Cinema debate opens discussion on Athens

The controversy surrounding the closure of Athens' historic Ideal and Astor cinemas has reignited a larger debate on the often-miserable state of the city center, and particularly the area between Omonia and Syntagma squares. Part of the debate concerns calls on stakeholders in the area - major banks, prominent organizations, archaeological schools, churches and cultural institutes, among others - to join forces in a discussion on the problems and potential solutions. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou also weighed in on the discussion with a post on social media in which she argued that, like monuments, cinemas are among the many "constants" that endow a city with its identity, even as it undergoes "constant transformation." [InTime News]