Seyed Ali Hosseini, head of cinema affairs in Isfahan province at the Bahman Sabz cultural institute, told Tasnim that the two-screen cinema was targeted on Friday night, January 9, as violent riots erupted in the area.
“This cinema had two halls and was considered one of the good cinemas of Isfahan,” Hosseini said.
“It had recently been renovated; the screening server, projector and seats were all new,” he added.
“The cinema was profitable and had a nostalgic value for the people of Shahin Shahr, and it served purely cultural and commercial purposes,” Hosseini said.
He noted that the cinema had been closed earlier that day due to low attendance caused by roits, despite other cinemas in Isfahan remaining open.
“We closed the cinema at 6 p.m., although other cinemas in Isfahan were open, but attendance was low, so it made more sense to close,” he said.
“During the strike period, unlike many other sectors, we were open,” he added.
Hosseini said the first acts of vandalism occurred earlier on Friday evening.
“On Thursday night, January 8, around 6 p.m., due to the riots, the windows and doors of the cinema were broken,” he said.
“We repaired the damage by the next morning and installed protective barriers to prevent further harm,” he added.
Separately, Hosseini said rioters later returned as disorder intensified, deliberately setting the cinema ablaze.
“On Friday night, with the increase in crowds and riots, they attacked the cinema and unfortunately set the complex on fire,” he said.
“It appears that the rioters left the gas valve open and then threw a Molotov cocktail into the cinema,” Hosseini added.
“The damage was so extensive that not a single seat remained intact, the ceiling and steel beams melted due to the intensity of the fire, and nothing is usable,” he said.
“The cinema has been completely destroyed,” Hosseini said.