New exhibition at the Museum of Cinema lobby

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Silent Cinema and Popular Literature: La Novela Semanal Cinematográfica (Barcelona, 1922–1932)

The Museu del Cinema presents a new exhibition in its lobby —free entry, from October 2, 2025 to April 26, 2026— dedicated to one of the most unique and influential publishing in the history of cinema and popular literature in Spain: La Novela Semanal Cinematográfica.


Published in Barcelona between 1922 and 1932, this weekly magazine adapted the plots of popular films —mostly American and European— into short story format, accompanied by photographs. With over 600 titles published, the collection became a cultural bridge, offering access to cinema for wide audiences and serving as a promotional tool for the film industry.

The exhibition features a selection of original issues preserved in the Museu del Cinema’s archive, highlighting how these publications contributed to the creation of a new cultural practice: “reading films.” It also showcases other related collections and editorial initiatives that emerged in the wake of its success.

An unmissable exhibition to explore the intersection between cinema and popular literature during the interwar years, and to rediscover a key phenomenon in the cultural history of Spain.