Ariana Cinema ( prs, سینما آریانا ''Sīnemā Ārīāna'') is a
movie theater
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
in
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, Afghanistan located near the Pashtunistan Square on the north side of the
Kabul river bank. It is considered to be the second oldest cinema in Kabul city center, after
Behzad Cinema, and is one of the few remaining in operation. It is
publicly owned.
History
In its prime days, Ariana Cinema was a famous theater in the city.
As with other local landmarks, the cinema was destroyed during the
Battle of Kabul (1992-96) and remained closed and damaged after the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
came to power in 1996. After the fall of Taliban, a group of French filmmakers raised $ 1 million to help complete the cinema. During a visit to Kabul in 2002,
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Bernard-Henri Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, political acti ...
met with
Siddiq Barmak
Siddiq Barmak ( fa, صدیق برمک, born September 7, 1962) is an Afghan film director and producer. In 2004, Barmak won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes for his first feature film, '' Osama''. He received an M.A. degree in cine ...
to discuss the reconstruction of the cinema. On his return to Paris, he co-founded an association to raise funds for the project with Claude Lelouch and Bosnian
Danis Tanović
Danis Tanović (born 20 February 1969) is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for having directed and written the script for the 2001 Bosnian movie '' No Man's Land'' which won him many awards, including an Academy Award ...
, The 'Un Cinema pour Kaboul' association in Paris. In collaboration with the
AINA
Aina may refer to:
* Aina (given name)
Places
* Aina (Crete), a town of ancient Crete
* Aïna River, a river in Cameroon and Gabon
* Aina, Iran, a village in Kermanshah Province, Iran
Art and entertainment
* ''Aina'' (1977 film), a 1977 Pakista ...
in Kabul, they completed the reconstruction of the Cinema in March 2004. The renovation and new facilities was done with the help of
Siddiq Barmak
Siddiq Barmak ( fa, صدیق برمک, born September 7, 1962) is an Afghan film director and producer. In 2004, Barmak won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes for his first feature film, '' Osama''. He received an M.A. degree in cine ...
.
The cinema received damage later by a
January 2010 suicide bombing near the cinema.
As of 2020 it remains one of four cinemas still operating in Kabul and it receives about 200 spectators of 600 available, reflecting the decline of
cinema of Afghanistan
Cinema was introduced in Afghanistan at the beginning of the 20th century. Political troubles slowed the indusry over the years. However, numerous Pashto cinema, Pashto and Dari films have been made both inside and outside Afghanistan throughout ...
.
Ariana Cinema was active before the
fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021,
with its current status unknown.
See also
*
Cinema of Afghanistan
Cinema was introduced in Afghanistan at the beginning of the 20th century. Political troubles slowed the indusry over the years. However, numerous Pashto cinema, Pashto and Dari films have been made both inside and outside Afghanistan throughout ...
*
Behzad Cinema
*
January 2010 Kabul attack
References
{{Portal, Afghanistan, Film
Cinemas in Afghanistan