When you climb the stairs to the narrow attic, a reminder to watch your head lingers as the old 35 millimeter projector hums to life. It feels inevitable to drift into Toto’s shoes, the lively kid who grew up in the famous cinema world of Cinema Paradiso, wandering between reels and memories. The projection booth may be empty, but the aged projector and the posters lining the walls place visitors at the heart of a beloved film history. A sense of being inside a revered movie moment settles in, even for a quick visit to Isaba and its lone Pyrenean cinema.
“Cinema is in our DNA,” explains Isaba’s mayor, Carlos Anaut. A tiny town with around 400 residents tucked in the Navarre Pyrenees, Isaba guards this treasure in a vast stone farmhouse beside the church. The building is more than eight decades old, though no exact founding date survives in the records. The mayor recalls knowing it since childhood and remembers how the town learned to love and care for it. “We are proud of it; we value it and look after it with affection.”
Behind a door marked by a beech wood sign that reads Cine/Zinema, the entrance opens to a box office with velvet curtains, a threshold to a lobby filled with vintage movie posters. The walls carry images of Cantinflas, Gone with the Wind, and films from the era when cinema posters were a shared art. Classic portraits of stars like Marlon Brando and Sofia Loren watch over the space as if they still belong to the room.
reforms
Two antique armchairs hang from the ceiling, a reminder of a cinema that has preserved its soul across generations. The building unfolds over two levels with high ceilings and more than a hundred thirty seats, plus a stage designed for plays and community events. The interior remains clean and bright, with a few salmon-colored patches that add a touch of whimsy. Recent upgrades modernize comfort and efficiency, including new seating and a refreshed electrical system that improves lighting while trimming energy use, funded in part by the Department of Economic and Business Development of Navarre.
The most treasured space is the room housing the old projector. Cinema has shifted through many phases, from coal-fired projectors to today’s digital systems, yet the room preserves the craft of the past. The walls host vintage posters that once accompanied feature films, a small museum of sorts that hints at a broader cinema heritage. Titles like As Good as It Is, Star Wars, and A Night in Casablanca sit alongside the reels that arrived in fabric sacks from Pamplona or Bilbao in a different era.
Anaut points to two clapperboards from films shot in Isaba, Obaba and Secretos del Corazon, both associated with Montxo Armendáriz, a filmmaker who cherished the town. The boards stand as playful reminders of a region that once produced its own electricity and fed a local cinema culture with pride.
Window opening to the pine forest
Light filters through the upper seating area, revealing the pine forests that crown the nearby mountains. Up close, the view blends with the cinema’s atmosphere, a place where stories feel almost tactile. Even the resident gardener’s octopus-shaped bushes lend a touch of wild magic to this sacred space that feels like a living theater of memories.
Neighbors from a nearby town inquiring about a film during a casual stop in a local cafe spark a sense of shared curiosity. The cinema thrives thanks to the efforts of volunteers from the municipality, organized under the Cinema Friends Cultural Association. In summer, especially August when tourism peaks, screenings multiply to two per week, reflecting the region’s generous pace. Throughout the year, screenings appear on weekends and select seasonal schedules. People arrive from across the valley and beyond, sometimes journeying from far cities like Seville to catch a glimpse of Isaba’s unique cinema charm.
A small entrance fee of three euros supports the facility’s upkeep, a tradition rooted in the church days of old. A commemorative sign on the façade recalls José María Labiano, the priest who helped nurture cinema in the 1950s, as well as Jesús Arbeloa, who modernized the stalls and kept the space vibrant for later generations. The ongoing care honors those who believed in cinema as a community beacon.
Every visit feels like stepping into a living memory, where the town’s love for film remains a bright thread through the years. The Isaba cinema stands not merely as a building, but as a shared experience that binds residents and visitors to a shared history of storytelling and community spirit.