Donostia, a city of films for the last hundred years
- Culture
- 2025 Jan 02
What is it about certain locations that makes you feel good? Is it the way they treat you? Is it the space? The atmosphere? How remarkable it is? It might be a combination of all these, but what all those locations have in common is that we always want to go back to them.
And they know all about that kind of thing at Sade, the Donostia company which this year has now joined the club of century-old businesses in our city: one hundred years bringing films and culture to Donostia, moving forward with society without relinquishing its roots.
One hundred years of films in Donostia
Sade was incorporated on 28 December 1925 as "Sociedad Anónima Deportes y Espectáculos", a cinema management business. At first it managed emblematic cinemas such as El Príncipe, Trueba, Bellas Artes and Petit Casino, and went on to become Donostia's main exponent of cinema as the result of a merger between two businesses operating in the film industry: Vicente Mendizábal e Hijos and Príncipe Films. From the very outset its mission was to show films, with daily screenings which enabled the people of Donostia to revel in the seventh art. During the first few decades, the price of admittance ranged between 6 and 16 pesetas, depending on the location and the position of seats, with famous cinemas throughout the history of Donostia, such as El Príncipe, Trueba, Bellas Artes, the Astoria and Petit Casino.
Sade has accompanied the trajectory of cinema in the city down through the decades. It opened Donostia's first multi-film complex, Petit Casino, in 1981, and refurbished and enlarged emblematic cinemas such as El Príncipe and the Astoria. It is still the city's main film-screening business, with the Príncipe, Trueba and Antiguo Berri cinemas.
In association with "Zinemaldi" at all times
The history of Sade also has close links to the San Sebastián International Film Festival, "Zinemaldi". As an official associate, its facilities have been used for some of the festival's leading films. The festival gave Sade an honorary "Silver Shell" Award at the festival for its contribution to cinematographic culture.
A forward-looking legacy
Sade's commitment to culture and the city has not been focused on films alone, and it has succeeded in moving with the times and diversifying its areas of business. In 2009 it opened Hotel Zinema 7, a modern tribute to cinema and to Zinemaldi, where every room pays homage to an actor or director with links to the festival.
In 2018 it opened Hotel Lasala Plaza, the space which, from its awesome location looking out on the harbour, reflects Donostia's maritime connections, hooking into another key aspect of the city's identity.
More than a business, a way of life
Cinema, culture, art, details, and a vision that is constantly evolving. Sade is not just a company going back one hundred years - it reflects Donostia's character. Its history is the history of the city, and its centenary is an invitation to continue to appreciate it from all its angles.
