Regular film screenings in Porto began in the summer of 1906 at Salão High-Life, a shack in Feira de S. Miguel, which today is home to the Rotunda da Boavista. The project was started by Manuel da Silva Neves and Edmond Pascaud, who would later found Neves & Pascaud, a pioneering company in the history of cinema in the city. Its proprietor and manager was Luís Neves Real, a mathematician, teacher and film critic who also founded Cineclube do Porto. Salão High-Life functioned at Feira de S. Miguel for two short months before moving to Jardim da Cordoaria, where it stayed before moving once again, on 20 February 1908 and under the name of Novo Salão High-Life, to Praça da Batalha.
Cinema Batalha, as it became known, began to assume its familiar shape in the 1940s. The building housing Novo Salão High-Life was demolished and replaced by the new cinema building designed by the architect Artur Andrade. At the time, this masterpiece was described as possessing a “radical modernity”. It comprised two auditoriums (one seating 950 people, the other 135 people), two bars and a restaurant with a terrace.
Artur Andrade’s building was complemented by decorative works by Júlio Pomar — a fresco in one of the foyers — and Américo Braga — a bas-relief in the lateral façade facing Praça da Batalha. Both would be the object of censorship by the Estado Novo regime, which covered up the fresco and removed a carved sickle and hammer from the bas-relief.
In 2000, due to competition from large commercial cinemas offering similar programming, Batalha shut its doors. The state of the building deteriorated until in 2006 it was rented for four years by Comércio Vivo, after which it once again fell into disuse.
In 2012, Cinema Batalha was designated a public monument, a governmental award that safeguarded the building’s structural integrity. In 2017, Porto City Council took over management of Cinema Batalha for a period of 25 years and announced the renovation of this historic building. The project represented a total investment by the council of over 5 million euros. Work began on 18 November 2019, led by Alexandre Alves Costa and Sérgio Fernandez of the architecture firm Atelier 15.
In 2021, Mayor Rui Moreira heralded the restoration of this iconic building to the city and its community, naming Guilherme Blanc as Artistic Director. In December 2022, Batalha opened its doors once more.
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Address: Praça da Batalha, 47, 4000-101, Porto PORTUGAL
How to get to Batalha Centro de Cinema?
By Metro: The nearest Metro Stations to Batalha Cinema Centre are the Metro Stations named ‘São Bento’ or ‘Aliados’. To get to both metro stations, use line D. For more information: http://www.metrodoporto.pt
By Bus: Closer to the Batalha Cinema Centre, there is a bus stop. This stop is served by the following lines: 207, 303, 400, 904, 905, 11M. If you don’t have a metro or bus ticket (‘Andante’ or ‘Passe’), you can buy one on board. For more information: http://www.stcp.pt | http://www.itinerarium.net
