KFC Ultra-Modern Cinema Theatre at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology

 

ZanCinema, Zanzibar

This cinema was located on Bwawani Road in the Malindi (Funguni) area of Zanzibar City. It offered a quirky and nostalgic experience, famously featuring authentic vintage airplane seats for a cozy, intimate movie night!! It was nostalgic and uniquely themed. It acted as a fun throwback for classic cinema lovers, though some visitors had noted that the air circulation and odors around the building was occasionally bit musty. Tickets and concessions were highly affordable. The cinema usually screened second-run films and occasionally hosted private group or family screenings.

The cinema opened around 2014 and was permanently closed in 2021 during the pandemic!! So with population of around 800,000 Zanzibar has no cinema today!!

https://wanderlog.com/place/details/10420480/zancinema

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Cinema at Jericho Estate Social Hall, Nairobi 1965

 Kenyans from work pass by Jericho Estate Social Hall Nairobi to check films on the show that week in 1965. Jericho Social Hall also hosted a community cinema. Among the films that were on the show that week as per the posterboards were : Jason and the Argonauts , Tarzan's Three Challenges and the T.A.M.I Show

ref: Odhiambo Levin Opiyo | Facebook

Aerial view: Playhouse Theatre and Theatre Royal (later Cameo Cinema), Nairobi

 

Aerial view of Playhouse Theatre, Nairobi (to the right and south of Jamia Mosque) and Theatre Royal (later Cameo cinema) in the centre, 2 blocks from Avenue Hotel!! This was take probably in the 1950s!!

Map of Cinemas in Nairobi, early 1960s

The Nairobi map below shows 6 cinemas: 

(6) Capitol Cinema on Government Rd (now Moi Ave) 

      (replaced with Ambassadeur Hotel in the early 1960s)

(7) Empire Cinema on Hardinge St (now Kimathi St)

(9) Theatre Royal on Delamere Avenue 

      (now Cameo Cinema on Kenyatta Avenue)

(11) Odeon Cinema on Latema Road

(18) 20th Century Cinema on Queensway Rd (now Mama Ngina St)

(32) The Kenya Cinema on Government Road (now Moi Ave)

Cameo Cinema, Dar-es-salaam

 

1950's view of Regal Theatre & Pandya building (Salim Rd, Mombasa)

This photo has been going around...Now on closer look you can see this is Salim Road (later Digo Road). At the top centre left you can see the dome of the old Pandya building (now replaced with Bima building) and next to it on the right is the white Regal Theatre building with the red roof. That window that you can see on the right is the Regal Restaurant (later Casbah) and the left most window was where the Regal Theatre offices were!! You can also see the steeple of the Church on Nyerere Road. The Shah's Stores Ltd is more or less opposite the current post office!

Majestic Cinema, Zanzibar: a UNESCO heritage site!!

 

The Majestic Cinema was one of Africa's first cinemas when first constructed in 1921, initially named The Royal. This original building was designed by Scottish architect John Sinclair, who was also the British Consul stationed in Zanzibar. His design sampled Moroccan elements in a style referred to as 'Saracenism'. Although somewhat contrived, it is not unlike Stone Town's eclectic heritage, which has Indian and Omani roots as well as local African. In 1938, its name was changed to the Majestic Cinema. A fire in 1953 destroyed the cinema, leading to a reconstruction which can be seen today. This later design, attributed to architect Dayaliji Pitamber Sanchania, follows an Art Deco aesthetic, with its sweeping horizontal lines and vertical fins.

Aside from the cinema's historical and architectural value, it also thrived as a community meeting space.

The Majestic Cinema (Stone Town): Once Zanzibar's premier theater, the historic Majestic Cinema is undergoing a major rehabilitation project. Backed by UNESCO, it is being revitalized into a modern cultural hub and event space rather than a traditional daily movie theater, primarily serving festivals like the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF)

The Construction Management Plan (CMP) developed for the Majestic Cinema, made available to ArchDaily, emphasizes its important communal role. It notes how attending screenings became very popular soon after the establishment of the first cinemas in Zanzibar, partly due to the lack of alternative venues for social gatherings. "Cinemas provided a rare opportunity for people of various ethnic backgrounds, genders, and ages to meet in one space. For the community, going to the cinema meant more than just watching a movie. It had a profound impact on its social and cultural life. Movies provided people with subjects for debates, influenced fashion, played an educational role, and were generally seen as a window to the wider world."

Within the city, the Stone Town Conservation and Heritage Plan marks the Majestic Cinema as Grade II listed. This is defined as having high historical, architectural, or cultural significance, and there are strict restrictions on alterations without approval from the authorities.

