He says She says: Cinema in the café

He says:

When you go into the Coalmine, you always feel a bit like a connoisseur, because it looks like you're strolling into a private driveway. Because Zurich locals and other out-of-towners don't dare to enter, you can usually find a cosy seat, even in summer, when you can sit in the garden under the ancient magnolia tree that looks like an AI has overdone it.

Inside, the Coalmine is a cosy café with beautiful wooden tables and is popular for remote work. They have a small but commendable range of beers and delicious antipasti and cheese platters. In a long room, daylight shines in from one side, while the entire wall opposite is covered by an impressive bookcase. But watch out: the spines of the books are sorted by colour. It's a perpetual dilemma for tidy people like me, it's both reassuring and terrifying.

Happily, this evening I am quickly distracted from the otherwise mesmerising dilemma. The beaming curator Tanja and the technician Urs make room for us at their table, because the room is packed and the "Coalmine Dokfilm" event series is incredibly popular. Documentary films are shown here every Wednesday from October to March. The much-praised selection is broad; the only thing the films have in common is that they all have a socio-political relevance.

I'm pleased with how pragmatic the infrastructure is: a projector hangs from the ceiling, a roll-out screen on the wall - and the cinema is ready. At least that's how simple it looks. Next to me, Urs is operating a technical console that hints at more work behind the scenes. Then the lights go out and we watch a film with beautiful images that awaken wanderlust.

She says:

I used to know Coalmine mainly as a cosy café with an impressive wall of books. I come here to drink a chai latte or to work and marvel at the neighbouring "room for photography" when I go to the toilet. Every time I do, I think that I could actually spend some time here actively and not just to relieve my bladder. But that's another story.

On Wednesday evenings, however, everything is different here. On Wednesday evenings, the depths of the mine are reserved for the cinema. "Beyond Tradition" is being shown today, a Swiss documentary film about singing traditions. We spend the next hour and a half in the most rustic part of Appenzell, in a Georgian music school, in snowy Norway. Together - yes, really together - we laugh, cry and marvel: The audience is fully involved from the very first minute and doesn't hold back with its emotions. I snack contentedly on my antipasti plate and enjoy a drink - it makes cinema twice as much fun!

After we've all waited patiently for the full credits to flicker across the screen, it's time for the Q&A. In my opinion, this is the centrepiece of the event. Curator Tanja Polli interviews today's guest with flair, ease and with the relaxed involvement of those present. At this point, it also becomes clear who the regulars are - small sub-conversations between supposed strangers emerge across the table.

As the room slowly empties, Tanja explains to me that the documentary film series is now taking a summer break. In terms of publication timing, this is of course somewhat unfavourable. But don't worry: until autumn, we'll simply spend our Wednesday evenings seven steps further up the stairs: There will be weekly concerts in the picturesque city garden of the Coalmine from 8 May.

Coalmine Dokfilm

Every Wednesday from October to March, 19:00
https://www.coalmine.ch/dokfilm/