'Overwhelming response' to saving local cinema

A movement to save the cinema in the Rainbow Centre Mall has drawn an “overwhelming response,” according to a local filmmaker who has helped to set up a group dedicated to the issue.

Beth Mairs, known for her films "Does This Canoe Make Me Look Fat?" and the about-to-be-released "Awaiting Atwood", said about 50 people attended a meeting on the subject last week.

She said there was representation from a number of Rainbow Cinemas stakeholders, including downtown Sudbury, the Rainbow Centre Mall, Cinefest, Music and Film and Motion, filmmakers and frequent users of the cinema.

The facility, which regularly shows alternative films, is set to close Aug. 29, although the cinema will still be rented out for parties and meetings until its lease with the Rainbow Centre Mall expires in late 2014.

The cinema's owner, Tom Hutchinson, told Northern Life in July audience numbers are dwindling, and it would cost too much to equip the cinema with digital projectors.

Mairs said although she understands movie theatres are moving to a digital format, two of Rainbow Cinemas' screens are already set up to use Blu-Ray discs, and this is a good alternative to digital.

She said her thought in organizing the meeting was to get like-minded people together to put on small film festivals and alternative movie screenings to give the cinema lots of business until its lease expires next year.

“Other members were seeing even before we met that maybe we can take over the cinemas and create a new entity,” she said.

“Maybe that would be a non-profit, maybe that would be a co-op, maybe that would be an entrepreneurial endeavour ...

“Almost everyone who came to the meeting last week was seeing it in a longer term - let's keep this, this is a treasure, it is important that we have access to different kinds of films than the Hollywood blockbuster.”

As a result of last week's meeting, a smaller steering group has been created, and it will be gathering for the first time today. Mairs said they intend to hold other public meetings in the future, once they've made some progress.

Anyone interested in learning more about saving the cinema is asked to join the group's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/409966479121486/?notif_t=group_r2j_approved.