Olympus opens for advanced bookings

The Olympus Cinema, which is currently undergoing renovations and modernisation, has opened for advanced reservations.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Olympus Cinema was shut down in 2020. It has not yet reopened.

An announced published on Wednesday by the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage stated that those who wished to host events at the cinema will now be able to book the venue in advance. Many people in the film community expressed their concerns about the opening delay since Olympus Cinema is the only venue exclusively dedicated to showing local films.

The venue's practice rooms and main hall will be available for booking starting on January 15, 2023.

The culture ministry's announcement also stated that those who booked the venue for screenings prior to the pandemic will receive preference.

The announcement also included the guidelines for renting the spaces available at the Olympus Cinema. Applications can also be submitted online through the ministry's website.

The National Centre for the Arts (NCA), which oversees the operations at the cinema, had previously stated that the delays in reopening were caused by the unavailability of certain materials required for the refurbishment.

Olympus Cinema is being redeveloped with the assistance from the High Impact Community Development Project agreement between India and the Maldives. With the new developments, movies will be screened on a retractable screen with a 7.1 surround sound using a digital cinema projector. There is also a location reserved especially for musicians in the courtyard of Olympus.