Kassem Istanbouli wants to bring cinema and theater back to Lebanon.
Before war ravaged southern Lebanon in the 1980s, cinemas thrived as cultural centers. Istanbouli wants to revive the concept, buying and renovating shuttered cinemas, and reopening them to the public.
It's not just for movie buffs. Istanbouli's cinemas host theater workshops and performances. But the project, which is run as a nonprofit, faces funding and operational hurdles, and has to search for donations.
Istanbouli's next planned project is to buy a 400-seat theater in southern Lebanon. He hopes to ensure the historic building has many more acts.
Before war ravaged southern Lebanon in the 1980s, cinemas thrived as cultural centers. Istanbouli wants to revive the concept, buying and renovating shuttered cinemas, and reopening them to the public.
It's not just for movie buffs. Istanbouli's cinemas host theater workshops and performances. But the project, which is run as a nonprofit, faces funding and operational hurdles, and has to search for donations.
Istanbouli's next planned project is to buy a 400-seat theater in southern Lebanon. He hopes to ensure the historic building has many more acts.
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