The essential repairs of the Liberec cinema Varšava will be completed by October

Liberec - The most urgent repairs of the dilapidated building of the oldest stone cinema in Liberec, Varšava, should be completed by autumn. The organization Save the Varšava Cinema officially wants to reopen the cinema at the turn of September and October, but they will still allow audiences to attend several events in the spring. The German cross-border film festival Nisa Film will return to Varšava in May. The Liberec cinema was among the first three venues where the festival started 11 years ago. Festival director Andreas Friedrich told this to journalists today.
    Liberec closed Varšava in 2008, and since 2012, a group of enthusiasts has been trying to restore its operation, having rented it from the town for seven years. The organization initially wanted to renovate Varšava with the help of a European grant. However, at the end of last year, they withdrew from the 20 million crown project, as the funds would not be sufficient for a complete reconstruction. About 40 million would be needed.
    For the essential repairs, the organization has received 1.8 million crowns from the city. "We would need about 2.5 million," said Petr Hubáček on behalf of the organization. According to him, they are also trying to find more sponsors. The funds will be used for repairs of heating, electrical installations, sewage, toilets, and the hall, whose interior has been completely attacked by wood-destroying fungi. According to Hubáček, they have completed preparatory work so far, for example, they removed the seats from the hall and uncovered the original floor from the 1920s. This could also be another attraction for visitors to the Nisa Film Festival. "The view of the raw hall will certainly be an experience. Audiences will be able to watch films from the balcony, where we have 80 seats," Hubáček stated.
    The East European Cinema Festival will take place in May at 15 locations in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In the Czech Republic, it will also be in Hrádek nad Nisou and Rumburk. The program of the 11th edition includes nearly a hundred feature, documentary, and short films, with seven of them being screened in Varšava from May 8 to 10. Among them will be the German film Sommer von Balkon, which takes place on the balcony of a big city. "It will fit with the seating arrangement on the cinema's balcony," Hubáček noted.
    Varšava was closed six years ago, shortly after celebrating its centenary. At that time, the city hall did not have the funds for the reconstruction estimated at 80 million crowns, and additionally, two multiplex cinemas were established in Liberec, which meant the end for all single-screen cinemas in the city. Thanks to the group of enthusiasts, life is gradually returning to Varšava, which was trial-opened last autumn. The building on Frýdlantská Street, just a few dozen meters from the town hall, is gradually expected to transform into a multifunctional cultural center.