Plans For Downtown Independent Cinema Progressing Slowly

By Angela Gemmill

Despite not having all the funding for its downtown theatre, the Sudbury Indie Cinema Co-op is moving ahead with programming.

There have been several delays in the effort to create a single-screen cinema on Mackenzie Street.

Project Manager, Beth Mairs says while they wait to hear about government funding they’ll hold several film series events at other locations.

The Greater Sudbury Development Corporation hopped on board with $55,000 in funding, once the feasibility study determined there was a need for more movie screens in the city.

535-thousand dollars is needed to open the site…they currently have $113,000.

President of the Co-op, Derek Young, says they should know about provincial funding next month, but federal money may take awhile longer.

FedNor is not allowed to make any funding announcements during an election campaign.

Mairs hopes they’ll know of their proposal to the government agency was approved hopefully by November.

In the meantime, film programming will go ahead at other venues.

One way they hope to raise money is through an Adopt-a-Seat campaign.

Naming rights for each of the 180 seats is available for $350…to help raise $63,000.

Mairs could not give a timeline for when the theatre might be open since it’s already been delayed from the original plan.

It is proposed for a gymnasium of an old school on MacKenzie Street downtown.