Travel Notes

Russia’s unique Museum of Cinema, a collection of rare films and other motion picture industry memorabilia, finally has a space to call its own in Moscow’s VDNKh park. Created in the perestroika era, the museum functioned as an arthouse cinema in Moscow’s Krasnaya Presnya neighborhood before it was evicted by its landlord. Its search for a new home has taken a decade.

Moscow authorities only provided the Museum with a pavilion in the Soviet-era park after its founder, Naum Kleiman, was fired. The Culture Ministry appointed a new director, and six long-serving employees then left the organization in protest.

The new Museum of Cinema plans to do great things with its newfound government backing. Its stated goal is “developing national cinema,” and the new pavilion has three movie screens, exhibit space, and a cafe. It is set to officially open in spring 2017.