Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) is overhauling its long-running broadcast fixture Cine de barrio, removing both the studio set and the program’s signature host as part of a move to La 2 starting in September, according to reports from multiple Spanish media outlets. The weekly showcase of classic Spanish cinema, which has aired on public television since July 1995, will drop its traditional interview format entirely to become a film container preceded by historical context reports.
Launched initially on TVE 2 before shifting to TVE 1 just months later, the program built its identity around intimate in-studio conversations between a host and prominent actors or directors from each week’s featured film. José Manuel Parada inaugurated the role in 1995, paving the way for a succession of well-known television personalities over nearly three decades, including Carmen Sevilla, Inés Ballester, Concha Velasco, Elena S. Sánchez, and Alaska. Under the upcoming autumn schedule shift, those conversations and the physical set will disappear as the broadcasting corporation moves the title to La 2.
Under the revised configuration, each broadcast will feature a short introductory featurette rather than a live-hosted chat. These pre-recorded segments aim to provide background details about the film’s production, its creators, and the historical era in which it was recorded.
Since April 2025, network broadcasts of Cine de barrio titles have incorporated introductory contextual framing messages. These textual or spoken notices are designed to contextualize potentially outdated viewpoints, including sexist, machista, or racist elements present in older cinematic works produced under past social values and decades-old political realities.
A Three-Decade Tradition on Spanish Television
Contextualizing Historical Cinema
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