It s said that people no longer wants to go to the movies Instead of suffering from the Cuban means of transportation, paying for a film that includes the heat at the cinema it is better to stay at home and enjoy the last release from "the package" (in Cuba there is little access to Internet, so most of the apps, movies, documentaries, etc are downloaded by a few and distrubuted and sold on pendrives, hardrives, etc for those who are "offline") or the good proposals that from time to time can offer the national television. Not even teenagers take the advantage of the movies to kiss at the back seats. Movie theaters are dying, not just because their have being forgotten by the audience but by state institutions as well.

The people from Cienfuegos have a special relation with this movie theater since it would project the films for those seated at El Prado (Cienfuegos´ main avenue) But since many years ago the white screen located at the at the entrance of the Pedestrian Street just reflects the sun rays during early in the morning. In 2010 a project was created with the aim of tunring the Prado movie theater into a cultural center. However, several problems have created deep hurdles for such enterprise.

"The works were conceived for nine months and we have been working for more than 4 years. The works have not been given the required priority if we take into account the time in which the investment is considered to the recovere due to the work´s impact on society", said Francisco Nicolás Romero Hernández, main investor (state investor)

"Besides the irregularity in our labor forces makes the finishing even more complex than it really is". Having a strong budget, according to the data given bu Odalys González - the provincial culture director - the work has been just half finished and there are many difficulties with the supplies. "The Ministry of Culture cannot give us the equipments we need that´s why we really appreciate an agreement with other enterprises and ministries which could help us financing this last part. "And in addition, there are some ressources that should be imported", the director said to the press.

According to the original project, the cultural center woul have a lobby with a coffee shop and a spece for exhibiting works related to the cinema history, as well as a small cinema hall at the second floor - so as to preserve its original social purpose - a major hall with a stage for concerts and performances, a bar, tables and a sidebar.

"It would even interesting to screen over the Café Cantante what is exhibited inside the hall so that the persons that could not enter to the cultural center are able to see what happens in the inside. It woul be nice to dream about the possibility of having 3D films, Romero Hernández said. The project, which is very extense and multifunctional, will be one of the greatest investment in a cultural center in Cienfuegos during the last decades an will have a capacity for 1500 persons.

And, there is no doubt that the Prado hall is a great challenge for the minicipal directorates of cinema and culture and other institutions, especially because it seems that this is the "neverending story", and if we take into account that there no real conditions to make it real. Is that these kind of works are not presented with the required details? How is it possible to get the approval for such a huge budget if there is no one to execute it?

The city needs more cultural spaces - not just those from the Ministry of Tourism - to liven ups its urban spaces with more affordable prices to share a night with our couple, families or friends. Irónically, there are just a few places with attractive proposals for the locals. A simple walk to those cultural center is enough to check this out.

People do not go to the movies, not any more, and it is not because they don´t like it. People prefer just to seat at El Malecón (Sea Promenade) or at El Prado (the city´s main street) becuause there sometimes when there is nothing else to do.

(Taken from 5 de Septiembre)

Translated by: Osmany Ortiz González (Azurina)