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Posted On: September 16th 2025, 05:24 am
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Hamra’s Colisée Rises Again…
On September 13, the curtain rose once more at Hamra’s iconic Cinema Le Colisée. After decades of closure and neglect, the historic hall has been reborn as the newest branch of the Lebanese National Theater,a cultural movement led by actor and director Kasem Istanbouli, the Tiro Association for Arts, and a devoted network of volunteers. From Tyre to Tripoli and now Beirut, their mission has been to revive Lebanon’s forgotten cinemas and transform them into independent, accessible spaces where art belongs to everyone.
The story of Colisée goes back further than many remember. Originally acquired in 1969 by Mario and Michel Haddad from the Itani brothers, the hall was fitted with an interior designed by famed architect Vlado Tabet. It operated for only a year before an unfortunate electrical accident caused a fire. Once restored, it quickly found its place in Hamra’s vibrant cultural life, standing alongside Cinema Étoile and Edison as a strong competitor to Downtown Beirut’s grand movie palaces. Sadly, with the onset of the civil war, the Haddad family was forced to close its doors and shift their focus to cinemas in East Beirut, a story to be explored in another post.
Step inside today and you’ll feel its history preserved. The rustic velvety seats and heavy curtains remain, carrying echoes of the theatre’s golden days. Yet Colisée has also been reimagined with a workspace, a coffee shop, and a gift shop, making it not just a restored cinema, but a living cultural space for a new generation.
Hamra itself was once Beirut’s cultural epicenter, a place where East met West, where artists, intellectuals, and icons like Fairuz, Adel Emam, Sabah, Dalida, Charles Aznavour and Nizar Qabbani filled its stages and cafés. Though war dimmed its golden glow, Colisée’s rebirth proves that heritage can be reclaimed, not through official policy, but through the conviction that art belongs to everyone, beyond politics, religion, or origin.
Today, Colisée bridges past and present: a memory preserved, and a future reimagined.
#hamrastreet #coliseecinema #theatre #arts #revival #history #heritage #beirut #lebanon #cineempire #oldcinemas
On September 13, the curtain rose once more at Hamra’s iconic Cinema Le Colisée. After decades of closure and neglect, the historic hall has been reborn as the newest branch of the Lebanese National Theater,a cultural movement led by actor and director Kasem Istanbouli, the Tiro Association for Arts, and a devoted network of volunteers. From Tyre to Tripoli and now Beirut, their mission has been to revive Lebanon’s forgotten cinemas and transform them into independent, accessible spaces where art belongs to everyone.
The story of Colisée goes back further than many remember. Originally acquired in 1969 by Mario and Michel Haddad from the Itani brothers, the hall was fitted with an interior designed by famed architect Vlado Tabet. It operated for only a year before an unfortunate electrical accident caused a fire. Once restored, it quickly found its place in Hamra’s vibrant cultural life, standing alongside Cinema Étoile and Edison as a strong competitor to Downtown Beirut’s grand movie palaces. Sadly, with the onset of the civil war, the Haddad family was forced to close its doors and shift their focus to cinemas in East Beirut, a story to be explored in another post.
Step inside today and you’ll feel its history preserved. The rustic velvety seats and heavy curtains remain, carrying echoes of the theatre’s golden days. Yet Colisée has also been reimagined with a workspace, a coffee shop, and a gift shop, making it not just a restored cinema, but a living cultural space for a new generation.
Hamra itself was once Beirut’s cultural epicenter, a place where East met West, where artists, intellectuals, and icons like Fairuz, Adel Emam, Sabah, Dalida, Charles Aznavour and Nizar Qabbani filled its stages and cafés. Though war dimmed its golden glow, Colisée’s rebirth proves that heritage can be reclaimed, not through official policy, but through the conviction that art belongs to everyone, beyond politics, religion, or origin.
Today, Colisée bridges past and present: a memory preserved, and a future reimagined.
#hamrastreet #coliseecinema #theatre #arts #revival #history #heritage #beirut #lebanon #cineempire #oldcinemas
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