Coastal Town Of Tyre To Witness Re-Opening Of Historic Cinema

Lovers of theater and cinema have a lot to thank Kassem Istanbouli for. Just last year, Istanbouli took the initiative to re-open Nabatieh’s Stars Cinema, which had been closed for 27 years.

Istanbouli had previously reopend Al Hamra Cinema of Tyre, where he’s about to revamp another cinematic escape. Now, Istanbouli has taken on the project of renovating and re-opening the abandoned Rivoli Cinema of Tyre, to restore it as a cultural space for the beautiful southern city.

The third space recovered by Istanbouli and his team since 2014, when he first revamped the Al Hamra Cinema of Tyre, then the Stars Cinema of Nabatieh, and finally now the Rivoli Cinema in Tyre. Commenting on the plans to reopen Rivoli Cinema, Istanbouli said, “We are all very happy to come back to Tyre, as half of the members of the team come from Tyre and we are really happy to bring theater, cinema, and music events to our city.”

Rivoli Cinema was renowned in the area from 1959 to 1988, for bringing cinema and theater to the coastal town – a space for culture to prosper and be exchanged by the sea. The cinema has been abandoned since 1988, but will soon reopen thanks to Istanbouli’s theatrical determination.