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 | | Can Azerbaijan Cinema Survive? |
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| By Zena Waters |
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When Azerbaijan Cinema opened over two years ago, everyone was extremely impressed by it's modern facilities and international standards of service, quality and film provision. English films were shown every day, the sound and quality of presentation was equal to, if not surpassing, those of Europe and America. Indeed, for many foreigners it was a home away from home while for locals it provided a taste of things to come on the road to democracy. Its initial success, however, was not to last long and sadly today, the films are dated, few are in English and the service has declined. Consequently, there are evenings when most seats are empty. What happened?
"NEW FILMS FOR OLD"
From the information we have gathered, there may be a number of reasons for this slump in business. Firstly, many, if not most, of the films have already been shown on television so it seems that the cinema is unable to protect its rights. Normally, new films are prohibited from being put onto video for a period of between one and three years, depending on the film. As we all know, pirate videos are widely available in Azerbaijan and there is perhaps little that cinemas can do to prevent this illegal activity. However, one would have thought that something could be done to prohibit television stations from showing new 'cinema' films on TV. Why don't cinemas take action to protect their rights?Secondly, why did the cinema stop showing films in English? Perhaps there aren't enough foreigners to justify showing films in English? But surely the cinema could attract schools and universities to encourage their students to watch films in English by offering student or group reductions? In any case, it might be advisable to show films in English at least once or twice a week.
"ARE YOU BEING SERVED?
"Service is another area that has room for improvement. On one occasion when I attended a film with my family, we were appalled to find that when the lights went on at the end of the film, our drinks and seats were crawling with ants! To our dismay, when we informed a member of staff he merely laughed and said 'It's Baku!' - hardly a suitable response in a business where 'client is king' should be the house motto. On another evening, when the film "Dick" was being shown, the less than half filled hall was treated to a black screen five minutes after the film started, then the film started rolling again but this time, it was in the middle of the film. Again it stopped, presumably to rewind to the beginning but unfortunately, this time it was without sound. It blacked out yet again, then returned, then began at the beginning again and so on... throughout the film! Is it any wonder people choose to rent a pirate video to watch in the comfort of their own homes? After all, it costs only 2000 manat to rent a video compared to 20.000 manat to attend a cinema where there's no guarantee that you'll be able to watch a film all the way through from beginning to end without interruption or sound problems.On the subject of price, this could be another issue. It seems that many film showings at Azerbaijan Cinema are more than half empty which means that even local people are not attending therefore the cinema cannot be making much profit. In view of this, surely it would be better to lower the prices, make special offers, group rates, etc. and pull in the crowds thereby making at least some income. This might also motivate people to stop renting videos and enjoy a night at the cinema instead. Azerbaijan Today has great respect for those investors who open innovative and modern enterprises and we are keen to support and highlight such companies in our magazine. For a business such as Azerbaijan Cinema, we would like to encourage potential cinema-goers to attend what is, without doubt, the best and most modern cinema in Azerbaijan. We had hoped to discuss this matter with the cinema's owner, Mr Ali Hoomani, but, for whatever reason, he failed to show up for the meeting with us so was unable to comment on the current situation of his cinema.
SUGGESTIONS
Without any feedback from Azerbaijan Cinema we can only surmise and make unqualified guesses as to the reasons why this great cinema doesn't seem to attract bums on seats. We would like to offer some suggestions that might encourage people to return.
Protect film rights by taking action against tv stations that show new films on television. Show recent films rather than dated ones.Show films in English at least 2 days a week (perhaps Thursdays and Sundays)Children's matinee films on Saturdays and Sundays (birthday offers)Ban the use of mobile phones - talking on mobiles seems to be a national pastime Provide sweet popcorn and ice-creamReduce prices drasticallyProvide special rates for groups, students, over 60'sMake special offers, particularly in the summer months when cinema is less popular.Train staff to be more polite and helpful.Remove usherettes - they are not needed.
If anyone has any comments, criticism or suggestions they would like to add, please contact us, as we would love to hear from you.
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