Ryan Daley outside the soon-to-be-refurbished Dreamland Film Center. (Click to enlarge.)
Every “reel” town has one: Independent movie theaters, sometimes run by film societies, but open to the public most of the time.
The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. The Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis where you can get a Guinness at the Indy Lounge.
Paducah – that’s right, Paducah – has the Maiden Alley Cinema.
In Louisville, they’re all long gone.
The Vogue in St. Matthews is at the center of a cluster of chic boutiques. The Crescent was long ago converted into a Bim Dietrich restaurant and is now incorporated into a upscale boutique/condo development.
The Uptown is a Qdoba restaurant.
Well, thanks to the vision and pasion of the Louisville Fillm society, once again, the space is in place in Louisville.
The Louisville Film Society has leased about 3,000 square feet in what once was the Wayside Mission Chapel at 810 E. Market St. in the NuLu art, retail and restaurant district and dubbed it the Dreamland Film Center.
Society members’ ambition is to create an indy movie theater/cinema culture hub on par with those in other cities, said Ryan Daley, LFS director.
Right now, the Dreamland decor is, well, early homeless shelter chapel shabby chic. Seats are real oak pews from the chapel. Flourescent lights only help to highlight that eveything could use a good scrub.
But the show must go on, and LFS first used the Dreamland for part of the Flyover Film Festival back in June.
Daley said the volunteer-staffed, non-profit hope to raise about $50,000 to renovate the space, taking out walls for a lobby and concession area and installing 35 mm projection equipment donated buy the Speed Art Museum.
“We’d like to do this sooner, rather than later,” said George Parker, Jr., a businessman LFS executive director.
Officials at the four-year-old film society are in Phase I, developing strategies to raise the small amount of money – whether they’ll do a fundraiser, turn to crowd funding sites such as Kickstarter or solicit corporate sponsors, Parker said.
Members hope to raise the money by the end of the year, then start renovations in early 2012, he said.
In Phase 2 construction, the most difficult and expensive part of creating a user-friendly theater complex will be the purchase and installation of concessions equipment so members and the public purchase get beer, softdrinks and snacks.
With volunteer and donated labor, Parker said, he believes the renovation will take about two weeks.
Parker and Daley promise the final Dreamland will be more than a cinema – it will be the center of Louisville’s film culture with a meeting space, cinema library, screening room and a stage for Q&As with emerging and established artists.
Daley said the goal is create a base of operation for film connoisseurs and independent film makers as well as for the general public who want to come to debuts and retrospectives.
“We’d love to be the place” for thematic movie series and retrospectives, he said.
But unlike a commercial theater with the plush seating and Dolby sound system, Dreamland only has to be slick enough to be make it possible to focus on the real obcession – the actual medium of film, Daley said.
“They want to sell as many tickets as possible. We’re not as interested in selling tickets. We’re interested in having a center for the film community,” he said.
At this point, Parker said, the LFS is inviting non-members to come on down for the regular screenings.
“Come down, see the site and let us tell you about our vision,” he said.
“Then, become a member!”
Terry Boyd
Louisville Film Society members want renovated Dreamland Film Center to be ‘the place’ for movie lovers, filmmakers
Ryan Daley outside the soon-to-be-refurbished Dreamland Film Center. (Click to enlarge.)
Every “reel” town has one: Independent movie theaters, sometimes run by film societies, but open to the public most of the time.
The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. The Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis where you can get a Guinness at the Indy Lounge.
Paducah – that’s right, Paducah – has the Maiden Alley Cinema.
In Louisville, they’re all long gone.
The Vogue in St. Matthews is at the center of a cluster of chic boutiques. The Crescent was long ago converted into a Bim Dietrich restaurant and is now incorporated into a upscale boutique/condo development.
The Uptown is a Qdoba restaurant.
Well, thanks to the vision and pasion of the Louisville Fillm society, once again, the space is in place in Louisville.
The Louisville Film Society has leased about 3,000 square feet in what once was the Wayside Mission Chapel at 810 E. Market St. in the NuLu art, retail and restaurant district and dubbed it the Dreamland Film Center.
Society members’ ambition is to create an indy movie theater/cinema culture hub on par with those in other cities, said Ryan Daley, LFS director.
Right now, the Dreamland decor is, well, early homeless shelter chapel shabby chic. Seats are real oak pews from the chapel. Flourescent lights only help to highlight that eveything could use a good scrub.
But the show must go on, and LFS first used the Dreamland for part of the Flyover Film Festival back in June.
Daley said the volunteer-staffed, non-profit hope to raise about $50,000 to renovate the space, taking out walls for a lobby and concession area and installing 35 mm projection equipment donated buy the Speed Art Museum.
“We’d like to do this sooner, rather than later,” said George Parker, Jr., a businessman LFS executive director.
Officials at the four-year-old film society are in Phase I, developing strategies to raise the small amount of money – whether they’ll do a fundraiser, turn to crowd funding sites such as Kickstarter or solicit corporate sponsors, Parker said.
Members hope to raise the money by the end of the year, then start renovations in early 2012, he said.
In Phase 2 construction, the most difficult and expensive part of creating a user-friendly theater complex will be the purchase and installation of concessions equipment so members and the public purchase get beer, softdrinks and snacks.
With volunteer and donated labor, Parker said, he believes the renovation will take about two weeks.
Parker and Daley promise the final Dreamland will be more than a cinema – it will be the center of Louisville’s film culture with a meeting space, cinema library, screening room and a stage for Q&As with emerging and established artists.
Daley said the goal is create a base of operation for film connoisseurs and independent film makers as well as for the general public who want to come to debuts and retrospectives.
“We’d love to be the place” for thematic movie series and retrospectives, he said.
But unlike a commercial theater with the plush seating and Dolby sound system, Dreamland only has to be slick enough to be make it possible to focus on the real obcession – the actual medium of film, Daley said.
“They want to sell as many tickets as possible. We’re not as interested in selling tickets. We’re interested in having a center for the film community,” he said.
At this point, Parker said, the LFS is inviting non-members to come on down for the regular screenings.
“Come down, see the site and let us tell you about our vision,” he said.
“Then, become a member!”