DHAKA: The world’s oldest movie theatre, where the first films of the pioneering Lumiere brothers were screened in 1899, reopens in a sleepy southern French town on Wednesday after an extensive facelift.

Gleaming, velvet seats replace dusty chairs, fresh yellow paint and mosaic tiles adorn the facade while oak floors take the place of old carpets... The Eden Theatre, which closed in 1995, is all set for an inauguratory gala event.

Actresses Juliette Binoche and Nathalie Baye, and film director Roman Polanski, are reportedly among the stars expected to attend Wednesday’s ceremony at the seafront theatre in La Ciotat, a town near the sprawling port city of Marseille.

It was at Eden that the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, screened their first moving pictures to 250 dazzled spectators on March 21, 1899, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 2023 HRS, OCT 08, 2013
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