“As Minister of Culture and Sports and as a citizen, I am absolutely in favor of maintaining the use and operation of all historic cinemas, in the center of Athens” says Lina Mendoni in response to a journalist’s question about the rescue of Ideal, Astor and Iris, noting that “the continuation of the operation of the cinemas can yield surplus value, in any utilization of the buildings that surround them”.

However, as stated in a statement by the Ministry of the Environment, the minister points out that “the authority to declare the use of a building belongs to the Ministry of the Environment”, while the current institutional framework does not allow the Ministry of the Environment to declare a building in use, unless it has declared a monument based on the provisions of Law n. 4858/2021 on the protection of antiquities and cultural heritage in general.

Here is the full text of the announcement with the minister’s statement:

“The newspaper ELEFTHEROS TYPOS, through the head of its cultural department, Mr. K. Zaliga, submitted the following question to the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni:

– Madam Minister, we know that the rescue of Ideal, Astor and Iris is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment. What is your opinion as the Minister of Culture and as an ordinary resident of this city and country? Is it worth losing three more landmarks, with such a long history (Ideal has been operating for 101 years), to build hotels, offices or anything else that deprives residents of another meeting point in the city? Do you intend to take any initiative so that their use does not change?.

-Obviously, as the Minister of Culture and Sports and as a citizen, I am absolutely in favor of preserving the use and operation of all historic cinemas, in the center of Athens. When, on February 12, 2012, dozens of buildings surrendered to vandalism and flames, among them the two historic and preserved cinemas APOLLO and ATTIKON, the destruction to the cultural stock and also to the memory of our city was irreparable. The splendid listed building which housed the two halls was built to plans by Ernesto Ziller (1870-81). Since then, Stadiou Street has been dark. The burnt ruins, the gaping windows are left to remind us that the urban fabric of Athens cannot be left to the weather…

Despite the tireless efforts of the government and the institutional facilities it undertook for their re-opening, the burlaps, after eleven whole years, are not only hurting us as citizens but also the historical center of Athens. If the operation of IDEAL – although I read that there is a clear commitment to its continued operation – and ASTOR is interrupted, the character of the historic center, which has already been much abused, will be altered. Athens, as a living organism, must evolve, preserving its landmarks, not as a nostalgic memory but as a link connecting its past with its future.

The continuation of the operation of the cinemas can yield surplus value, in any utilization of the buildings that surround them.

I remember IRIDA, at the corner of Hippocrates and Akadimias, from my student years, as a university teaching room.

The current institutional framework does not allow the YPPOA to declare a building in use, unless it has been declared a monument based on the provisions of Law n. 4858/2021 on the protection of antiquities and cultural heritage in general. In the cases of the three cinemas, the conditions set by the law for their declaration as monuments are not met. The authority to declare the use of a building belongs to the Ministry of the Environment.

It is the desire of all of us, those of us who grew up and live here, that Athens preserve its historical character and its intangible cultural stock, of which the theaters of all five cinemas are a part. We don’t want them to be cut off from the living reality of our city.”

Letter from POTHA

THE Panhellenic Federation of Listening Shows sent a letter to the Ministers of Culture, Environment, Labor and Education, with which he requests the patronage of the historical cinemas of the center of Athens “Ideal”, “Astor” and “Irida”.

The letter states: “Please immediately schedule a meeting of the relevant Ministries with the collective representations that we co-sign this letter, so that a solution can be found for the movie theaters in the center of Athens. Screening rooms are an integral part of modern culture.

It is the home of the creators, workers and the public of the Seventh Art. We must support contemporary cultural creation as the invaluable asset in the present of this place. Especially these theaters that have been operating for decades support global and domestic independent production.

Modern Culture is a living organism, inspired and created every day, because an entire community of filmmakers contributes their work. That is why we demand here and now a solution to the problem, for which we have sounded the alarm for at least five months and at the same time we have communicated it by every suitable means. Now is the time to stop evasions and work together consistently, in order to find a solution for the continued presence of cinemas in the center of Athens. Solutions exist, as long as there is political will.

We ask for the obvious. Our right to continue to be inspired to express ourselves, create and exhibit our work.

At the same time, we inform you that on Holy Tuesday 11/4 at 12:00 we will hold a protest performance at the Ministry of Culture”.