Downtown Santiago is characterized by buildings that compete to be the tallest; people walk hurriedly along trying to get out of the capital’s concrete labyrinth that has grown through the years. The smell of fruit is mixed with that of fried foods offered by the street vendors who yell out trying to convince people to buy from them, but the people don’t pay any attention and walk with their eyes locked to their phones. This is the daily scene, walking down Santa Isabel Street, but today it is different.
From a couple of blocks away you can hear the growing murmur from the Santa Isabel 384 plaza, which has completely changed its aesthetic to what looks like an open-air cinema: popcorn and cotton candy stalls, a giant screen with chairs set up in front of it. "The movies of my life" is the initiative that Agora 21, together with Enel and the Municipality of Santiago, sponsored to rescue and reuse this type of urban space in a sustainable way, since the energy to project the films was generated right there, through the use of static bicycles.
The event was held on March 28th and 29th and April 5th and 12th, with a total of 1000 attendees, where actors and national figures like Erika Olivera and the television host, Francisco Saavedra, participated. Successful contemporary films such as "Extraordinary" and classics such as "The silence of the innocents" were projected during this initiative.
Santiago is characterized by its numerous buildings and constructions, but from time to time we can find small places that are trying to make it a little greener, more sustainable, and friendly for all its inhabitants.