The first Tunisian multiplex was inaugurated on December 22nd last year. Designed by the French company Pathé Gaumont, it is located in the northern part of Tunis, near the Tunis City shopping centre.
The initial idea, in particular putting the cinema in the Tunis City complex, came from producer Wassim Béji, whose credits include Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent. “Béji came to see us about two and a half years ago with the idea of building the first multiplex in his country of origin,” says Frédéric Godfroid, Gaumont Pathé’s deputy director of cinema development. “He already knew where he wanted to put it. It coincided with us wondering how to expand on to the African continent. A partnership seemed such an obvious idea.”
The multiplex has eight cinemas, ranging from 126 to 380 seats, with a total of 1,500 seats. Its director, Ahmed Amine Azouzi, says that about 150 films will be shown a year, with 48 screenings a day. The programme will include local and African films, international mainstream productions and some auteur films. During its opening week, 17 films were shown, including 4 Tunisian productions. The public response was very positive.
The project was launched in July 2017. It’s the French company’s first African venture – in a country which has only about thirty cinemas – and it intends to continue, announcing a new multiplex project in the region of Sousse for later this year.
Sources: https://www.jeuneafrique.com, http://www.webdo.tn / http://www.rfi.fr
