Zawya: The Mini Cinema Taking Us to Old Film Charm
By Sarah Alblowi
Before you head to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster in the nearest franchise of silver screen cinemas, the teeny tiny independent cinemas hold content treasure better than the latest James Bond film.
Discovering the charm of Zawya is one of the best things you can do in Downtown Cairo. Grab your date and caramel popcorn and head for a real once in a lifetime movie experience. You never know what the cinema holds and it’s great to expand your horizons.
Founded in 2014, Zawya started as an art house. The cinema joined forces with Karim cinema to screen movies in multiple halls. Besides showcasing films from all over the world, Zawya targets local films and documentaries to encourage and expose both young Egyptian and Arab filmmakers. There’s so much unique, and never seen before, content unlike most mainstream options offered in big cinemas.
The cinema now holds private exclusive movies, and it’s also worth mentioning that the only theatre in Cairo that plays uncut films! Black and white, foreign, and political movies are all displayed on their curved screens in raw format.
Zawya is famous for its weekly themes and one of its kind events like Oscar Week, playing Academy Award-winning flicks like Lady Gaga’s latest A Star is Born, along with Vice, and Marry Poppins among many others. It’s a great chance to catch a movie you’ve missed or re-watch after the Oscars!
Their events also feature screenings like Boody: The Sumo Pharaoh documentary, and the Panorama of the European Film event. The latter consists of an annual 11-day film event showing the latest award-winning European films. Check out all event here.
Zawya is ambitious about teaching through screens and is working on expanding all over the nation. Their support and effort towards filmmakers doesn’t go unnoticed, and we hope to see more visitors supporting young talents out there. Each ticket counts in helping preserving the place and rewarding the film-makers.
Head over to their website here.
