Ana Maria Guzelian |
Beirut (EFE) Now, it has risen again from its ashes in the midst of a serious economic crisis.
The cinema, with a gray but modern aesthetic and located in the suburb of Bourj Hammoud, came into the hands of a young filmmaker who, at the onset of the depression in 2020, chose to invest in a dream instead of seeing how his savings were trapped for always in the Lebanese banks, where there is still a “corralito”.
For a few months now, the Royal has functioned as a cultural center and, although it does not operate as a commercial cinema, it once again hosts the screening of films, once again becoming a sign of the determination of the Lebanese population to preserve their small cultural jewels.
An unlikely niche
In the middle of the last century, the Lebanese capital became an important center for Arab cinema and the Royal was part of that golden age, although initially the blockbusters did not attract too many viewers.
“Later, as the cinema was gaining popularity around the world, they decided to look for a niche in Bollywood, martial arts and B-movies, which strangely found a huge audience in Lebanon,” the new owner of the cinema explained to EFE. Royal, Karl Hadife.
The 25-year-old finds the interest that Bollywood films aroused at the time, coming from so far with their melodramatic scripts, their flashy costumes and their interspersing of songs choreographed in the purest style of a musical.
“Lots of my friends’ parents come to me saying they used to go there to see Indian movies. It’s funny, they’re like the Turkish series of their generation”, says the filmmaker, comparing them with one of the favorite industries of today’s youth.
However, the glory came to an end during the Lebanese civil war, which began in 1975 and brought with it 15 years of destruction, displacement and bloodshed, also inflicting material damage on various cultural structures in the country.
The Cine Royal was one of the casualties of the conflict, which left it with significant damage.
The violence not only affected the operation of Lebanese cinemas and their material conditions, but also caused an exodus of artists and filmmakers, hurting the natural evolution of art in the Mediterranean country.
From brothel to cultural center
The Royal had to be restored after the end of the conflict in 1990 and find a new way to make money.
“They needed more income, so they started exploring the porn industry and putting on shows after closing or things like that. It became so popular that they realized the money was there and turned the entire theater into a porn theater,” Hadife said.
Once again, the glory faded with the expansion of the internet and in 2015 the Royal had to unplug its screens to usher in a new dark age.
“Because of the increase (in access) of the internet, ‘online’ porn and basically the issue of privacy, they stopped it and turned it into a brothel where people came to just…” commented the new owner of the building. .
When the current crisis in Lebanon broke out at the end of 2019, the young man lived in the United States, but decided to return to his country to found an NGO called Vecindario, through which he hopes to bring to life the many plans he has for this cinema. from the outskirts of Beirut.
He bought the Royal with bank checks a few months after the crisis hit, realizing that cash-out restrictions were going to continue and that the Lebanese pound was losing value at lightning speeds.
Armed with film and organizing, he seeks to fulfill his childhood dream: to bring people of all classes and backgrounds together to “create a real exchange” in the Bourj Hammoud community.
The restored Cine Royal operates as a cultural center, which allows it to offer films to the public as before, as well as other types of events, exhibitions and workshops for children in the area to unleash their imaginations in these difficult times for the country. .