

Gury said that, when a staff member is absent, it is not always possible to find replacement operators. She added that specialised skills are needed to operate the films, “often on old film reels, which are the heart of our collection”.

For Cinematek, these films are like “exhibitions in a museum, you cannot entrust them to just anyone. Moreover, there is no training for it, you only learn that in practice and this is a process of years.”

In the meantime, a new operator has been recruited to strengthen the team. “This gives us more flexibility and will allow us to avoid these kinds of cancellations in the future” Gury added.

Cinematek, housed in the Bozar building, is an international film archive with a focus on Belgian and regional cinema. It claims to have “one of the largest and most eclectic film collections in the world”.

The Royal Belgian Film Archive has three main functions – archival (to conserve its films sustainably), investigative (promoting research based on the collection) and public (screening films from this collection).