Belgrade Cinema-Lovers Pay Tribute to Torched Kozara

Wreaths on the main entrance of Kozara, Photo by Milena Andjela Misic Atanackovic

After lighting candles and a minute's silence, members of a Belgrade civic group called "Cinemas: The Return of the Written-Offs" and passersbys placed funeral wreaths at the entrance of the torched Kozara cinema.

"We regret to announce that the Kozara cinema is dead after a long and severe illness," the group said in a statement.

The cinema burned down on Friday. Fire crews came to the spot immediately but failed to put out the blaze in time.  

Police have yet to announce the cause of the fire but the NGO blamed what it called systematic neglect on the part of Nikola Djivanovic, owner of the company "Beograd film" and Ivica Todoric, owner of the actual premises.

Photo by Milena Andjela Misic Atanackovic

Djivanovic bought Beograd Film from the state in 2007 for 9.2 million euro, to be paid in six annual installments.

Since then, Kozara, along with another 13 cinemas run by Beograd Film, have not functioned.

Members of Cinemas: Return of the Written-Offs have been staging performances in the city, reminding people of "the killing" of Belgrade's old cinemas and their replacement by multiplex cinemas.