Going to the cinema abroad

In every Tanzanian province there are no cinemas. A photojournalist for the Festival News managed to find one in the highland town of Iringa and saw a Bollywood production called Shaktiman. The cinema ticket cost less than half a Euro.

Besides the Finns, there were only two other persons in the audience, and they were watching the Finns at least as closely as they watched the film.

The Czech Republic is one of Europe's best film countries and the audience there takes going to the cinema seriously. That is, it is not appropriate to drink or munch anything during the film.

I once made the mistake of buying a chocolate bar to an evening screening of the film Navrat Idiota. The rustling aluminium foil caused irritation and wriggling in Czechs. The social pressure made me put the chocolate bar quietly back into my rucksack.

Although eating candies is totally out of the question, fear not: beer is sold in the lobby, and everyone has a pint or two!

In Germany the beer pint is also an absolute must if you wish to blend in with the locals, who seem to have a liking for malt drinks.

First come, first served in France and Italy

In a French film theatre the seats are not numbered. If you plan to arrive at the theatre just on time for the beginning of the film, which is 10-25 minutes later than the time that is actually said in the advertisement for the film, you may find yourself tumbling in a dark theatre. When you finally manage to find an empty seat and sit down, ready to enjoy the film and your popcorn, you have a surprise waiting - a sweet surprise, so to speak. The popcorn has sweet coating. If you want your popcorn with salt, you have to specifically ask for it.

In Italy the seats are usually not marked either, which causes general chaos and disorder every time when people enter the cinema. People rush into the theatre already when the people from the previous screening are coming out. It is naturally not forbidden to use your elbows when trying to get a seat.

Additionally, an enjoyable Italian film experience is interrupted with a break, which is usually in the middle of the film, despite the film's story line. Who cares if the break is in the middle of a scene - the break is absolutely necessary.

The best things about going to the cinema in Romania's capital city Bucharest are the big theatres, where the seats are covered with corduroy. There is a feeling of great collective film experience, when the audience are taking their seats.

Nepalese cellar - cinema on the top of the world

The cinema in the village of Manang in Middle Nepal, at an altitude of 3600 metres, is located in such a high place that it feels like it is on top of the world.

The theatre is situated in the cellar of a private house and it has dirt floor and it is furnished with a few wooden benches and yak skins. There were also a TV and a video recorder, which got their energy from a generator behind the house.

A film experience in Thailand always begins with paying homage to the royal family.

When the national anthem is played in the theatre, the audience, foreigners included, stand up to watch the king flaunting on the big screen. This is not done in order to test the audio system, but the anthem is played only to remind the audience of the fact that the respected royal family's mercy is behind this enjoyable experience.