ELORA – The Gorge Cinema in Elora has received a grant through the Independent Cinema Relief Fund.
The fund, spearheaded by the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, in collaboration with the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors, provides grants to Canadian independent cinemas struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic.
“I applied for the Hot Docs grant specifically because it was designed and tailored to the needs of an independent cinema,” owner Payton Curtis stated in a June 28 email to the Advertiser.
He noted the Elora cinema is down 96 per cent in revenue this year, “so grants such as these are lifelines.”
Curtis added the cinema has been closed for the entirety of the pandemic, save for one month in the summer of 2020.
While waiting for the cinema to reopen, Curtis has looked at alternative ways of making revenue.
He took photographs of a poster collection dating back to the 60’s and will be auctioning them off.
“The auction is set to go online next week and registration for bidding will be available through our website and social media in the coming days” said Curtis.
The money for the relief fund was fundraised, according to Hot Docs director of development April Hazan, with the goal of raising enough to provide 14 cinemas with $2,000 each.
She explained Hot Docs had a good year financially despite the pandemic, and decided to fundraise for others as “an act of leadership.”
Collection for this effort began March 23, and all throughout the Hot Docs festival running April 29 to May 9.
Organizers ended up raising enough funds to provide 29 independent cinemas with $2,500 each, and an additional $2,500 donation was raised for the Toronto Restaurant Workers Relief Fund.
The Apollo Cinema in Kitchener, The Bookshelf Cinema in Guelph and The Original Princess Cinemas in Waterloo were the only other theatres in the region to receive funding.
