Monday, June 18, 2007

What if they gave a viewing, and

...nobody came to see it? That what Spanish theater owners think will happen:

MADRID - Most of the cinemas in Spain - around 4,000 - were expected to close Monday in protest at a proposed law requiring exhibitors to offer at least one Spanish or European film for every four shown.

The strike, being staged by the Federation of Spanish Cinemas, was expected to close ninety per cent of theaters resulting in the loss of millions of euros.

Rafael Alvero, head of the federation, told the national daily El Pais that the proposed law would force theaters to run films that are ''of very little interest to the public.'' The Culture Ministry said the law is necessary to protect the Spanish film industry.

The Cinema Law, now going through Parliament, unfairly penalizes cinemas for a waning interest in Spanish cinema and would cause theatres to lose millions of euros annually, Alvero said.

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