Gentse Filmzalen in het Interbellum (Ghent Theater in the Interbellum Period)

In 1995 the centenary of film is being celebrated. That is why the Museum of Industrial Archeology and Textiles (MIAT) organizes the exhibition "Film theaters in Ghent" from June 25th till December 31st, 1995. The exhibition is a unique evocation of the former Ghent film scene. Especially for this occasion, two Zeiss-Ikon projectors of 1935 have been restored. The former Ghent theaters are equally focused on. In Belgium the very first theaters were opened in Brussels in 1904 and in Antwerp in 1905. In Ghent the Valentino theatre, the later Coliseum, was rebuilt in 1913 and equipped with a purpose-built fireproof projection room. This was the beginning of a whole series of centre and local cinemas in Ghent and the surrounding area. Especially in the interbellum period the theatres were very successful. In the sixties however the cinemas attracted less people. The competition with television was simply too severe. Only recently with the rise of the cinema complexes a new era has started. Original programme leaflets, posters and photos reflect a time of which many have pleasant memories. The exhibition takes up these nostalgic feelings. To be visited till December 31st, 1995 at the Museum of Industrial Archeology and Textiles (Minnemeers, 9000 Ghent); every day from 9.30 am till 5.00 pm (closed on Mondays). Information: 09 223 59 69. No entrance fee.