CinEx Lombardia DB: Cinema Exhibition Network in Lombardy (1939-1969)

The CinEx archive collects information and materials, produces statistical estimates and visualisations aimed at reading the phenomenon of Italian cinema venues in relation to the media system, the territories, the productive fabric, and the social, cultural, and political context in which they are embedded. CinEx promotes an open and in-progress research model, with an expandable data collection system and an archiving logic in dialogue with other datasets. CinEx is organised into sections that reflect the complexity of cinema exhibition. The Venues section collects and presents data on cinemas from a geographical perspective (location of the venue, type of structure), a historical-evolutionary perspective (year of opening and closing; lifespan and transformations), an institutional perspective (character and category of the venue, screening order, type of screenings), and an economic perspective (ticket price, annual admissions and box office revenue, number of employees). The Screens section investigates architectural characteristics (number of seats, presence of a balcony) and technological characteristics (projectors and audio systems). The People and Companies sections host personal and professional data on owners, managers, legal representatives, architects, and builders of venues and the enterprises to which they belong. The Relations section surfaces the network of relationships among the various actors according to a rhizomatic logic. CinEx is designed to make data available according to FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse). Data are searchable through a system of filters and categories; accessible via a credentialing system; interoperable thanks to unique identifiers and meta-categories that serve as bridges for comparative research; and reusable and expandable in accordance with the logic of a research endeavour always in progress and always open to new uses. CinEx is conceived so as to enter into dialogue with other datasets, including the HoMER network — History of Moviegoing, Exhibition, and Reception — the Archivio Centrale dello Stato, the Romarcord project, and various partners from the Italian film industry.