‘Everything Except Erotica’: Nairi Cinema to Re-Open its Doors

Nairi theater in Yerevan, which was closed in April of this year, will re-open its doors on Oct. 1. Armenia’s National Cinema Center rushed to save the theater by leasing its halls, National Cinema Center Director Gevorg Gevorgyan told Yerevan.ru.

 

According to him, the lease was nearly complete but certain financial concerns arose during negotiations. The Center estimates that 3.5 million drams (about $9,338 USD) are needed to renovate the screening rooms. In addition to lease payments, which are 1.5 million drams (about $4,000 USD), 1.5–1.8 million drams is needed to heat the rooms during the winter months. The rent would likely be split three ways — telecommunications provider Orange, Yerevan City Hall and Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science promised to cough up 500,000 drams (about $1,334 USD) each.

 

The ministry will provide further assistance to the theater by providing free screenings to students, for whom a special educational film program has been prepared. There are also negotiations underway with the film company Central Partnership, which is ready to cooperate on the condition that its films be screened thrice daily.

 

In addition to children’s and educational films, the cinema is planning on screening works by masters of world cinema and festival-nominated films, as well as offering days when only foreign films are screened. Films produced at various times during the Soviet era will also be screened. “In short, we will have everything except erotica,” Gevorgyan joked.

 

The head of the National Cinema Center also denied reports of a change in ownership of the building that houses Nairi cinema. According to him, the theater’s owner remains the company Ulysses (or Ulis — name could not be confirmed).