Dherynia municipality seeks to establish open air cinema in buffer zone

Dherynia Municipality is hoping to create an open-air cinema within the buffer zone as part of ongoing efforts to encourage young couples to make the community their home.

With two thirds of Dherynia’s land and its 2.5km coastal front under Turkish occupation, the municipality has struggled to boost tourism. Housing, commercial and agricultural opportunities are also curtailed. The need to provide housing as well as opportunities for young couples and to encourage growth have pushed it to apply to use the buffer zone.

Among these efforts is an initiative launched in cooperation with the Italian embassy, Point Centre for Contemporary Art, the United Nations, and the Italian artist Rosa Barba to set up an open-air cinema in the buffer zone.

The proposed projected was awarded the top prize at an international competition as well as a grant from Italy’s ministry for cultural heritage and tourism, the municipality said.

Barba, a prominent visual artist and filmmaker, is known for using the medium of film to create cinematic film installations. She has expressed a keen interest in exploring the wider area of the buffer zone as well as archaeological sites in Cyprus.

Once completed, the open-air cinema will be used for cultural and bicommunal projects.

“Dherynia Municipality will always include the buffer zone in its plans with the hope that developments that have a bicommunal acceptance and pioneer in building peace and solidarity between the two communities will be permitted,” it said on its Facebook page.

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