A Corner from the Beautiful Past: An Emirati Turns His Home into a Pilgrimage Site for Classic Film Lovers

- Movies were not just a way to pass the time, but a window to enchanting worlds and a source of unforgettable memories for Emirati Ali Nasser, who has not been selective in his cinematic choices since childhood. This is clearly reflected in the walls of the museum he created in one corner of his home in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, which is covered with a diverse collection of Egyptian, Arab, Indian, and foreign film tapes. (Watch the video above) The "Video Club Museum" that Nasser established was not initially open to the public; it was a private space that brought him together with friends and relatives to watch films and exchange discussions about them. However, the growing interest in his collection later encouraged him to open its doors to visitors, transforming the place into a destination that evokes memories of an entire era of home cinema history.

As for his passion for collecting everything related to movies, Nasser said to Afaq News in Arabic: "This makes you hold your memories in your hands." His collection gains special importance at a time when the experience of watching movies collectively is gradually declining with the spread of digital streaming platforms and the reliance of the majority of people on their personal smart devices.

Nasser said in an interview with Afaq News in Arabic: "Now, you can watch a movie at the push of a button.. just like most people watch movies alone, whether in their private rooms or in the living room."]} ``` 1.

There is a big difference between the experience of watching movies in the past and today. Memories of renting film tapes are not limited to just film tapes; his collection also includes classic movie posters with their distinctive artistic designs, along with collectibles related to the world of cinema and photography, such as old cameras and traditional projectors that were used with film reels.

As visitors delve deeper into the museum, they are surprised by a table carefully designed to resemble the movie rental stores that disappeared with the dawn of the new millennium. Nasser explains how customers would browse a dedicated catalog to choose the number of the film they wanted to rent, before an employee would retrieve it for them from the shelves.