The cinema of Djibouti refers to the
film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...
in
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
.
History
Storytelling is an ancient custom in the
culture of Djibouti. Love of cinema is but a modern, visual incarnation and continuation of this well-established tradition. The earliest forms of public film display in Djibouti were in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
. In the 1920s, the first local movie theaters opened, during a time when
Djibouti City
Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...
was growing in size.
Film theaters became a place where local residents could watch movies in a relaxed atmosphere. With the development of the local film industry, additional theaters were launched. Among these establishments was the ''Eden'' in 1934, ''Olympia'' in 1939, ''Le Paris'' in 1965, and ''Al Hilal'' in 1975.
During the 1970s, the capital city had five movie theaters, with one in each district. Some local film making attempts were carried out with local actors. One was ''Burta Djinka'', a 1972 film in
Somali directed by G. Borg.
Following independence in 1977, a growing number of government-owned production and distribution companies as well as actual projection theaters sprang up.
In the 1990s two of the biggest cinemas, Odeon and Olympia, closed their doors.
References
{{World cinema navbox