Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cinema
BA's traditional cinema districts are along pedestrian Lavalle (west of Florida) and on Av
Corrientes. Newer cinemas are in shopping malls throughout the city. Most cinemas offer
big discounts for matinees, midweek shows or first screenings of the day. There is usually
a
trasnoche
(midnight or later showing) scheduled for Friday and Saturday night.
Check the English-language
Buenos Aires Herald
for the original titles of English-lan-
guage films. The entertainment sections of all the major newspapers will have movie list-
ings as well, but be aware that Spanish translations of English-language film titles often
don't translate directly. Except for children's films and cartoon features, which are
dubbed, foreign films usually appear in their original language with Spanish subtitles.
poldo Lugones
( 0800-333-5254;
www.teatrosanmartin.com.ar/cine
; Av Corrientes 1530)
- in Teatro
General San MartÃn - often show retrospectives, documentaries, foreign film cycles and
Ibero-American films only (essentially from Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries).
Some cultural centers have their own small cinemas, while places such as Alianza
Francesa and the British Arts Centre showcase movies in their respective languages.
Theater
Theater is big in Buenos Aires. There are more than 100 venues and annual attendance is
in the hundreds of thousands. Productions range from classic plays to multimedia per-
formances to lavish cabarets, and the acting is of a professional level across the board.
Note that, unsurprisingly, performances tend to be in Spanish.
Traditionally, the center for theater has been Av Corrientes between Av 9 de Julio and
Callao, but there are now dozens of venues all over the city. The
Buenos Aires Herald
and
other local newspapers have good listings of major productions.
Many alternative (or 'off-Corrientes') theater companies and independent troupes re-
ceive relatively little attention from the mainstream media, but they're worth seeking out
if you're looking for something different. If you read Spanish,
www.alternativateatral.com
is a good source for current non-mainstream performances.
Tickets are generally affordable, but check
carteleras
for bargain seats. The season is
liveliest in winter (June through August), when upwards of 100 events may take place, but
you can find a good variety of shows any time. Many of the most popular shows move to
the provincial beach resort of Mar del Plata for the summer.
