Curtains come down on Awal Cinema Centre
The curtains have come down on one of the most popular landmarks in Manama, Awal Cinema after the demolition of the theatre started yesterday.
Bahrain Cinema Company representative clarified they are demolishing the theatre, considered as one of the favourite entertainment destinations of expats in Bahrain, to build a shopping complex in Al Zubara Avenue.
As per Cineco records, Awal Cinema was opened in 1971 after demolishing the old one, taking over Al Zubara Cinema from late Ali bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
It was in 1967 that the late Amir of Bahrain HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa issued a charter to establish the Bahrain Cinema & Film Distribution Company (BC&FDC).
BC&FDC commenced operations after acquisitions of Awal Cinema, Bahrain Cinema and Al Nasr Cinema from late Abdul Rahman Al Alawi.
Al Zubara Cinema was leased from late Ali bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
In the olden days, the cinema had no air-conditioning or heating system. So ,the cinema was moved to an open-roofed building during the winter season with one of the walls being used as a screen.
Al Hamara Cinema, which opened in 1968, was the first air-conditioned theatre in Bahrain.
During the early years, black and white films – majority of them Egyptian and a few American – played there. The Tarzan and ‘Cowboys and Red Indians’ films were reported to have been very popular in the country.
Initially, the introduction of cinemas drew criticism from elderly citizens who stated that it “would destroy traditional values”.
In the beginning, Awal Cinema screened only English movies but during the exodus of Keralites into Bahrain in 1980s, the theatre started screening Malayalam movies attracting a huge number of movie lovers. During the pan-Arab era of the 20th century, Egyptian films enjoyed immense popularity in the country.
The trend for modern-style cinemas was continued by the Bahrain Cinema Company, which opened cinema complexes at Seef Mall in 1998 and in Saar in 2000 respectively.
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