Gaza’s Cinemas & Theatres

In light of what we’re witnessing in Gaza, it’s inevitable that the images that the west associates with the city are of utter destruction, human suffering and injustice. As part of our efforts to keep the conversation about Gaza – and Palestine more broadly – current and alive, we’ve been delving into its cultural and social history. You can find some of our favorite discoveries over on our instagram. 

In our podcast interview with Abaher El-Sakka in October, the Palestinian sociologist touched briefly on the cinemas and theaters of Gaza, which got us looking deeper into them. We’re sharing what we found in this piece: a mix of facts, amazing old images, stories and memories. We’d love to add to what we’ve got here, so if you happen to have any visuals or data on the cinemas of Gaza or consider yourself an expert in the topic, share your findings at blog@afikra.com and we’ll add you as a contributor to Daftar. 

Gaza’s Cinemas

Apparently Gaza was home to ten cinemas between the 1930s and 1980s. For a brief period, cinema prospered in Gaza with all kinds of films being screened from Arab to Hollywood and even Bollywood productions. 

Amongst the city’s oldest cinemas were the al Khadra and al Samer Cinemas which were built in the 1940s. After the end of the British occupation, cinema al Galaa opened in 1951, followed by al-Nasr and Cinema Amer – an open-air summer cinema – and it’s said that there was even a dedicated beach cinema. Further south in Rafah, Freedom, Peace and al-Sabreen cinemas also opened their doors. 

Cinema al Samer via Palestine Remembered

Sitting right on the border with Egypt, Gaza enjoyed a steady flow of Egyptian films. In later years, these different cinemas would come to be known for showing certain types or genres of film.

سينما النصر فيغزة عام 1961 | Cinema Nasser in 1961 via Facebook

According to one article that we read, after the Nakba in 1948, UNRWA implemented a cultural program screening films in camps across the Gaza strip. The movies were punctuated by informative videos about health and childcare.  

Any remaining cinemas were shut by the Israeli occupation in the 80s and later destroyed, burnt down or damaged during the First Intifada. Since then, there have been no cinemas in Gaza: arguably a deliberate denial and suppression of any budding social or cultural scene within designated community spaces. Instead, grassroots movements have started emerging – organizing public screenings and rallying for the reopening of the strip’s cinemas. 

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