20-01-2011

RADEF Renovates, Opens Old Cinemas

By Iulia Blaga

    BUCHAREST: RADEF RomâniaFilm (www.romaniafilm.ro), the communist era manager of Romanian cinemas and current owner of some 30 screens in Romania, has opened its first 3D cine-café in Bucharest. The company plans to open another 20 cine-cafes in 2011, with partner Stages Group SRL.

    Caffe Cinema 3D has 55 seats, 3D equipment and air conditioning at a total investment of 53,000 euro. It is located in the Patria cinema, which RADEF RomâniaFilm controls. A ticket costs 3.5 euro (15RON).

    The old cinemas slowly closed after 1990 as the state failed to renovate or privatize them, and multiplexes entered the market. Just one of the 28 cinemas was renovatef through a partnership between RADEF RomâniaFilm and the local authorities from Cluj-Napoca.

    Republica Cinema, the main venue of Transylvania Film Festival (TIFF) went through a complex renovation and will open on 26 January 2011. It has new seats, digital, 3D and Dolby digital sound, and also a new name - Florin Piersic Cinema, named after the popular Romanian actor born in Cluj-Napoca.

    RADEF RomâniaFilm announced recently that it will renovate another cinema in 2011, in Craiova, and name it after another popular actor, Amza Pellea.