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Today’s Time Machine takes us back to the 1960s, when theatre and music lovers would queue at the entrance of the newly built Piccadilly Theatre in vibrant, radiant Beirut.

Run by the Mamiche & Itani company, it soon established itself as (much like London’s West End) the stage for the latest musicals, plays, and concerts, accommodating around 700 crimson seats that shimmered under its soft lights.

Designed in 1965 by architect William Sednaoui, the nine-floor building—with its theatre, retail, and office spaces—rapidly rose as one of Hamra’s most glamorous landmarks. Inside, its velvet curtains and refined modernist details set the mood for nights of magic.

On its stage, Fairouz enchanted with her timeless voice, while Sabah lit up the crowd with her golden presence. Cairo’s brightest stars, Souad Hosni and Omar Sharif, brought Egyptian allure, while international icons like Dalida and Julio Iglesias further cemented Beirut’s place on the global cultural map.

Later, Ziad Rahbani would use its stage for his unforgettable plays on Lebanon’s wars and society, weaving satire and truth into unforgettable performances.

But the theatre’s fate mirrored Beirut’s own turmoil. During the civil war, the Piccadilly opened and closed with the tides of conflict—at one point even serving as an office for Yasser Arafat. By the late 1980s, audiences dwindled, and though it flickered back to life in the early 1990s with plays by Marwan Najjar, the curtains soon fell again. In 2000, a fire consumed what remained, extinguishing its brilliance.

Even in recent years, there were whispers of hope. In 2022, efforts were made to restore and revive the Piccadilly, to bring back its stage and spirit—but those plans, like so many dreams in Beirut, fell through.

Today, the Piccadilly lives only in memory and in faded photographs: crimson seats, velvet drapes, and the echo of applause that once gave Beirut its golden nights. Its absence is more than the loss of a theatre—it is a reminder of a city that once believed in the magic of art and culture, and how fragile that magic can be.

#picadillybeirut #theatre #hamrastreet #stories #history #heritage #beirut #lebanon

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@a.sharif92 @busaber29 @hayder_dawood83 @bassameid21 #iraq #baghdad #المتنبي #شارع_الرشيد #البحرين #سمبوسه_جباتي

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In this chapter, we highlight the Saroulla Building in Hamra, an emblem of modernist architecture and cultural revival.

Designed by architect Karol Schayer and completed in 1961, Saroulla rises 12 floors above street level (with 2 below ground), housing offices, commercial storefronts, and a theater.

Among its earliest landmarks was the Saroulla Cinema, founded by the Itani brothers, Mahmoud and Khaled, along with Mahmoud Mamishe. The cinema quickly became one of Hamra’s prime attractions, ranking alongside Étoile, Colisée, Strand, and Ciné Hamra, known for showing international blockbusters. It was here that audiences flocked to see some of the era’s biggest hits, from Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss and Enter the Dragon to Robert Redford’s The Sting and Steve McQueen’s The Getaway,films that defined a generation of moviegoers in Beirut.

Even through the turmoil of the civil war, the cinema operated intermittently until it finally shut down. Its space was later transformed in 2007 into Al Madina Theater, under the stewardship of Nidal Achkar, becoming a center for plays, concerts, and cultural gatherings. A nostalgic exhibition inside now displays vintage posters of old films and theater productions…a visual memory of Hamra’s golden entertainment era.

The building’s revival owes a lot to its owner, Rachid Boueiri, who made choices rooted in social and cultural awareness: he supported the Gilar Bookstore, arranged for a Coffee Shop to pay an older, lower rent, and chose to rent the theater affordably to Nidal Achkar, rejecting more lucrative offers that might have compromised the theater’s cultural role.

Architecturally, Saroulla embodies the clean lines and modernist optimism of 1960s Beirut, a vertical landmark with a lively base that once mirrored the confidence of a city on the rise.

Today, beyond its concrete and glass, it carries the weight of memory, holding within it the echoes of cinemas, theaters, and the vibrant street life that defined Hamra’s golden days.

#saroulla #architecture #hamra #cinemas #heritage #stories #beirut #lebanon #modernistarchitecture

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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

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1981… the world was buzzing with change…
MTV had just launched, Superman II dominated the box office, Bob Marley’s voice fell silent forever, and Olivia Newton-John’s Physical topped the charts. Yet it was also a year of turmoil: Reagan survived an assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II was shot, and Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat was assassinated.

In Lebanon, the civil war raged and Beirut was split in two. Yet in Hamra, when the guns fell silent, life carried on. People still grabbed a bite at Horseshoe, sipped coffee at Wimpy or Modca, and crowded into cinemas. The war didn’t stop “business as usual” for the Lebanese: we are survivors, aren’t we?

That same year, Montréal cinema opened, founded by Chafic Fathallah & Sons with the Sabbah Brothers.

Located in the modernist Montréal Center building, it quickly became the place to catch international blockbusters and the hottest Egyptian imports. Audiences lined up for films starring Nadia Al Jundi, Farid Shawki, and Adel Imam, while Bollywood also shone with hits like Coolie starring Amitabh Bachchan.

Chafic and Abdel Karim Fathallah recalled the golden yet difficult days—struggling to keep the cinema alive under Syrian control and amid militias. For them, it was never just about films; it was about preserving Beirut’s legacy and culture, and keeping the city’s unity alive despite everything.

Abdel Karim also played a leading role in the guild of producers and distributors, appearing in archival photos alongside pioneers like Ibrahim Al Moudallal, Mario Haddad, Khaled Itani, Mohammad Ali Al Sabbah, Hikmat Antypas, Elias Haddad, and Bahjat Khawli. Other figures such as Mohammad Bibi, Sadek Al Sabbah, Joseph Chakra, and Khalil Al Moudallal collectively defined the golden age of Lebanese cinema distribution.

