Jakarta’s lost and losing theaters

posted by irishcine on August 31, 2009 at 3:40 pm

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — A story of the decline and fall of independent movie theatres in Jakarta.

“There was a time when this place was packed everyday,” Akiat, a weathered man in his fifties said, as he looked over the dimly lit waiting room of the Prima Theater, spared from complete desolation by several couples sitting on battered chairs.

As the sun sank, its afternoon rays shone through the wide windows to reveal the loneliness of the theater, located on the third floor of the Slipi traditional market in West Jakarta.

Nothing is left in the theater, save for a few empty chairs and dusty panelling, but several reminders of the theater’s glory days remain intact.

Read the full story in the Jakarta Post.