Following the recent closures of Cineplace cinemas and the reorganisation of some spaces belonging to other companies, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has announced the creation of a working group for this area, but film clubs and associations interviewed by Lusa are calling for increased support from the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA) for exhibition and for local authorities to get involved within their powers.

"We have two very different situations here: on the one hand, the commercial cinema circuit, which has become a circuit of shopping centres, and this seems to be experiencing some difficulties. [...] Then, on the other hand, there are the screenings organised by local authorities, as they have most of the auditoriums [where many film clubs programme]. I think the situation is a little different there," António Costa Valente, from Cineclube de Avanca and the Plano Obrigatório association, which programmes weekly sessions at Teatro Aveirense, in the centre of Aveiro, told Lusa.

The university professor also pointed out that the closure of cinemas in shopping centres is a matter for the centres' administrations, and that the alternatives they see as possible for spaces as large as cinemas.

For Costa Valente, local councils have a say and should insist that shopping centres continue cinema screenings.

Just last week, the Mayor of Viana do Castelo, Luís Nobre, assured that the decommissioning of the cinemas at Estação Viana will have to be approved by the Viana do Castelo City Council, but “so far, the Ministry of Culture has not yet initiated this process”.

"The Viana do Castelo City Council will issue an unfavourable opinion. The assumptions underlying the construction of the shopping centre in the historic city centre were also based on cultural considerations. The integration of the cinema into the shopping centre was a factor in the decision. This position was clearly communicated to the shopping centre”s owner and manager. Let there be no doubt about that," the mayor emphasised at a council meeting.

On the other side of the commercial exhibition made by the main exhibitors are, beyond the independent cinemas, and with positive results - such as Nimas and Ideal in Lisbon, and Trindade in Porto, film clubs and associations, which work, in most cases, in conjunction with the local authorities that own the spaces where it is possible to exhibit.

Speaking to Lusa, Nuno Pinto Cardoso, from the Cinemalua association, which promotes weekly screenings at the Jaime Pinto Cinema Theatre in São Brás de Alportel, in the district of Faro, plays down the current situation and points out that the average number of viewers per screening is stable and, in the case of film clubs, has even risen.

“I want to believe, I really believe that there is an audience, there is an audience for a certain type of cinema, which adds something,” said Nuno Pinto Cardoso, who is pleased that there is a discussion on the subject because “it shows the potential of cinema”.

In line with the statements of other film club members, Tiago Veloso, from Cineclube da Maia, which manages to hold sessions with more than 150 people, points out that “in the last 10 years, [there is] reason to believe that cinema in Porto is improving,” giving the examples of Trindade, but also the Centro de Cinema Batalha, which is municipal.

“This gives us a sense of unity. To think that Cineclube da Maia is another element to consider cinema in Greater Porto,” said the film club member, who emphasises that the idea of losing viewers does not affect them so much.

"I think that now, instead of all this drama about cinemas closing, there could be an opportunity to promote the network of film clubs and associations for other venues. […] There is equipment ready to host film screenings, so an incentive to expand this network seemed reasonable," said programmer Nuno Pinto Cardoso, who suggested that the ICA create an intermediate screening support programme, between the Support for Screening in Alternative Circuits (with a maximum of €10,000 per year) and the Support for Screening (maximum of €57,500 per year).

In other words, but in the same vein, the president of the Faro Film Club, Carlos Rafael Lopes, points out that “although the closure of commercial cinemas is very worrying, there are positive aspects”, in particular the fact that there are independent and public spaces offering alternatives to the “cineplexes”.

The director of the film club, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2026, describes the amount allocated by the ICA to support the alternative exhibition network “and for the work that film clubs do” as “derisory”.

Previously, the president of the Joane Film Club in Vila Nova de Famalicão had told Lusa that if the ICA tripled its support for the institution (from €8,000 to €24,000 per year), it would be possible to aim for daily film screenings.

On this subject, Costa Valente, from Avanca and Plano Obrigatório (whose average audience at Aveirense in 2025 was around 100), is categorical: "I think things have to go through the ICA, it is the right arm of the Ministry of Culture [in this area]. It has an absolutely fundamental role here. It cannot continue to support production if it does not then support exhibition. Films have to reach the public; they don’t exist. Making films to show at festivals is great fun, but it’s worthless if they can’t then be shown throughout the country.”