IRAQ: Iraqis lament demise of Baghdad's cinema, once a cultural hub of the middle east

In a city where stores stand shuttered and streets are empty by nightfall, it is no surprise that the once bustling cinema theatres are now deserted. Atlas cinema located in the up-market Mansur district of Baghdad is a testament to the demise of what was once the capital's hub of entertainment. The lobby of the cinema is empty apart from two movie-goers who gaze at the fading posters advertising long-forgotten films. Atlas is one of two cinemas which is still operating in Baghdad. The other is al-Saadoun, a modest 50-seater, which attracts even fewer audiences. Inside the Atlas cinema, Khalaf Aziz Ridha sifts through and prepares dust-covered film reels for no more than a handful of spectators. "Despite the fact that we have cinemas, cinemas that we are proud of as al-Nasr, Samiramis and al-Khayam, a huge cinema that was one of the finest in the Middle East, yet no more than 20 to 30 people are entering them now. When you enter these high-class cinemas now you will feel a pain in your heart," says Khalaf Aziz Ridha, who has been working as a film operator for 53 years. Before the invasion, the seats of the once-popular cinemas were hardly ever empty. The fall of Saddam Hussein liberalised Iraq's cinema overnight. This was expected to boost the country's film industry, but the ongoing threat of violence, power cuts and early curfews have forced many of the cinemas to shut down. According to Ridha, the owners of cinema halls can no longer afford to import the latest films, and naturally the repeats are attracting fewer spectators. Once open until midnight, cinemas now close by 4 P.M.. Ridha feels that the current situation also has a bearing on the type of reduced audiences that Baghdad's still-functioning cinemas attract. Ridha remembers a time when ministers, senior government officials, and the crème de la crème of Baghdad's social elite used to frequent the capital's cinemas, and is saddened by today's audiences. "Al-Nasr Cinema, which accommodates 2100 people was usually packed out, and when they sat down, it was as thought the cinema were empty, despite the fact that it had families and young people, it would be full of people from various classes. Yet you did not hear a sound. Now, if 10 people enter the cinema, it does your head in. They talk ahead of what is being said in the film, they should they whistle, you hear the noise," says Ridha. "So with my respect for the young people who come in, some talk before the start of the film, while others shout or whistle. You can not, with all due respect to the young people who come to the cinema, I do not consider them to be cultured young people," he adds. It seems that Iraqis prefer the safety of their homes where they can watch the latest satellite television programmes and DVDs to the experience of going to the cinema. "We used to come to the cinemas to entertain ourselves. They used to be crowded and people were happy. Now, the security situation is very bad. You do not know where to go, you are afraid to go to work or walk in the street and cinemas are empty," said Abbas Jum'a, a resident of Baghdad. Like many others, Jum'a comes to the air-conditioned cinema hall to avoid sweltering in Baghdad's scorching heat. So the big screens that once entertained a generation of Iraqis with first-run films are now a mere excuse to escape Baghdad's summer temperatures.

ITN Source | September 14, 2007

Tags:. .middle east. .saddam hussein. .khalaf. .nasr. .seater