By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL 1ST YEAR WHILE MARKING THE VENUE’S 100TH YEAR AS A CINEMA
Toronto, March 7, 2013 – The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema is thrilled to celebrate two key milestones during 2013, its successful first year of operation as a theatre, and the venue’s hundredth year as a cinema. The building officially opened as the Madison Theatre on December 23, 1913 and had various names over the years. It had its grand reopening as the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema on March 16, 2012, becoming one of the world’s only documentary cinemas.
“We have been on a very steep and enormously satisfying learning curve over the past year,” says Chris McDonald, Executive Director of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. “The great news is that we have more than doubled our attendance projections and been astounded by the depth and breadth of high-impact and beautifully crafted documentaries. It has been a thrill to share these great films with Toronto’s remarkable audiences.”
During the past year the cinema celebrated a myriad of successes. Since it opened its doors last March the theatre has welcomed audiences of more than 155,000 and 5,400 members. It screened 210 films (including 76 first-run films) from March 2012 through March 2013. Many successful films premiered at the theatre during its inaugural year including MARLEY, DETROPIA, THE WORLD BEFORE HER, SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN and COAST MODERN.
The theatre was delighted to host some of Toronto’s largest film festivals, including the 2012 Hot Docs Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Toronto After Dark Film Festival and CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival. It has also become very active in the community, participating in Annex neighbourhood events.
Throughout its first year the cinema filled the house for a series of special events, which included a New Year’s party and free broadcast of the 85th Academy Awards®. It also became one of Toronto’s only cinema’s with a liquor license, allowing guests to enjoy beverages at their seat during screenings.
The cinema has exciting plans for its second year, including hosting community events to celebrate the venue’s hundred-year history, screening a retrospective of Festival films in recognition of Hot Docs’ 20th Anniversary, bringing in special guests throughout the year and broadening its reach with festival partners and audiences across the city.
Toronto-based film company Blue Ice Group purchased the independent repertory cinema in June of 2011 and Hariri Pontarini Architects enhanced the building’s interior and exterior during its extensive renovation process. To view the cinema’s history visit the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema website. For information about the partnership between Hot Docs and Blue Ice visit the Hot Docs website.
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The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (www.bloorcinema.com) is an historic, century-old cinema located in Toronto’s vibrant Annex neighbourhood. Operated and programmed by Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the 710-seat venue is a year-round home for first-run Canadian and international documentaries, as well as special documentary presentations and showcases, including the popular Doc Soup screening series. Continuing its longstanding role as a community cinema, it also hosts many of the city’s independent film festivals and offers audiences some repertory and specialized fiction film programming. The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema is a joint Blue Ice Group-Hot Docs project.