Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax.— The Central de Abastos area will have its first community movie theater. The project will be developed by the independent space Comitiva Patronal de la Imagen, thanks to support from the Fondo para la Producción Cinematográfica de Calidad (FOCINE), a program of the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE), which will fund the construction and equipping of this new space.
The new theater aims to bring cinema closer to children, youth, merchants, families, and residents of nearby neighborhoods through free and low-cost screenings, helping to expand cultural access in one of the city's most important and vibrant areas.
From Independent Space to a Permanent Project
What began in 2019 as a small independent audiovisual training space during the pandemic, today takes a key step toward establishing itself as a permanent cultural project. With this support, the collective will have professional infrastructure to screen Mexican, documentary, community, and independent cinema, as well as hold workshops, talks, school screenings, and cultural activities open to the public.
The importance of this achievement lies in the fact that FOCINE is one of the country's main film support programs. Its resources are allocated through national calls evaluated by industry specialists, so the selection of this project represents direct recognition of the community cultural management work the team has developed in Oaxaca over recent years.
Illustrative photo, not the property of Qué Onda Oaxaca
Breaking Cultural Centralization
The creation of this theater seeks to generate a cultural space in proximity to Oaxaca's peripheral communities. Currently, much of the city's cinematic and commercial infrastructure is concentrated in specific areas, limiting access for many sectors of the population to this type of experience.
Illustrative photo, not the property of Qué Onda Oaxaca
"We want anyone who lives, works, or passes through the Central de Abastos to have access to a dignified, nearby, and accessible movie theater. We believe cinema can be a tool to strengthen the community, generate dialogue, and bring new ways of seeing and understanding our environment," said Alberto Duarte, director of Comitiva Patronal de la Imagen.
From @queondaoaxaca
At Qué Onda Oaxaca we celebrate and applaud this incredible achievement with great enthusiasm. Personally, as a cinema lover, it fills me with great joy to know that spaces exist that keep intact the spirit of sharing and bringing the seventh art closer to people, breaking barriers and building community through stories. Congratulations to the entire team at Comitiva Patronal de la Imagen!
Over the coming months, updates on the project will be announced, along with the first activities and screenings that will be part of this new community theater's programming.
About Comitiva Patronal de la Imagen
It is an independent school and cultural space based in Oaxaca de Juárez dedicated to audiovisual training, photography, community cinema, and the development of artistic and cultural projects. Since 2019 it has promoted workshops, diploma programs, exhibitions, artist residencies, and training projects in various regions of the state.
- ▸Email: comitivadelaimagen@gmail.com
- ▸Instagram: @comitivapatronaldelaimagen
