Long time ago in a galaxy not so far away...

Since the dawn of cinematography Cali has been regarded as the cinema capital of Colombia, and for a good reason, as many famous directors and writers have been living and working here. So it's no wonder the city got its own museum dedicated to this form of art.

Caliwood – Cinematography Museum was opened in 2008 to exhibit the workings of the cinema and to shine an electric arc's light on details little-known by the public at large: the excellent collection in this museum comprises recording equipment, more than a hundred photographic cameras (including the largest and the smallest in the world), phonographs, all kinds of film, magic lanterns, ferrotypes, cinema projectors, pre-cinematic visual entertainment items and a rich display of vintage film posters. Here one can find out at first-hand not only how the cinema industry has developed in Colombia and the world, but also what happens behind the scenes before a film arrives on the large screen. All the machinery in great condition, some pieces are even functional still.

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In the early 1900s up until the late 1960s, carbon arcs were the source of light in almost all theaters in the world. The electric current was passing through the air between carbon electrodes, emitting bright light and sometimes damaging film and causing fire. It was a hazardous practice and many a theater went up in flames.

^{The cinema projector from the inside. The film, electrodes and the reflector behind it.}

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All the visitors are provided with headphones with a narrative, describing the exhibition and explaining the history of the industry, workings of the machinery, technical details, etc. I couldn't possibly memorize and capture all of that, as it's a ton of info, but here's the highlights and pictures to transmit the spirit of the times.

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^{All hail retro!}

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Now moving from the video to the photo section:

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^{No, it is not a battering ram, it's the biggest camera in the world}

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^{Classical cameras on tripods}

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^{Polaroid 420. I just want this one.}

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^{Zenith 1982}

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^{Back to 90s}

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As visitors finish listening to the audiotour, they proceed to an old-school film show:

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The movies shown are "The big bad wolf" 1934, "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" 1944 - these two are black-and-white without sound and "Pluto's Quinpuplets" 1937, which had sound and a somehow different footage from the version I found on Youtube.

In the end they gave me 1 second of film (24 frames, classic) with a movie which name I already forgot, to be honest. It goes like "When girls are lovers" or something along these lines. Supposed to be a sex-comedy, I guess.

It is a really fascinating place, especially for those who actually used any of the technology demonstrated here. Those VHS with Terminator and Die Hard really take me back in time. Having been there, I can suggest this museum to all visitors of Cali, as the most interesting place here that I've been to, so far.

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