Cate Blanchett Sends Message of Support During Symbolic Opening of Beirut’s New Metropolis Cinema Following Months of Air Strikes

variety.com:

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Beirut’s beloved Metropolis Cinema – championed by Lebanese filmmakers as an indie cinema beacon amid bombings, despair and dysfunction – came back to life on Saturday with the inauguration of a new venue in a highly symbolic opening graced by messages of support from Nadine Labaki and Cate Blanchett.

The inauguration came amid Israel’s ceasefire with Hezbollah following months air strikes and artillery attacks. The new Metropolis Cinema location is located in Beirut’s Mar Mikhael district right across from where the tragic Beirut port blast occurred on Aug.

4, 2020 — one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded — in which more than 200 people died. After the previous venue was shuttered four years ago, the new state-of-the-art Metropolis complex –featuring two indoor screens, an outdoor cinema, and a garden area with a café – opened Saturday with a gala cine-concert featuring a montage of of vintage shorts from Arab archives accompanied by live music composed and performed by Lebanese composer Anthony Sahyoun.

Blanchett in her message called the Metropolis Cinema re-opening in a new venue “A remarkable achievement.” “Not only will it be a space where Lebanese cinema can flourish and new voices can emerge, but in these deeply tragic, heartbreaking, and bewildering times, this venue in Mar Mikhael stands as a testament to resilience and cultural revival—bringing stories to life and uniting the community,” she said.