Spatial Parameters of Romuva Cinema Rescue

This paper proposes a spatial frame for analysis of transformations of
cinema theatres in Lithuania since 1990. To better understand the processes
and meanings that feature in the shift from state-controlled to
free market cinema culture, spatial definitions are better suited than
the traditional focus on cinephilia. While retaining attention on the
cinema theatre space, this paper analyses the processes shaping post-
USSR film exhibition culture and the effects it produces. This spatial
analysis of cinema space is informed by author’s film curatorial practice;
it applies discourse analysis, ethnographic, and autoethnographic
methods. The paper explores debates around the public film screening
infrastructures in the context of the shift from public to private ownership
and the challenges of articulating public interest under such
conditions. Through the case of Romuva cinema’s (Kaunas, Lithuania)
rescue, the analysis highlights the formation and perseverance of cinematic
public space across economic systems, legal frameworks, and
institutional settings.