Cinema industry struggles in Damascus over Syrian revolution: Firdous Cinema was a popular destination for Damascus’s suburbs residence, but the war that has been for more than two years, caused suffering for the cinema’s management either by buying new films or by the dramatic decrease in number of attendees and visitors, AFP reported. The cinema hall looks old with very bad ventilation system and walls are covered with old and yellowish posters. On the other hand, “City Cinema" was closed in April because of the war, and It was one of the most prominent modern complexes in Damascus, that used to show the latest international films. But today, it’s door are close with big concrete stones. “City Cinema’s visitors were from the affluent class and have left the capital, so no attendees to the cinema", Jamal al-Sasa, the director of Firdous cinema commented. And he added that the closure on City Cinema has negatively affected his Cinema as they lost the source for buying cheap second hand films. No film adverts in Firdous cinema dated after 2011, and most of the posters are for unknown Arabic or foreign old films. “The last batch of films we purchased was in 2011, the year when the revolution against al-Assad regime has out broken” al-Sasa said. He added “due to difficulties in buying new films, and because of the security problem in the capital, no more that 10 people bought tickets for this evening” Jamal commented that the Syrian cinema was struggling even before the revolution because of the internet and satellite channels, and now with the war, the poor who used to come from Damascus’s suburb to watch films, stopped coming , because several areas in Damascus and its suburbs are witnessing battles between opposition fighters and regime forces. “Moreover, after 5:00 pm, no one comes sometimes, because people do not risk themselves returning home in night. While, before the war, cinema used stay open until midnight," al-Sasa ended.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 09:48:25 +0000
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