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.
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