A family friendly cinema hall has recently opened in Kabul, Afghanistan where women, usually confined to the home, can spend time in public with their family members.

Kabul’s movie halls are popular with squawky male audiences who clap and whistle at screens wreathed in clouds of hashish and cigarette smoke and therefore it is not usual for women or children to go to the movies. But things are changing now. When the Galaxy was built last year it became the first cinema in Kabul to ban single men for certain hours when families are inside, sheltering women and children from harassment, smoke, and unsuitable behaviour. When the families are inside the hall nobody else is allowed to get inside, the families feel secure.

The queue at the Galaxy is an echo of a time before the Taliban’s dark era, when Afghan men, women and children openly attended films, theatre and concerts. Young couples wait for tickets, enjoying the novelty and boldness of being in public together – though many are still cautious, shying away from being interviewed.

Its higher prices – US$6 for a ticket, six times the cost of other cinemas in Kabul – also puts it beyond the reach of many in the capital, where unemployment is rampant, adding to the sense of security for those who can afford it.