Bucharest’s District 1 takes over derelict cinemas to refurbish them

The City Hall of Bucharest’s District 1 has taken over the management of several cinemas from RADEF Romania Film in order to refurbish and reopen them. The cinemas, currently in a run-down state, are: Patria, Excelsior, Cotroceni, and Giulești. The City Hall will also administer the land of the Grădina Parc cinema. “We will refurbish the cinemas we have taken over in order to re-introduce them into the cultural circuit and make them available to the Bucharest public. We will create an infrastructure capable of supporting the cinema production, but also any form of cultural activity,” Dan Tudorache, the mayor of the District 1, said. The local administration has been trying to take over the cinemas since 2009, Hotnews.ro reported. Various legal hurdles prevented the process. More recently, it asked the Culture Ministry for the cinemas in 2016. RADEF is an institution subordinate to the ministry. New cultural events hall opens on the premises of former Bucharest cinema Bucharest derelict cinema undergoes EUR 10 mln revamp into cultural center editor@romania-insider.com