Taliban orders Kabul cinema to close its doors

Описание: (11 Nov 2021) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4352591

For decades, the historic Ariana cinema in Kabul has entertained Afghans with Bollywood movies and American action flicks.
Now its gates remain closed.
The Taliban ordered the Ariana and other cinemas to stop operating months ago.
The cinema's nearly 20 employees, all men, still show up to work, logging in their attendance in hopes they will eventually get paid.
The landmark Ariana, one of only four cinemas in the capital, is owned by the Kabul municipality. Its employees are government workers and remain on the payroll.  
The Ariana opened in 1963. Its sleek architecture mirrored the modernizing spirit that the then-ruling monarchy was trying to bring to the deeply traditional nation.
Indian movies were always the biggest draw at the Ariana, as were action movies, particularly those featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme.
As Afghanistan's domestic film industry revived, the Ariana played the handful of Afghan movies produced each year.
The staff said they couldn't even guess what the Taliban will decide, but none held out much hope they would allow movies.  
That would be a loss, said Rahmatullah Ezati, the Ariana's chief projectionist.
"If a country doesn't have cinema, then there's no culture. Through cinema, we've seen other countries like Europe, U.S. and India."

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