WHAT’S NEW Venues & shops
Camera Stylo
Bringing Art Films to the Hutongs Tue-Thu 12pm-12am, Fri-Sun 12pm-2am, closed Mon. 64 Dongsi Shiyitiao, Dongcheng District (188 1171 5156) 东城区东四十一条64号 200m east of Zhangzizhong Lu (Line 5)
W
hile we’re certain that we weren’t the only people who had this idea about opening a cinematheque in the hutongs for regularly screening art films to the masses, the guys at Camera Stylo are certainly the first to follow through and be absolutely incredible doing it. Sitting directly next door to Minibar, it is actually located closer to Zhangzizhong Lu than Dongsi Shiyitiao. When you enter, it looks like your standard cafe/bar. Journey upstairs and you’ll encounter a decent sized room imbued with the delicious smell of popcorn that can probably sit around 30 people, where these folks will be screening a bunch of classic or critically acclaimed films. Currently, there are only a few venues in town that consistently screen art films. Camera Stylo promises this and more. Along with public screenings almost every night of the week, they also have private rooms that you can rent by the hour (RMB 40/hr, RMB 70/hr on weekends).
The rooms have projectors and mid-fi audio equipment, which is a vast improvement for those of you currently bound to your despicable laptop viewing platforms. We can see this being very popular for date nights, or if an individual wishes to binge watch a crappy sitcom for hours in beautiful solitude. Also on the agenda, they will have small music performances and live comedy, courtesy of Comedy Club China, on a regular basis. While this venue is obviously cinema-focused, there are plenty of zones for serious lounging, including their roof terrace. Here you can sip on a martini (RMB 50) or beer (RMB 15-30) while discussing Dogma 95, Walter Benjamin’s Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, or whatever influential text related to cinema with others devotees of the medium. It’s refreshing to see these kinds of labors of love opening up and adding something culturally engaging to the neighborhood. Kipp Whittaker
photo: Kipp Whittaker
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september 2015