The Capitol Cinema, predecessor to the multi-screen theaters of the New Capitol Cinemas in the Game City and Riverwalk malls, opened across from the President Hotel, itself built on the eve of independence. On its official opening programme, the cinema boasted of "opulence" and "incomparable luxury"; today the building known as AKD House, accommodates two banks, clothing stores and some government offices. It was the many days spent in the darkened theatre of the Capitol Cinema that fertilised his dream to become a filmmaker, says Moabi Mogorosi, well known as the director of Hot Chilli and The Phakalane Story. Mogorosi says when he was young, he would sometimes walk past the Capitol Cinema, plastered with promotional movie posters, he would tell people that one-day it would be posters for his movies that would beadvertised.
"They always told me 'wena Moabi o rata go lora (Moabi, you like dreaming)," he remembers. "My favourite film of all time is Cinema Paradiso. It's a love story, but also a story about the love of cinema. It resonates well with me because it reminded me of Capitol Cinema, it reminded me of my love for cinema," he told Mmegi.Movie going was a culture back then; The Desai family, who still run New Capitol Cinema, said it has always been a hugely successful business. Mogorosi figures the reason it was so often packed at the cinema, was because only a few households had television sets then. He still remembers how, what is now the entrance to the Ministry of Lands and Housing, used to be the ticket office. He recalls how a queue would meander from there and extend to Kings (now Hungry Lion). The theatre itself had an upstairs and a downstairs floor, as well as a Presidential Box which was for the use of presidents. The upstairs seats cost more than those downstairs, and Mogorosi says only the "rich kids" could afford these seats and buy popcorn and sweets."Some of us were just happy to be inside the theatre," he laughs. The cinema was open every day; it showed one film a day at 8pm during the week and two on weekends, the Desai family says. Weekends were the prime time for children because they did not have to go to school. They watched the popular action movies of the time, more concerned about the flying fists and the star actors than the actual story. They memorised the fights, and when the show ended, they re-enacted the fight scenes.
