It was a cinematic night. It was a magical night. It was a Cinemagical night...
Located above an electronics store on SAM Street in Salmiya, the Cinemagic roof-top screen - which is reached through a discreet, cramped elevator squeezed between a stairwell and small kiosk/ bakala, from which an external, somewhat precariously cantilevering, steel gangplank is transcended before one enters the main elevated space - certainly provides a delightful sight for any (culturally deprived) sore eyes. Beyond the fact that the set-up is superb, with surprisingly comfortable seating, free drinks and popcorn, a great screen and sound system, the choice of, somewhat subversive, unadulterated and unaltered movies are what provide the most inspiring and stimulating justification for a visit (and the follow up re-visits)... This was my first sojourn to the outside screen (I had the privilege to be invited by friends to Cinemagic's luxurious screening-room the week before) and it turned out to be a true revelation. Having arrived with no preconceptions, the experience of watching a Swedish vampire movie (Let the Right One In) turned out, even for someone who's first choice usually doesn't involve horror flicks, to be a sublime experience (and I didn't even need to bother with the subtitles)...
This is what Kuwait has been deprived of, what it craves, what it needs more of... What is the contemporary rendition of Kuwaiti experimental music, dance, opera, fashion, photography, art, architecture, design..?! What are the cultural elements that will be defining the identity of tomorrow's Kuwait..? Allowing oneself to be exposed to such ideas, arts and thoughts from elsewhere are, surprisingly enough, amongst the most effective ways to come to grips with ones own role and character, ones own uniqueness... Having the opportunity to experience the variety and richness of different types of notions and thought patterns which digress from the social and cultural patterns one is used to, is amongst the most catalytic means for advancing the related disciplines at home.
What Cinemagic offers needs to be given a celebratory whisper and covert pat on the back, as what it provides is currently peerless, but also fragile and something that might easily be shattered. Let's quietly scream its praises until, hopefully in the not too distant future, what it has come to represent can be shouted about off the roof-tops of Salmiya and elsewhere...
An adjacent building under construction...
Located above an electronics store on SAM Street in Salmiya, the Cinemagic roof-top screen - which is reached through a discreet, cramped elevator squeezed between a stairwell and small kiosk/ bakala, from which an external, somewhat precariously cantilevering, steel gangplank is transcended before one enters the main elevated space - certainly provides a delightful sight for any (culturally deprived) sore eyes. Beyond the fact that the set-up is superb, with surprisingly comfortable seating, free drinks and popcorn, a great screen and sound system, the choice of, somewhat subversive, unadulterated and unaltered movies are what provide the most inspiring and stimulating justification for a visit (and the follow up re-visits)... This was my first sojourn to the outside screen (I had the privilege to be invited by friends to Cinemagic's luxurious screening-room the week before) and it turned out to be a true revelation. Having arrived with no preconceptions, the experience of watching a Swedish vampire movie (Let the Right One In) turned out, even for someone who's first choice usually doesn't involve horror flicks, to be a sublime experience (and I didn't even need to bother with the subtitles)...
This is what Kuwait has been deprived of, what it craves, what it needs more of... What is the contemporary rendition of Kuwaiti experimental music, dance, opera, fashion, photography, art, architecture, design..?! What are the cultural elements that will be defining the identity of tomorrow's Kuwait..? Allowing oneself to be exposed to such ideas, arts and thoughts from elsewhere are, surprisingly enough, amongst the most effective ways to come to grips with ones own role and character, ones own uniqueness... Having the opportunity to experience the variety and richness of different types of notions and thought patterns which digress from the social and cultural patterns one is used to, is amongst the most catalytic means for advancing the related disciplines at home.
What Cinemagic offers needs to be given a celebratory whisper and covert pat on the back, as what it provides is currently peerless, but also fragile and something that might easily be shattered. Let's quietly scream its praises until, hopefully in the not too distant future, what it has come to represent can be shouted about off the roof-tops of Salmiya and elsewhere...
An adjacent building under construction... 
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