Kino Europa: People in Zagreb stand up for their beloved cinema
- by croatiaweek
- in News
ZAGREB, 6 April 2019 – The future of cult Zagreb cinema Cinema Europa (Kino Europa), which is the oldest active cinema in Croatia is uncertain.
More than 2,000 people gathered in front of Cinema Europa on Saturday afternoon to stand by and show support for the cinema’s management.
On Friday, the cinema’s management announced that they would close the cinema this weekend after they received notice from the City of Zagreb that they would need to exit the premises on 1 June 2019 due to renovations.
Cinema Europa management said in a statement that the City was using the guise of the renovations to get rid of the cinema’s current management and bring a new tenant in.
Cinema Europa, which turns 94 years old this month has been extremely successful over the last ten years, holding over 14,000 projections with over one million visitors. In 2016, Cinema Europa won the European Best Cinema Award. The cinema is a protected cultural heritage and national treasure of Croatia.
Croatia’s Minister of Culture, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, said she was against Cinema Europa closing down.
The City of Zagreb said in a statement on Saturday that the current management’s lease expires on 1 June and the premise would remain a cinema after renovations are complete.
Cinema Europa have organised a second protest on Tuesday, 9 April at 5:30 pm at the cinema.
More photos from today’s protest below.
