METROPOLIS - art cinema

Metropolis is the first art-house cinema to open its doors in Lebanon on the premises of the recently renovated Al-Madina Theater (formerly Cinema Saroulla). This space aims to ensure its audience a permanent and sustainable access to a diversified and enriching film production. At Metropolis, independent films, whether recent or cult, will be honored.


Context:
Beirut has been experiencing for a few years now an important cultural proliferation, especially in the cinema field. An abundant production of independent movies of all kinds is being produced despite the barely existing financial and infrastructural means in the country and the absence of any national policy of support.
On the other hand, the increasing number of cultural events in Beirut, such as film-clubs and film festivals gathering together the new regional and world film trends, leads us to believe doubtlessly in the existence of a real public for this kind of alternative cinema.
However, in most multiplexes in Lebanon, film programming is becoming more and more standardized and there is no network of alternative productions diffusion or distribution.

Satellite television channels do not make things easier, as they propagate commercial products that shape dangerously collective taste and impose market logic as a supreme reference, thereby dictating rules, laying down success criteria and enforcing standardized speech.


Program:
Metropolis intends to program independent films of all genres, alternating retrospectives of major directors, outstanding work from the new generation, classics, documentaries, animation as well as experimental videos. It would also invite both young and renowned film directors to present their films, meet with the public, offer seminars or Master classes around cinema, its history and professions.
Cycles, retrospectives and close-ups on a particular cinema should be scheduled regularly. Metropolis would also host thematic evenings along with round tables or conferences around a particular topic, highlighting film influences between countries, generations…


Young Audience:
Afternoon sessions and week-ends will be dedicated to the young public, in tight collaboration with (private and public) schools, local NGOs and cultural associations. Several programs of animation and classics focusing on childhood will address kids from 5 to 12 years old.


Opening:
For its opening, this 110-seat theater was proud to present 14 films from the 45th selection of Cannes’ International Critics’ Week, the most exigent parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival, known as a spot of new talents discovery, which seeks to explore and reveal young film creation, in a mix of demand and curiosity.
Under the patronage of the Lebanese Minister of Culture Dr. Tarek Mitri and in the presence of the French Ambassador His Excellency Mr. Bernard Aimie, Metropolis was inaugurated on July 11th 2006.

During the recent war on Lebanon, Metropolis hosted around 60 people from Beirut’s bombed out southern suburbs and from South Lebanon. It had to re-schedule its selection, alternating movies for refugee children during the day and a selection of the International Critics' Week's films at night.