Tell any taxi driver in Fez's Ville Nouvelle the magic words "Cinema Amal" and he will recognise them immediately and have you speeding towards your destination in the medina.Located at R'Cif, the cinema has been a Fez landmark for decades. It's where the caroussa drivers hang out, and generations of teenagers have gone to meet their friends and revel in Bollywood and Hollywood action flicks. Now, it seems, many of its patrons prefer to watch DVDs, and with patronage declining the owners have decided to sell. It follows the closure about four years ago of the medina's only other cinema near Bab Bou Jeloud.
But history doesn't come cheap. Cinema Amal is on the market for 7 500 000 (about 650 000 euros or US $880 000). However, according to the agent Fez Real Estate (www.fez-realestate.com) there is authorization to construct a hotel of 4 suites and 22 rooms, plus a caretakers apartment.
Or perhaps, as has happened with some old cinemas in Western cities, a wealthy film lover will buy it and convert it to showing more local fare, mixed with the best of what other cultures can offer?
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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