Sudersandsbiografen

Situated in the small town of Faro, on the Swedish island of the same name that sits to the north of the larger island of Gotland, the Sudersandsbiografen was created in a former hay barn.

It was established by carpenter and farmer Arthur Norman. When his last cow died, he decided to convert the barn into a cinema. He bought a projector and made the chairs and benches in the auditorium himself.

The Sudersandsbiografen opened in 1953 and was operated by Arthur Norman for 20 years. From 1961 to 1971 famed director Ingmar Bergman, who made his home on Faro, checked the dailies from his films before opening his own cinema nearby.

At some stage the Sudersandsbiografen closed, but it was re-opened in 2011 by Sofia Mattsson and Ulf Slotte. Digital projection was installed in 2013. The cinema is primarily open for the summer season, when up to 10 films are shown each week.

In a nice touch, the concession stand, which is in a shed alongside the cinema, uses a stand from a Zeiss Ikon projector as the counter, while the cinema’s toilets are a row of three wooden outside loos!

It is one of the few remaining barn cinemas, presenting new films with modern technology in a classic cinema environment. The original hand-crafted wooden seats (cushions are available!) and other original features preserve the unique environment.

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