For 16 years, Paris-based photographer Stephan Zaubitzer has been photographing cinemas around the world. His Cinémas project started in 2003 in Burkina Faso, where he began to shoot open-air cinemas. “With the arrival of video and television, the very existence of these cinemas is under threat,” he says. “The cinema defines the neighbourhood it is in. When a cinema closes, the whole soul of the neighbourhood is lost.” Zaubitzer has visited 15 countries, including the US, Egypt, Morocco and India: what these images have in common is his appreciation of the look and atmosphere of the cinemas. “There is a feel of mystery about these halls: architects crafted them to embody the taste of their time. The show starts on the pavement, when you’re approaching the building.”