Montreal's already wan film scene was dealt another blow, when it was announced earlier this week that the ten-year old art house Ex-Centris would be closing its doors to films as of March 20th. The space will now be used for theater and "new media presentations" (yeah, I'm not sure what that means either).
In the article, current Cinema Du Parc owner Roland Smith (who re-opened the cinema in the fall of 2006) crows that the Ex-Centris building is a "white elephant" and that the current success that he is experiencing proves that there is an audience for independent non-Hollywood cinema in Montreal. Really? It makes me wonder if Smith has taken a look at his own programming schedule lately which is about as Hollywood as it gets. Or if he has bothered to see the rather dour, broken down setting Cinema Du Parc currently resides in. The AMC 22 downtown offers a far more diverse range of foreign and independent films than Cinema Du Parc does and with much better projection, seating and atmosphere. There is no doubt in my mind that Cinema Du Parc's days are numbered as well.
However, Montreal cinephiles cannot rest their film choices on a single theater. What Montreal now needs is a solid repertory theater that mixes cult, foreign, independent and classic films, offers midnight screenings and is a true second option to what is now, a very homogenized Montreal film scene. Sure, there is still Cinematheque Quebecoise, however, unless you research the screenings on their abysmal website you're not going to know what's playing. They do such a poor job of promoting themselves, it's almost like they don't want people to come.
It's mind boggling that in a city that is so rich in festivals and cultural events of every kind, that we are still struggling to develop a strong cinematic community. Outside of the always excellent Fantasia Film Festival, the Montreal's film festivals are a joke compared to Vancouver and Toronto. With so many films being made in the city, there is no excuse why Montreal can't become a viable, important and exciting player in the North American film market. What we need are some generous investors to finance a solid single or two screen repertory house, and use it as a launching pad to redevelop and redefine the Montreal cinema scene.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Every city needs an alternative to Hollywood productions. In Ottawa we have the Bytowne Cinema which screens non-Hollywood films - foreign and independent. Many of these are excellent movies and a refreshing change from the usual uninspired, and uninspiring, Hollywood products.
Post a Comment