On January 18th a citizens’ collective in Sétif petitioned their local authorities because there is no cinema in the town. This group of cultural activists and film professionals launched an appeal,“A cinema for Sétif”, to give the local inhabitants their own space to see films.
The petition begins with a reminder the town’s situation :
“Setif :
127.30 square kilometres.
410,000 inhabitants.
1,100 m above sea level.
0 cinemas.
Until the 1980’s there were 4 cinemas in Sétif. By the early 1990’s, there were none.”
A text highlighting the town’s predicament: second in terms of trade behind Algiers, one of the country’s largest (410,000 inhabitants) and most dynamic (3rd economic pole) cities. In this context the petition emphasises the importance of a cinema which, as well as being a place of leisure, is also a lucrative commercial activity offering job creations.
The Sétif collective makes three requests :
– To resolve the situation of the “Variety” cinema, built with public money but which has never screened a single film. Its closure was allegedly due to non-compliance with security regulations, but the petition rejects this, pointing out the security failings concern only the wall coverings.
– Facilitate investments in creating cinemas and multiplexes in the town.
– Until a dedicated space has been authorised for showing films, allocate certain days in the Maison de la Culture for film clubs and private distributors’ screenings.
Although films are currently shown in Sétif, it is only thanks to private initiatives, for example film clubs like “Perséciné”, which should be congratulated. This club has been organizing screenings for eleven years, wanting to make films available for everyone and encourage discussions.
But this situation is not limited to Sétif. In the 1980’s there were nearly 450 cinemas in Algeria, today there are only fifteen, spread across the major towns. A problem which was the subject of a six minute report by Hanane Guendil of the Hauts-Parleurs in May 2018, which shows the situation of Algerian cinemas, some closed, some forgotten and only a few still open.
Facebook page : Un Cinéma pour Sétif
Link to sign the petition here
Sources :
https://www.elwatan.com
https://www.dzvid.com
https://www.lesoirdalgerie.com
https://www.reporters.dz
