Government Orders Immediate Closure of Private Cinemas

Government Orders Immediate Closure of Private Cinemas / Cubanet
Posted on November 2, 2013

The Cuban government on Saturday ordered the immediate closure of small
private cinemas, which for months have been operating in private homes,
because "they were never authorized," in a note published in the local
press.

The directive is signed by the Council of Ministers chaired by Raul
Castro, and refers to the situation of self-employment (private),
promoted by his Government among the reforms to "update" the economic
model of the island.

"The film exhibition (including 3D rooms) and computer games, will
immediately cease any self-employment activity," said the note, which
appeared simultaneously in Granma and Juventud Rebelde, the two national
newspapers.

These activities "have never been authorized and are being developed as
a single service and sometimes associated with other offerings, such as
those related to food services," it added.

Dozens of rooms opened in Havana and other cities in recent months,
improvised in houses or locations, with the peculiarity that many films
were projected in three dimensions (3D, a technology absent from the
state rooms)

The newspaper Juventud Rebelde even dedicated an extensive article on
Sunday to these rooms without criticism and noting that some state rooms
are planning to use 3D technology.

The audience, usually children, pay between one and four dollars per
function, a price which in many cases includes a snack.

The technology used in these small rooms is not for sale on the island,
and is usually sent by relatives and friends from abroad, with a value
estimated at $3,000.

The text makes reference to another previous provision, which prohibited
the activity of selling clothes imported through non-commercial means
and articles bought on the commercial network, using licenses meant for
other kinds of work.

It noted that in these last two cases, are granted "as an exception" a
deadline of January 31 to liquidate their inventories.

"These measures are necessary corrections to continue bringing order to
this kind of management, to combat impunity, enforce the law and protect
self-employed workers, the vast majority of whom meet established
regulations," said the note.

Private workers in Cuba increased from 157,000 in 2010 to 442,000 today,
according to official figures.

From Cubanet

2 November 2013

Source: "Government Orders Immediate Closure of Private Cinemas /
Cubanet | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/government-orders-immediate-closure-of-private-cinemas-cubanet/