The Best Little Moviehouse in the World

Anywhere in the world, the Labia Theatre would be a gem. The independent, quirky, fabulous, one-of-a-kind movehouse in Cape Town has to be seen and experienced to realise just how special it is. Recently turned 65 years old, the iconic four-screen cinema in the heart of the city  takes you back to the years when going to the movies was a very special event.

Step right in to a Golden Age, just Cape Town-style. It harks back to the days of Count Natale Labia, when the building apparently went up as a ballroom for the next-door Italian embassy.

Choose the movie you want to see. There’s anything from the latest releases to independent movies you won’t see anywhere else. The Labia began its movie-showing days back in the 1970s, and even though there have been times when it seemed it might shut down, it has survived.

Buy your ticket from one of the most original ticket booths around, from staff that are always the same, whether it’s the ticket lady or the smartly dressed ticket man. (And at R45 a ticket – that’s $3 for you people in America paying $14.50 a person – it’s is a steal.)

Buy anything from a piece of chocolate cake to a beer to a glass of wine to drink or eat outside on the terrace outside or inside the moviehouse itself.

Popcorn and chockies are on sale at an olden-days refreshment stand.

Grab a seat while you’re waiting and take in the old-world ambience.

Come by day, whether you’re a local or a tourist.

Hang out for a coffee – or to just soak up the vibe – if you’re early.

Or come by night…

When the mood is always fantastic. (At that moment you’ll realise how impersonal those big movie complexes have made the movie-going experience.)

Settle in at one of the four theaters – this is the original one of the four.

And let the show begin!

Labia owner Ludi Kraus talks about the oldest independent moviehouse in South Africa:

https://vimeo.com/118714485