El Hamra (Tunisia)
El Hamra or Al Hambra, as it was called at the time, was a cinema located at 28, rue El Jazeera, one of the busiest shopping streets in Tunis. The cinema inaugurated its activities in 1922 and was one of the most famous theaters in the capital during the 30s and 40s. Hindu and Egyptian films, musicals as well as melodramas, drained a wide audience. Then, because of lack of activities, the cinema lost his audience and closed the doors for fifteen years.
In the 80s Ezzeddine Gannoun succumbed to the charm of the place. In 1987, the year that president Ben Ali assumed power, Gannoun transformed the old cinema into a home of arts. He has been called the man who reinvented Al Hambra. In times of censure and oppression, Gannoun and his team produced and programmed theater performances. He gave back a new dynamic to the neighborhood and even in all of Tunis. Since 2011, El Hamra has also been an important place for social debate.
Season 2013-2014 |
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