The Majestic Cinema remains a government building after cinemas were nationalized during the 1980s economic crisis. In 2024, it was leased to Hifadhi Zanzibar, a heritage management company tasked with restoring and managing the cinema. The strategy of 'preservation through transformation' is intended to convert the cinema building into the Majestic Culture Hub. This retains the original cinema use of the building and its inclusive traditions, but to ensure its sustainability, it will include additional uses such as offices for the project partners and a cafe or restaurant.

The ambitious project received international funding and is planned to be implemented in phases, with completion expected in 2026

https://www.archdaily.com/1033717/from-ruin-to-cultural-hub-the-transformation-of-zanzibars-majestic-cinema

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-and-partners-launch-majestic-cinema-rehabilitation-zanzibar-foster-socio-economic-development

The Majestic Cinema opened its doors on October, 20 1955. The Art Deco building was designed by a local architect Dayalji Pitamber Sachania and commissioned by one of Zanzibar’s cinema entrepreneurs Hassanlai Hameer Hasham after the old cinema went down in flames on February, 8 1954. The previous building, originally called the Royal Cinema, was the first luxurious cinema in East Africa. It was opened by Hassanali Adamjee Jariwalla and designed by J.H. Sinclair, the British Resident and architect of buildings such as the Post Office and the Peace Memorial Museum in Zanzibar.

Majestic the name says it all….

When built the Majestic Cinema had a panoramic projection screen and stereophonic sound system and seating for 750 people ,including a large steep balcony for 200 people .In addition to housing the cinema ,the building also housed at various moments in time; a restaurant, a canteen selling popcorn ,sodas ,past tries and other nibbles, offices of Air Tanzania and a hotel called Pigalle. Today the building in addition to being used as a cinema hall is also used for offices by the state University Of Zanzibar. Ticket offices were originally located both at front and at rear of the cinema ,where there is now an additional building housing a small restaurant and offices.

The majestic Cinema is managed by Abdullhussein Marashi who has been working in the Cinema since 1982 taking over from his father Mr Marashi has been keeping the cinema alive for the past four decades by playing movies for small group of loyal movie fans. He also runs the restaurant at the rare building

https://majestichub.co.tz/majestic-cinema/

Mega Cinemas, Kisumu

 

Mega Cinemas, Kisumu

Mega Cinemas operates 2 screens seating around 275 in each cinema. It is located in the Mega City Shopping Centre.

    

        

Electric Theatre & Cinema, Nakuru

This cinema was previously know as Electric Theatre Cinema!!

The Electric Theatre Cinema belonged to Sir Michael Blundell, and was established in 1928

Eros was bought by a private developer in 1990s and converted into a building that houses small mixed-business offices. Muthaiti Complex was the name given to the building after it exchanged hands.

Kenya Cinema, Nairobi (night view)

 

Cine Afrique, Zanzibar

 

Shavakshaw Talati, born in Zanzibar in 1889, a retired civil servant who was later a prominent businessman on the island, entered the cinema business in the early 1930s. In 1939, he formed a consortium and proceeded to expand both the size and quality of the cinema business, incorporating it as Indo-African Theatres Limited.

As exhibitors, the partners built several new world class theaters, among them, in Dar-es-Salaam the Avalon, and in Zanzibar the Sultana (later renamed the Cine-Afrique). These were soon updated to receive the specialized screen and sound equipment to show the latest Cinemascope and stereophonic sound films. These entrepreneurs were a modernizing force through the decades.

Empire Cinema, Nairobi

 

The Empire Cinema, Nairobi was one of Nairobi's early cinemas. It was established by a Polish Jewish immigrant and was sold to South Africans under New Theatres Limited. It was later bought by African Consolidated Films which also owned other early cinemas like the Playhouse and Capital cinemas before being sold to 20th Century Fox in the late 1950s.

Empire Cinema was located next to New Stanley Hotel and was replaced with the IPS building. Empire Theatre was located on Hardinge Street - now Kimathi Street

The flyer below provides an advert for a shop in the Empire Theatre Building!

Regal Cinema, Mombasa - late 1960s

 

Vedesh Cinema, Thika, Kenya 1970s

 

Kenya National Theatre, Nairobi

 

Capitol Theatre, Nairobi

This cinema was demolished after 1955 and replaced with the Ambassadeur Hotel!! 

Rainbow Cinema, Nairobi

 

The Rainbow Cinema in Nairobi, was located at the Nairobi West Shopping Centre, and appears to be a historic single-screen cinema

The Rainbow Church of Christ purchased the Rainbow Cinema complex in 1990. The theater which has a large stage and screen for overhead projection and films can seat 520 persons and has rooms in both the front and back of the auditorium*

Rainbow Cinema is listed here:

https://www.cinematour.com/theatres/fo/KE/1.html...

*

https://www.ngctc.ac.ke/our-history/...