The spectre of two historic Athens cinemas being closed by commercial interests bent on turning them into a hotel and office block has spurred film-makers to get in front of the camera with pleas to stop the process.
Directors of international acclaim have appealed to save the film theatres amid mounting public disquiet over the pace of development in one of Europe’s oldest capitals. Leading the charge, Costa-Gavras, the Paris-based film director who shot to fame with the political drama Z, released when Greece was under military rule, called the existence of the Ideal and Astor cinemas indispensable for the enjoyment of film in an era when the “barbarism” of movies being watched on TV and mobile phones was widespread.
“I visited these two picture houses frequently in my youth,” said the nonagenarian, appealing to “the culture patriotism” of Lina Mendoni, the cultural minister, “to save these theatres”.
In a similar video message, the Oscar-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos underlined the “social and cultural value” of the two venues “in the centre of such a city”.
“I want to add my own voice to those that have recently expressed concern over the disappearance of the historic cinemas,” said the Greek film-maker whose hits have included The Favourite, starring Olivia Colman.
As the battle to rescue the cinemas intensified, other titans of the film industry also weighed in.
“We’re united because these cinemas are tantamount to cultural monuments,” said Lefteris Charitos, who heads the Hellenic Film Academy. “The Ideal opened in 1921 and is almost as old as cinema itself. To do what they want to do to it is like killing the Acropolis of cinema in Athens. It’s shameful to even think about such a thing.”
Among Greece’s foremost film and television directors, Charitos can still vividly recall the pleasure of midnight screenings at the Ideal in the early 90s. Back then, Athens was an arthouse film hub, its late-night cinema queues a feature of the capital. The newly renovated Ideal was among 50 cinemas to be found in a radius of five miles from the city centre. Now there are less than 10.
“There’s a lot of nostalgia for that time, which is partly why so many feel so emotional about this,” said Charitos. “A lot of people who have grown up here, who spent evenings being allowed to dream in front of the big screen, just don’t want to see what was once such a bright and vibrant city being turned into a cultural ghost town.”
Last week, more than 5,000 cinephiles packed into the Astor, which opened its doors in the 1940s, in a display of opposition to the cinemas closing.
As debate has turned to the thorny question of tourism’s reach in an area where residents have been ejected from homes to make way for rental platforms such as Airbnb, the cinemas appear to be a tipping point.
For critics who complain of Athens’ central boulevards becoming ever more deserted, the campaign has highlighted fears over policies seen as endangering lifestyles.
With its focus on foreign investment, the centre-right government has been accused of short-termism and kowtowing to business interests at the expense of permanent inhabitants.
Both the Astor and the Ideal are housed in buildings owned by the national social security fund, EFKA. The state body recently announced it had leased the magisterial block that houses the Ideal to a Greek hospitality group, which promptly unveiled plans to transform it into a luxury five-star hotel – a €36m (£32m) project that would, the company said, create “at least 150 jobs”. The building housing the Astor, which has been similarly leased, is due to be turned into offices.
Responding to the outcry, the cultural ministry has argued that the cinemas fail to meet the criteria for enhanced protection as listed buildings – unlike open-air summer cinemas that have been granted protection.
In contrast, the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, believes preservation orders should be placed on the cinemas, telling last week’s protest gathering: “Yes, we want economic growth and yes, we want investments and visitors. What we don’t want is Athens losing its soul.”
Echoing that view, Andreas Kontarakis, a film distributor who has resurrected five movie houses that had long been abandoned in the city centre, including the Astor, said a compromise had to be found where investors made use of the buildings but kept the cinemas intact. “We’re not against tourism, but people have to understand that this is where we live. The centre of Athens is becoming deserted partly because of the attack on every form of culture, which now includes the cinemas they want to close. Soon, only doubledecker red tourist buses will be allowed to circulate [downtown].”
The Greek capital, once viewed mainly as a conduit to the islands, has seen a surge in tourists in recent years, with a hotel-building frenzy under way to meet the demand. But it is development that many say has come at a price.
The British director Ken Loach has also intervened, describing the two cinemas where his films have been frequently screened, as “part of the city’s culture, part of its history”.
“Visitors come to see all aspects of your past,” he said in a statement of support. “The more developers are allowed to destroy, the fewer people will come and fewer people will watch our movies … Your campaign is vital to maintain the character of your wonderful city.”
Campaigners have found an unexpected backer in the country’s president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. In a Facebook post, the head of state, whose home is within view of the Acropolis, bemoaned the paradox of living in a city that while rich in antiquities, was “in danger of losing its memory” with the loss of landmarks like cafes, cinemas and theatres that were also, she wrote, part of its identity.
