BODO Cinema

BODO Cinema operated in Śródmieście [city centre], Łódź, at Rewolucji 1905 r. 78/80, in former office rooms of a blinds factory. Opened on 26 April 2014 with support from European Union funds, it was an intimate art cinema run by a five-member social cooperative ODBLASK. The final screening took place on 19 November 2022, after nearly nine years of operation.

Cinema in a former blinds factory

The screening room was located in the office section of a building that once housed a blinds manufacturing plant. The interior was fitted with sofas and high armchairs, a large screen and a professional audio system, so a screening at BODO resembled an evening at an intimate film club rather than a visit to a typical multiplex cinema.

Programme for art cinema audiences

BODO's repertoire focused on art cinema films that were not shown by large cinema chains. The cinema also hosted its own festivals: a screening of uplifting films called "RELANIUM" and the Pre-War Cinema Festival "Urania". Beyond film screenings, concerts and theatrical performances took place there, so the venue functioned as a small, independent cultural centre in the heart of the city.

Why the cinema closed

The ODBLASK cooperative maintained BODO solely through ticket sales, without regular funding. The cinema survived the pandemic, but when heating and electricity costs tripled, continuing to operate the venue ceased to be financially viable. The owners announced the end of operations, and the final screening took place on 19 November 2022.

Area around the former cinema

The building at Rewolucji 1905 r. is located near the Stary Rynek [Old Market Square], in the very heart of Śródmieście.

Nearby, on the same street, the Muzeum Tradycji Niepodległościowych [Museum of Independence Traditions] is open, and a few blocks further stands the Basilica Minor of St Stanisław Kostka.

Those seeking an art cinema venue in this part of Łódź today can visit Kino Tatry on Sienkiewicza street or Kino Szpulka in the Łódzki Dom Kultury [Łódź House of Culture], both of which have taken over part of the audience from independent cinemas.

Practical information

• Historical address: Rewolucji 1905 r. 78/80, Śródmieście, Łódź (90-223)
• Status: permanently closed as of 19 November 2022
• Getting to the former address: buses 53A, 57, 61, 70, 86, 96C and Z13 and tram 12, stops "Rewolucji 1905r. - Kamińskiego NŻ" and "Uniwersytecka - Rewolucji 1905r."
• What to expect: film screenings no longer take place at the former address