Romanian Government Urged to Save Cinemas

"We ask the government to finally have a clear plan for restoring the country's cinemas," Cannes award winner Mungiu appealed to the Romanian authorities on Monday, saying he was speaking on behalf of all the country's film-makers.

"For years, we have been demanding that such a strategy be put into practice, but nothing has happened. It is not fair that cinema industry is always last on the list of cultural priorities in Romania," he added.

Mungiu's appeal followed the closure last week of the last three big cinemas in Bucharest because they were located in buildings considered to be at high risk of damage from earthquakes.

"We understand the government's decision to protect people, but the government has also the obligation to ensure film lovers a proper place to watch Romanian and other non-mainstream Hollywood-style movies," he said.

A recently adopted law says that theatres, exhibition halls, commercial units, tourist accommodation, health and social care facilities and public administration offices cannot be located in buildings which are at a high seismic risk.

Bucharest is located in an area with high seismic risk. The last strong earthquake in the capital in 1977 killed more than 1,500 people and injured some 11,000 more.

Mungiu launched his appeal at the point when the country has the smallest number of cinemas per head in Europe: less than 50 for a country of 19.5 million inhabitants. More than 400 have closed down since 1990.

Most of those that remain have not been upgraded to show digital movies or been modernised.

Some privately-owned multiplexes have been set up in big cities in recent years but that they do not make up for the closures, and rarely show arthouse or locally-made films.

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