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This Week |
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| Toronto Film Venues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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77 Wynford Drive, in North York |
New Islamic culture museum with occasional film programming. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, on the southwest corner of Bloor and Spadina. |
Home to the Toronto Jewish Film Society's monthly Sunday screenings and one of the venues comprising the yearly spring Toronto Jewish Film Festival. Over the summer of of 2005, Capri Films programmed first run releases and some specialty series but backed off on continuing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Beach, 1651 Queen E, just past Coxwell, in the Beaches |
Once a promising cross-Canada chain of arthouse theatres, now reduced to a single mini-multiplexes in Toronto's east end. The Beach cinema sports stadium seating and runs almost exclusively commercial fare, with an emphasis on family films that appeal to the denizens of its residential neighbourhood. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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At Dundas and McCaul |
Toronto's premier art gallery occasionally screens related films in its Jackman Hall (former home to Cinematheque Ontario). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the west end of downtown, at 1028 Queen W. |
Tiny venue once nestled in the back of a downtown watering hole screened a mix of specialized experimental/indie programming and new arthouse releases from the Mongrel catalogue but is now connected to the Stephen Bulger Gallery and run as a private rental space with the occasional public presentation. No 35mm capability; films are often shown on projected video. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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129 Spadina, down the alley |
Low-key experimental film venue, nestled behind tall buildings in the downtown core. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Now that it has swallowed Famous Players and a few AMC venues,
Cineplex Odeon is Canada's major cinema chain, specializing in
first-run fare in theatres that largely consist of noisy modern
multiplexes with stadium seating. The stature of the uptown
Canada Square has faded a good deal, but it continues to chug along
nonetheless with crowdpleasing arthouse releases and late-in-the-run
Hollywood product. Higher profile arthouse fare often shows up at
the Varsity and occasionally the downtown Scotiabank first.
In an example of marketing run amuck, the Scotiabank has been so branded
despite the fact that it is neither a bank
nor located in Nova Scotia.
Upcoming :
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On the waterfront, in the big white dome at Ontario Place |
Toronto's original Imax venue is back, screening large-format
versions of Hollywood blockbusters.
Upcoming :
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1150 Queen St. West |
West downtown boutique hotel hosting nightly arts programming, including the occasional indie film event. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1176 Bloor W |
Cult-movie video rental emporium + screening room.
Upcoming :
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in the Beaches at 2236 Queen E. |
Onetime Festival Cinemas house survived the June 2006 collapse of the
repertory chain to begin a new life as an independent second run cinema.
As of October 2007, the reins were transferred to the fellows at
Napoleonic Theatres. Programming is basically second run screenings
of Hollywood hits and high profile indies from the last couple of months'
releases, augmented with an irregularly occurring documentary night
and the odd classic.
Upcoming :
Second Run :
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163 King W, near University |
The Toronto chapter of the German cultural institution programmes German films of past and present at various city venues. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The magic of Bollywood screens at these two suburban cinemas located on either side of Toronto. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1035 Gerrard E, in Leslieville |
Leslieville's hub for indie film and live music.
Upcoming :
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On the waterfront, at Queen's Quay |
Waterfront collection of indoor and outdoor venues hosts a variety of arts programmes, only occasionally film related. Weekend summer festivals often include a film sidebar. In the past, the warm weather has been met with free weekly outdoor screenings, but they don't seem to be happening this year. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the Annex at 506 Bloor W, just east of Bathurst |
Formerly the Bloor Cinema.
Toronto's venerable repertory house was renovated and rebranded by the
Hot Docs festival and then renamed thanks to an influx of cash from Rogers.
Unsurprisingly, the slate is documentary-heavy,
sporting both first runs of new docs and reprertory programming of
reality-based classics. The cinema will also look back to its previous
incarnation with an occasional series of cult flicks.
Upcoming :
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Five locations in the Greater Toronto Area, reviving venues discarded by the major chains with first run films and discount pricing. Previously part of the Rainbow Cinemas chain. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the downtown University Of Toronto campus, on the ground floor of the Innis College building, 2 Sussex Ave (at St. George). |
Medium-sized lecture hall venue, recently renovated, used for many of Toronto's smaller festivals in addition to U Of T events and weekly free screenings put on by the Cinema Studies Student Union. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the downtown U of T campus at 93 Charles St. W (at University), next to Museum subway station |
Soft-seat University Of Toronto lecture hall used by a number of the city's major festivals. No real film programming of its own. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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131 Bloor W, Second Floor |
The gateway through which Japanese culture often passes into Toronto. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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6 Garamond Court, near Don Mills & Eglinton |
Promoting Japanese culture in midtown. Regularly shows
movies in its Kobayahi Hall.
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3030 Bloor W, near Royal York subway station |
Onetime Festival Cinemas house reopened in January 2009, two and
a half years after the collapse of its former parent company.
Programming currently consists of week-long runs of recent
Hollywood fare, arthouse hits and high profile indies.
Upcoming :
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at 400 Roncesvalles, south from Dundas West station |
One-time Festival Cinemas house was saved from certain death by
a community campaign and
(as of Oct 4, 2007) is operating as an independent repertory cinema.
