Capitals

The controversy surrounding the closure of Athens' historic Ideal and Astor cinemas has reignited a larger debate on the often-miserable state of the city center, and particularly the area between Omonia and Syntagma squares.

Acclaimed Greek film director Yorgos Lanthimos added his voice to those calling for the rescue of three historic cinemas in central Athens which are at immediate risk of closure.

Fresh tension erupted outside the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) on central Patission Street on Thursday, as a group of approximately 35 individuals emerged from the premises and created makeshift barricades using trash bins that were set on fire, according to reports.

The police reportedly responded by using tear gas. 

Athens has suffered a lot as a city. However, it still maintains in its historic center some pockets of urban culture, such as the old cinemas, which should not fall into disrepair.

They should not be left to chance and the burden of economic circumstances but should be treated as preserved elements of culture that deserve to survive.

A press conference was held by Greek cinema associations at a packed Astor movie theater in downtown Athens on Tuesday, calling for the rescue of the Ideal, Astor and Irida cinemas, which are at immediate risk of closure. In a pre-recorded message, Greek-French director Costa-Gavras urged Culture Minister Lina Mendoni to intervene.

Bus drivers in the northern port city of Thessaloniki will be walking off the job for five hours on Thursday, in action similar to their Athens colleagues.

Buses and trolleys in Athens on Tuesday will not run from shift's start until 9 a.m. and from 9 p.m. until shift's end, as announced by the Athens Urban Transport Organization's (OASA) workers' union.

The union said their mobilization concerns the need for upgrades in the company's bus fleet, which they say are long overdue. [AMNA]

A neoclassical residence in the Exarchia district of Athens was targeted by vandals over the weekend. 

The 1874 building on Benaki Street, which had recently undergone renovations and was now available for short-term rent, was targeted by unknown suspects who splashed green and black paint on its facade. 

The historic Ideal cinema is to get a new lease on life as its operation will be entrusted to an internationally renowned company active in the field of entertainment, according to Greek hospitality business Mitsis Hotels, which has been granted the building that houses it.

The world of sports has often provided us with beautiful fairytale-like biographical accounts. And some of these incredible journeys started in Greece, as though following in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen, who traveled to the country in 1841 and wrote about the impressions its colors and landscapes had made on him.