After 10 years of screening local and foreign films, Ex-Centris Cinema owner Daniel Langlois will close down his acclaimed Montreal art house cinema. In a press release issued earlier this month, Langlois announced that his state-of-the-art theatres would start to feature new programming involving dance, theatre, music, and other high-definition projects.
"We absolutely did not see this coming," said Jean-Sebastien Lalumiere, a local independent filmmaker. "This was a big shock to the Montreal cinema community and its filmmakers."
Since opening on St. Laurent Boulevard in 1999, Ex-Centris Cinema has been a Montreal film institution. The three theatres and production labs premier independent Montreal films, as well as Quebec and European films not aired elsewhere.
The cancellation of regular programming will leave both cinema buffs, and filmmakers looking for alternatives. Ex-Centris's screening of major European films-alongside smaller, local ones-gave Montreal filmmakers a trickle-down credibility they will no longer enjoy. Hopeful filmmakers are left without a major, respected venue to screen their projects.
"If your film is shown in Ex-Centris alongside these other big projects, TV networks could notice your work and purchase it," Lalumiere said. "This was very important for local filmmakers because many of them are producing on their own money."
While other art house cinemas such as Cinema du Parc are still open, they don't have the same prestige in the Montreal film community. Ex-Centris was applauded for the relative ease with which it granted screenings, as well as the accommodating atmosphere the complex provided.
"It's very unfortunate for everyone because there is no other place like Ex-Centris Cinema. Filmmakers will be hit the hardest, but distributors that disperse a large amount of foreign and European films will see losses as well," said Michelle Laroche, director of Equinox Theatrical Distributions.
In an interview with La Presse, Langlois said the innovative installations inside the cinema were designed for more than traditional film, mentioning his ambitions of "presenting diverse works." Beginning at the end of the summer, Langlois plans to premier a new range of programming that includes music, theatre, dance, and high-def projections.
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