Rio de Janeiro gained a program focused on the recovery of traditional street cinemas, with the goal of revitalizing these screening rooms that are part of the city's cultural history.
A striking example of this tradition is Cine Matilde, located in the neighborhood of Bangu, in the West Zone of Rio. The room was inaugurated on March 15, 1963, installed in Galeria Matilde on Avenida Ministro Ary Franco. The cinema had 1,360 upholstered seats and an oval screen designed to ensure good visibility from any point in the audience.
The space was conceived by merchant Antônio Gama da Silva, who named the cinema after his wife. The establishment also had a powerful central air conditioning system, considered modern for the time.
However, the region's electrical infrastructure was not prepared to support the new venture. As the grid could not handle the demand, the people in charge had to improvise using fans and placing ice in the ventilation ducts to help cool the environment. After resolving this temporary problem, it was necessary to request an increase in the street's electrical load to meet the cinema's needs.
