Why Cinema Needs a Sanctuary

By The Cinema Sanctum

Introduction: The Crisis of Cinema

Cinema was not born as an industry. It was born as an art form—an extension of literature, painting, and music. In its early years, filmmakers like Eisenstein, Dreyer, and Tarkovsky treated cinema as a means of profound expression, much like the great novelists and painters of their time.

But today, cinema has been hijacked by the industry.It is spoken about not in terms of artistic merit, but in terms of box office performance, star power, and streaming algorithms. The distinction between cinema-as-art and cinema-as-product has been almost entirely erased.

• No one confuses a Nobel-winning novel with a commercial bestseller.
• No one equates Beethoven’s symphonies with disposable pop music.
• Yet, in cinema, people insist that there is no difference between commercial and artistic filmmaking.

This erasure is not accidental—it serves the interests of those who profit from cinema’s mass consumption.

How Cinema Lost Its Place Among the Great Arts

There was a time when cinema was considered an art of the highest order. Tarkovsky, Bergman, Bresson, and Antonioni were discussed alongside the great artists of their time. Their films were seen not as entertainment, but as experiences that expanded human consciousness.

Then, something changed.

As Hollywood’s influence grew, cinema’s artistic aspirations were overshadowed by the need for commercial viability. Studios no longer funded films as works of art, but as products for mass entertainment. Even film festivals—once sanctuaries for intellectual cinema—began to favor films designed for industry markets rather than artistic integrity.

Today, we are at a point where the idea of cinema as an art form is in danger of being lost completely.

The Birth of The Cinema Sanctum

Every great art form has required a dedicated group of intellectuals, patrons, and artists to protect it. Without patrons, there would be no Renaissance paintings. Without collectors, Van Gogh’s work would have vanished into obscurity.

Cinema is now at a point where it needs such protectors.

The Cinema Sanctum exists to restore cinema to its rightful place. It is not a streaming service, not a festival, and not a commercial entity. It is a private patronage institution dedicated to preserving, curating, and funding cinema as a high art.