HAVANA, July 9 (María Elena Rodríguez, Cuba-Verdad) – Residents of Havana are finding they have fewer movie houses operating for shorter hours and showing poorer quality films.

For example, in the 10 de Octubre municipality, the second most populous in the country, there used to be 18 movie theaters, all but one built before 1959. Of those, only 7 are left today. They offer two or three shows a day, generally starting after 4 p.m. They all sport signs out front that read: "Poor air conditioning." Lack of proper care and maintenance killed those off.

The official explanation for the circumscribed schedules is always the same: "There are no spare parts for the old projection equipment due to the embargo." Yet, the embargo doesn’t affect the official film festivals in the island.

"The years go by and the government never even tried to save the theaters that are being demolished today... there is no hope," said one film-goer who won’t give his name.

Versión original en español

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