Barcelona is a paradise for cinephiles, with festivals such as the Americana Film Fest and the D’A Film Festival, and now also with a new international recognition. The Associazione Nazionale Autori Cinematografici (ANAC) has awarded a local cinema for its cultural proposal and its ability to turn cinema into a communal and memorable experience: the Phenomena Experience, elected best cinema in Europe in 2025.
According to ANAC, the Phenomena “has distinguished itself for the strength and originality of its cultural proposal: a large and welcoming space, able to receive hundreds of spectators, which over time has become a fundamental point of reference for Barcelona”.
The Carlo Lizziani Europe 2025 Award, which recognizes theaters that defend and promote auteur and quality cinema, will be presented on September 5 during the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, and will be collected by Nacho Cerdá, founder and director of Phenomena.
A decade of old-school cinema
The recognition comes just a few months after the cinema celebrated its tenth anniversary, in December 2024. During these years, the theater has been characterized by a unique programming that combines contemporary releases with cinema classics, allowing audiences to relive great masterpieces on the big screen.
ANAC has highlighted precisely this line of work: “The programming brings back to the public the unique emotion of living (or reliving) great masterpieces of yesterday and today”.
Founded in 2010 as an itinerant project in different theaters in Barcelona, Phenomena found in 2014 its definitive headquarters in the old Napoli cinema, in Sant Antoni Maria i Claret street. Since then, it has kept alive the spirit of the cinematic experience as a collective ritual.