With the rise of mall multiplexes and fierce competition, Montréal closed in 2000. Today, it survives only as an abandoned basement, its once-bright sign fading on Hamra Street.

And so, Montréal lives on in memory—a reflection of Beirut itself: a city that never surrendered its heartbeat, where even in the darkest times, its culture refused to die.

@bassameid21

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Hamra’s Cinematic Golden Age…

In its golden days, Hamra was the place to be…vibrant, buzzing with arts, cafés, thinkers, and of course, movie lovers.

The street was a living artery of culture, and its cinemas offered something for every taste and mood.

From Cine Étoile and Eldorado with their French films, to Marignan, Broadway, Versailles, Picadilly, Orly, and Colisée with international blockbusters, Italian flics, and Spaghetti Westerns—and the iconic Saroulla, Strand, and Cinema Al Hamra with their eclectic showings—it was truly a golden time.

The famous Montreal Cinema lit up the night with Egyptian classics starring legends like Adel Imam, Nadia Al Jundi, Nelly, and Mahmoud Yassine. Further down, Cinema Khayyam brought India to Beirut with dazzling musicals and tear-jerking dramas, where stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor became household names.

These theaters were more than venues. They were portals—to Cairo, Bombay, Paris, Rome, or Hollywood where strangers sat side by side and shared laughter, wonder, and tears.

And we cannot speak of this golden age without honoring the visionaries: The sons of Chafic Fathallah, Adnan Dbouk, Sadek Al Sabbah, Mahmoud Mamish, Hikmat Antipas with the Versailles, The Itani Brothers with Saroulla, Orly, Piccadilly, Strand, and City Palace, The Dabaghi Family with Cinema Hamra, Les Fils de Georges Haddad with Étoile, Eldorado, Edison, and Colisée, The Esseily Family with the Pavillion and later the Concorde, Joseph Vincenti and sons, and distributors Joseph & Michel Chakra and Samy & Samir Khoury.

Though the cinemas have vanished, their glow lingers. They were more than entertainment…they were a heartbeat, a ritual, a dream.

It was a bittersweet feeling for me to capture whatever remains from these places, especially since I never got to experience them in their heyday.

A time, a place, a feeling… never to return, yet forever cherished.

I’ll be revisiting some of these unforgettable movie theatres in upcoming posts…So, watch this space!

Special thanks to my friend Bassam Eid, the keeper of Lebanon’s cinema legacy!

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‎المحبة، الاتحاد، تقبّل الآخر، هنّي المعنى الحقيقي للعيد ...
‎الاصرار على الحياة والإستمرارية بينتصروا رغم كل الظروف الصعبة اللي عايشينا🙏🤍

‎من عائلة #سيدرز_ارت منتمنى يغمركم العيد الجايي بالصحة والنجاح وراحة البال.

#cedarsart #christmas #gathering #peace

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Thank you to each person in this Movie who made the success of "All Roads Lead to Rome "
Thank u @lbcilebanonnews @lbcilebanon
@larazalloum @tamara.choucair @ritabassil
@festival_inter_film_alhoceima
#lebanon #movie #fyp #viral

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Prix special du Jury au Festival international du film d'Alhoceima au Maroc
🏆🏆🏆
جائزة لجنة التحكيم في "المهرجان الدولي للفيلم بالحسيمة في المغرب "
#lebanon #maroc #hoceima #awards #movie #instagram #foryou

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Vancouver READY for day 2🎞️⭐️! Don’t miss a great comedy night, only 1 Screening.
Get your tickets now via the link in our bio🎟️. We have tickets available at the door as well, SEE YOU ALL AT 7 PM

The Lebanese Film Festival is Organized by:
@newdimensionoftheuniverse

Programmed by:
@beirutfilmsociety

In Partnership with:
@utgdigitalmedia

Governmental Support
@cdn.heritage

Cultural Partners
@sfuwoodwards

Media Partner
@skfilmmedia
@sabinekfilm

In collaboration with:
@af.vancouver
@sfubaff

#LebFilmFestVan #lffc2023 #LFFC #cinema #film #festival #culture #afv
#baff #offa #sfu

#FilmMagic #VancouverCinema”

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نحنا راجعين ابتداء من ٢٠ تموز .....
أهلا بهالطلة 😍
@cinemalldbayeh 5 and 8 p.m
@cinemacitybeirutsouks 9 p.m
Empire Spot Choueifat 7.15 p.m
@allroadsleadtoromefilm @cinemalllebanon @cinemalldbayeh #lebanon
#insta #instalebanon #instamovies #instagood #foryou #foryoupage #lebanese #instagramers #chadihaddad #chadihaddadofficial

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Australia Starting April 27...😍😍
🎬🍿 The Lebanese Film Festival is thrilled to announce the release of the much-anticipated comedy film "ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME" in cinemas across Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide on 27 April! 🎉 Get ready to laugh out loud and enjoy a great night out at the movies! 🤣🎥

Tickets will be on sale soon at LFF.org.au , so make sure to mark your calendars and secure your seats for this hilarious film! Don't miss out on the chance to see it on the big screen! 😍👌
SYDNEY
HOYTS Bankstown
HOYTS Wetherill Park
HOYTS Broadway

MELBOURNE
HOYTS Chadstone
HOYTS Broadmeadows

ADELAIDE
HOYTS Norwood
#australia #lebaneseinaustralia
@arttvnetwork @arabmotion @australian.community @cedarsart

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