Sandro Baran talks about homage to the exhibition network that will take place at Expocine 2025
With a trajectory that goes through generations and follows practically all the evolution of cinematographic exhibition in Brazil, the Cine Gracher reaches a historical milestone: 110 years of operation. Founded in 1915, the network was born as Cine Esperança, passed by different names, such as Cine Guarani and Cine Real, until adopting the current brand, which carries the surname of the family responsible for keeping alive the habit of going to movies in the city of Brusque (SC) and other locations. This year, the network will be honored at EXPOCINE 25, recognizing Cine Gracher's contribution to the culture and preservation of film experience in the country.
Opening the series of interviews with the Honorees of Expocine, the Portal Exhibitionor spoke to Sandro Baran, director of the Cine Gracher network. The 12th edition of Expocine will be between September 30th and October 3rd, at Cine Marquise, a traditional street cinema in the capital city of São Paulo, and at Hotel Renaissance, next door.
It is worth noting that, while some questions were asked by our writing team, part of the interview was withdrawn from podcast ♪ I hate Cynema ♪, which is displaying episode from a partnership of the group AdoroCinema with Tonks, conglomerate holding the rights of Expocine and Display Portal.
When Cine Gracher was inaugurated in the early 20th century, leisure habits were very different from those of today. The cinema was still new and, in cities of the interior, represented not only entertainment, but also a meeting point of the community. From records and reports from his family, Sandro Baran describes that in the era of silent cinema, the trip to the exhibition room was a complete social event.
"I was born inside the cinema. My family already had cinema and I, since I was a child, very early, was already there with my grandparents and participating, working, bothering, playing. Cinema is something that brings me to inspiration every day. When you walk into a movie room, you don't even have to be watching the movie, you connect... with the dream, with the anxieties, with the expectations that the world of cinema can provide you with," says Sandro.
The story of Cine Gracher begins with Sandro's great-grandfather, Carlos Gracher, who, only 20 years after the invention of cinema, inaugurated the Cine Hope in Brusque. It was the period of silent cinema, and the trip to the exhibition room was also a social event.
"People would come, line up, greet each other. The film didn't have an exact time to start, because everyone was waiting for the police officer and his wife, who had reserved seats. And at the same time, three musicians played: one in the cavaquinho, the other with the violin and the other on the guitar. They stayed there to receive the audience and, when the film began, they tried to follow the scenes, creating the live track," recalls Baran.
More than a century later, the social and cultural essence of going to the cinema remains in the DNA of Cine Gracher. . For the director, the force of the sector is in the collective experience, which goes beyond the screen. Currently, the network has complexes in nine cities of the three southern states: besides Brusque, Cine Gracher is in Joaçaba, Pato Branco, São Bento do Sul, Canela, Indaial, Arapongas, Porto União and Porto Belo.
Cinema plays an important role in the local economy, boosting bars, restaurants, shops, parks and others. Whether in street cinema or within shopping malls, they end up being a meeting point for people and often end up having an "event" relationship with the experience of cinema. In smaller cities, cinema also functions as a cultural accelerator and a propagator of access to culture.
"The cinema has a feature that you don't go to see a movie; you go to an experience, to an event. There's a coffee shop for coffee, chatting, meeting friends, eating popcorn, watching the movie and then continuing to meet in a restaurant or bookstore. At home you can watch, the platforms are there, but there is no way to reproduce all this environment," explains the director.
Celebrating 110 years and tribute at Expocine
Honored at EXPOCINE 25 in the exhibition segment, Sandro Baran believes that preserving the history and quality of care is what keeps the network relevant. At the same time, it recognizes the importance of evolving along with technologies and public behavior. In this way, Cine Gracher is one of the main success cases within the national exhibition.
"Expocine is the largest film event in Latin America and is vital for the film market. This is where all film actors can meet to debate the film market, as well as to update on the news of the world of cinema. A prize as recognition for dedication and overcoming in the film market. Mainly because it is recognized by Expocine, it's really a privilege to be in the 'Hall of Fame' of Brazilian cinema showers", celebrates the executive.
Even, according to Baran, the Expocine of last year showed that the cinema is returning to the pre-pandemic moment, pointing out that the cinema is again conquering people and making them return to the cinema.
He also takes the opportunity to talk about CinemaCon in 2025, where he says that the event was quite emphatic that the cinema numbers are showing people are returning. "Why? Good content! Experiences in cinemas have to accompany the technological market, but it is not only because of the technology that people come to the movies. She needs an experience, a different service since the moment she arrives, in the Bomboniere, to eat a hot popcorn, a personalized service", she concludes.
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