Azadi Cinema Complex is a cineplex building located at Beheshti Street in Tehran. It is used for movie premieres and various entertainment events.
History The cinema was inaugurated on 23 April 1969 as Shahr-e Farang Cinema. Following the Iranian Revolution, it was renamed Azadi Cinema in 1980. It had two screens.
Located on Beheshti street, in district 6, the building caught fire on numerous occasions in 1976, 1990, and on 18 April 1997, which caused its closure. Zeydabadi-Nejad writes, "Of particular importance among cinema halls was Azadi, one of the most popular in Tehran." It hosted the Imposed War Film Festival in 1983.
Reconstruction The cinema was destroyed by a fire in 1998. The site was left vacant for 8 years.
A new cineplex was opened, in 2008. Azadi Cinema Complex now has five screens, one with 600 seats and others with 200 each.Azadi Cinema official website "Azadi Cinema" accessed 2 January 2011.- The complex is one of the major cineplexes in Tehran, with the one at Mellat Park.
See also A Social History of Iranian Cinema Vols. 1 thru 4 by Hamid Naficy
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