The cinema, which was constructed in 1962 by the Sacré Coeur parish, shaped generations of film-goers until Images Animées closed its doors in 2016.

“I'm really happy that our fight to keep the building and to make something out of it has had some progress,” filmmaker Ady El Assal, who co-founded campaign group “Sauvons le Ciné Ariston” (Let’s Save Ariston Cinema) told Delano on Thursday. He added: “When I was a teenager, Ciné Ariston was where I watched my first films.”

El Assal, along with photographer Paolo Lobo, launched a petition and met with officials from the culture ministry. “No-one was really interested.”

According to RTL, the space is currently being renovated at a cost of €14m, to create a stage space dedicated to the youth and children’s activities of the Théâtre Esch. Works are expected to be completed in 18 months when it will be shown off as a jewel in the cultural crown when the country’s second largest city is European Capital of Culture.