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The Bloor Cinema at Bathurst Street is about to open its doors again after a several-month shutdown for a renovation that will see it return to life as a documentary cinema, one of only a handful in the world. The building first opened its doors in 1913 as the Madison Picture Palace, and has operated as a theatre in various incarnations on the site ever since. Most recently run as a repertory house by the Bordonaro family, in 2011 they found a buyer for the cinema that wanted to continue to run it as a home for movies. The new owners, Toronto-based Blue Ice Group, have since taken on a huge renovation, engaging Hariri Pontarini Architects to update the building while respecting its historic bones, and the project is about to reopen with programming by Robin Smith of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. We will be back for a closer look at the architectural details sometime soon, but following are a smattering of photos and news from the opening.
Above, Partick Cox was project architect for Hariri Pontarini on the Bloor Cinema. He stands to the right (our left!) of Hot Docs Executive Director Chris McDonald and partner-in-charge at Hariri Pontarini Siamak Hariri.
The screen has been increased in size by 30% over the previous one, and moved forward. Seats on the ground floor have been replaced with plush new high-backed recliners with just a little bit of give - which is exactly what you want! The seats feature retractable arms, and spacing between the rows has been increased.
Chris McDonald listens as Neil Tabatznik of the Blue Ice Group talks about all the technical upgrades to the cinema, and there are plenty, including all-new sound and projector systems (it's the latest in high definition digital of course), acoustic panelling to enhance the sound quality within the auditorium, new lighting to improve Q&A sessions, and a new ventilation system to improve the air quality.
A vitrine at the back of the cinema opens the auditorium up to the lobby, and vice versa: when the venue first opened, an aisle ran through here connecting the street with the interior. Curtains will be drawn across the opening when films play.
The lobby will feature a new concession stand (to be installed at the left side of the image) and it has a new accessible washroom. Wheelchair friendly doors will be installed and there are wheelchair seating locations in the auditorium.
The screen is higher now, and can be seen more easily from the mezzanine and balcony. The image above is taken from the back row of the mezzanine, while the image below is from the back row of the balcony.
Seats in the mezzanine and balcony are refurbished versions of what were there before the renovations, and they are a significant improvement. Washrooms on the mezzanine level have been completely updated as well.
A marquee is coming - and we will be back to catch it as the opening occurs in March. There's much to look forward to on screen here soon: first up are two free open-house screenings on Monday, March 12 and Tuesday, March 13 of the 2010 Hot Docs hit Waste Land. It is followed on Wednesday, March 14 by the Grand Opening, featuring a sneak peak of a film that will premiere at this year's Hot Docs (which runs April 26 to May 6). Thursday, March 15, the Bloor will show classic docs for Hot Docs supporters. Public programming starts on Friday, March 16 with Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey and Corman's World: The Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.
Much more of interest is to follow, but there's one film in particular we should trumpet now: UrbanToronto readers will likely be very interested in Eames: The Architect and the Painter. The film, considered the definitive look at the iconic design team, will screen March 27 to 29. There's lots more info at bloorcinema.com.
We will be back to tell you much more about what's coming up at the Bloor and at Hot Docs. Stay tuned!
