Diary Entry
Diary Entry
1st of July 26, 2026
Borya and Volodya came to Gardinovtsy, and we participated in a conference call with the cinema’s engineers and builders.
We discussed endless technical details. I know next to nothing about this sort of thing, but I suddenly realized how important it is. For example, how much air should enter the cinema? How much air should leave the cinema per person? What size the screen should be. How the walls should be painted. How far from the screen the carpet should begin to prevent unwanted reflections. Which colors can and cannot be used for the walls. What affects reflections? What affects the screen itself? What affects the color of the film? What can distort the color of the film? What affects the cinema’s sound?
There are so many small, invisible, behind-the-scenes details. Details that audiences never think about when they enter the auditorium. Ultimately, though, they all boil down to one thing: creating the right conditions for a person to encounter an image, a meaning, and themselves.
After all, a person enters the darkened auditorium and takes their seat. Then, the cinema begins to project images onto them. The cinema projects meanings onto them. The cinema awakens memories, feelings, questions, silence, fear, compassion, and beauty within them.
Borya and Volodya came to Gardinovtsy, and we participated in a conference call with the cinema’s engineers and builders.
We discussed endless technical details. I know next to nothing about this sort of thing, but I suddenly realized how important it is. For example, how much air should enter the cinema? How much air should leave the cinema per person? What size the screen should be. How the walls should be painted. How far from the screen the carpet should begin to prevent unwanted reflections. Which colors can and cannot be used for the walls. What affects reflections? What affects the screen itself? What affects the color of the film? What can distort the color of the film? What affects the cinema’s sound?
There are so many small, invisible, behind-the-scenes details. Details that audiences never think about when they enter the auditorium. Ultimately, though, they all boil down to one thing: creating the right conditions for a person to encounter an image, a meaning, and themselves.
After all, a person enters the darkened auditorium and takes their seat. Then, the cinema begins to project images onto them. The cinema projects meanings onto them. The cinema awakens memories, feelings, questions, silence, fear, compassion, and beauty within them.
“
For this process to be as profound, pure, and safe as possible, everything must be thought through down to the tiniest detail.
This struck me.
This struck me.
I suddenly realized just how much technical precision is required for the spiritual process. So much engineering, calculation, air, color, distance, materials, angles, surfaces, and sound are required to enable someone to embark on the deepest journey toward their true self.
At some point, I sensed that the technical and the spiritual are not separate. These are not two different realities. The technical and spiritual are interconnected far more deeply than we realize. The precision of the space is also a form of care. The right air, the right color of the walls, the right distance from the screen, and the right sound are all also part of the spiritual work.
Everything flows as one. As a single whole, according to the same laws of the universe. According to the same laws of the universe.
I was deeply struck by the thought that for a subtle and profound inner process to take place, the external space must be incredibly precise. For the soul to follow its path, the space must be crafted with love, attention, and mathematical precision.
That is what a cinema is.
Not just an auditorium. Not just a screen. Not just a projector.
It is a space where the technical becomes spiritual.
At some point, I sensed that the technical and the spiritual are not separate. These are not two different realities. The technical and spiritual are interconnected far more deeply than we realize. The precision of the space is also a form of care. The right air, the right color of the walls, the right distance from the screen, and the right sound are all also part of the spiritual work.
Everything flows as one. As a single whole, according to the same laws of the universe. According to the same laws of the universe.
I was deeply struck by the thought that for a subtle and profound inner process to take place, the external space must be incredibly precise. For the soul to follow its path, the space must be crafted with love, attention, and mathematical precision.
That is what a cinema is.
Not just an auditorium. Not just a screen. Not just a projector.
It is a space where the technical becomes spiritual.
Efim Graboy
