Cinematheque de Tanger

The Cinema Rif opened on the Grand Socco in 1938 and ran as a commercial cinema through the international zone decades and afterwards, in a country that once had hundreds of cinemas and now has a few dozen - the collapse of the Moroccan exhibition circuit from the 1990s closed most of them and many were demolished or converted. The building was taken on by the artist Yto Barrada with a group of film-makers, restored, and reopened in 2006 as the Cinémathèque de Tanger: two screens, a programme of art house, Arab and African cinema, retrospectives, children's screenings and workshops, an archive of Moroccan film material, and a cafe on the square that functions as a meeting place whether or not you see a film. It is a working cultural institution rather than a monument, and it is the reason the building is still there.

What you actually see

• A 1938 cinema still running - one of very few survivors of a collapsed exhibition circuit.
• A 2006 restoration - taken on by an artist and film-makers rather than a developer.
• Art house and African programming - retrospectives, workshops and children's screenings.
• A cafe on the Grand Socco - open through the day whether or not you see a film.

When to go

Spring and autumn; evenings for screenings. An evening.

Honest expectations

Programmes are mostly in French and Arabic, sometimes subtitled. Screening times are limited and the schedule is announced week by week. The cafe is the main daytime function. Seats are not always comfortable.

Nearby

The Grand Socco is outside the door; the medina is downhill.