Programming is basically second run screenings of recent fare
spiced up with the occasional repertory title or film event.
The old neighbourhood theatre is on the narrow side with a high screen,
making sitting in the first five or ten rows ill-advised.
Upcoming :
Second Run :
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in Little Italy, at 608 College |
One-time Festival Cinemas venue, saved from clubland/condo takeover
by Theatre D.
Screenings run the gamut from first run releases of scrappy indie titles to
one-off screenings of genre classics.
Upcoming :
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At Avenue and Bloor. |
Toronto's largest museum. Home to the Institute For Contemporary Culture and site for cultural events, some of them film related. Downstairs theatre is a medium-sized venue used by a variety of local festivals and occasionally by the Museum itself. New seats mean that legroom is much improved, but a gentle rake ensures that even tall people have trouble reading subtitles during packed screenings. Occasionally, the rumbling of the subway running underneath the theatre can be heard. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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in the Regent, at 555 Mt. Pleasant (between Davisville and Eglinton) |
Digital post production facility by day, second run cinema by night, occasionally rented for the odd special presentation. The organization is also the new owner of Little Italy's Royal Cinema. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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350 King West, at John |
TIFF's new home base. Featuring five screens of varying size plus
an exhibition area, restaurants and bars.
Upcoming :
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32 Lisgar |
New arts facility in west downtown. Home to the CFMDC. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Downtown, at the corner of Yonge and Dundas |
City square development features outdoor screenings once the warm
weather hits.
Upcoming :
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| Defunct Toronto Film Venues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Interchange, 30 Interchange Way, at Highways 400 and 7 |
The American cinema chain is currently in the process of selling off the few suburban and urban multiplexes it has scattered across the greater Toronto area. The Yonge & Dundas and Winston Churchill locations were sold to Cineplex in July 2012. The Kennedy Commons location appears to have closed some time in August 2012. Was once the only stop for specialized fare in the outer reaches of the city. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1035 Gerrard E, the former Gerrard Theatre |
Leslieville's indie cinema promising art, schlock, indie and foreign fare. Formerly known as The Projection Booth. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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296 Brunswick Ave, in the Annex |
Small 100-seat venue in the former Poor Alex Theatre space, screening socially conscious docs on video. Currently on hiatus. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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209 Augusta |
Small event space located in Kensington Market. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cineplex eventually swallowed up most of this largely Atlantic Canada-based chain, with some of the remaining theatres, such as Mississauga's Square One, sold off to Landmark. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of June 30th 2006, the chain has folded.
The Fox continues to run as an independent repertory/second run cinema.
The Royal has been purchased by the folks at
Theatre D and re-opened in December 2006.
The Revue was saved by a community campaign and re-opened in
the autumn of 2007.
Before June 30th 2006, the chain was comprised of five locations specializing in discount second run fare with some repertory programming and occasional short runs of specialized titles. A $3 membership kept movie prices down to $6 (less for Tuesdays and matinees) for 6 months. The Royal offered a good-sized screen, decent sound and rocking seats. It showcased the most diverse programming in the chain, spicing up the usual second run fare with culty events such as the bi-weekly Kung Fu Fridays presentation. The Paradise was the place where you might have found that arty flick you missed during its brief run at the Carlton (albeit likely screening for only two nights) in a schedule filled with more traditional second run fare, but the theatre's divy environs were not the most inviting. The Kingsway, Revue and Fox presented more mainstream programming. The Kingsway sported the best screen and sound in the chain. The Fox was a close second. The narrow Revue's screen was on the high side, making sitting in the first five or ten rows ill-advised, and the sound was decidedly muddy. Final programme: June 2006 |
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Square One, in Mississauga |
Largely Western Canada-based chain picked up Mississauga's Square One cinema following Cineplex's aquisition of most of the Empire chain, but closed it in October 2014 when the mall offered to buy out the lease. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the National Film Board Of Canada at Richmond and John. |
Once the National Film Board Of Canada's public face in Toronto, hosting weekly screenings in association with local festivals and cultural groups in the medium-sized upstairs theatre while offering instant access to a sizeable portion of the NFB back catalogue downstairs via personal viewing stations. Closed in August 2012 due to government budget cuts. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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677 Bloor St W, in Koreatown |
Toronto's last remaining porn theatre has reportedly closed its doors. (An attempt to give the space an indie makeover courtesy the folks behind The Projection Booth appears to have fizzled.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Five locations in the Greater Toronto Area, reviving venues discarded by the major chains with first run films and discount pricing. Now part of the Imagine Cinemas chain. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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186 Spadina, downstairs, in the long-lost Golden Classics space. Briefly known as the Acacia Centre. |
Upstart rep cinema opened by former Bloor Cinema staffers but recently closed due to issues between the owner of the property and the condominiums above. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shhh, it's a secret. |
Cult films once unearthed (on 16mm film, not video) in a studio space on Niagara Street, now shuttered due to urban development. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Out Of Town | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rochester, NY |
Bringing solid repertory programming and arthouse releases to upstate New York. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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