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rdaner
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Poor Alex reborn as doc movie house
Feb 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Bruce DeMara
Entertainment Reporter
The second floor of the defunct Poor Alex Theatre is going from cabaret to movie house, with a bill exclusively featuring documentaries that focus on social, political and environmental issues.
Student activist Scott Gilbert – co-creator of the Fair Trade Clothing Co-op, the first such certified store in North America – and girlfriend Bre Walt have just opened the Brunswick Theatre in the century-old building south of Bloor St. W. on Brunswick Ave.
The site was chosen because of the Poor Alex's long history of supporting culture and independent artists. The three-storey building, purchased last year by restaurateur Graziano Marchese, is a "cultural icon" in Toronto, Gilbert said.
The "student-owned and operated worker co-op" will have no difficulty in finding documentary programming for evening screenings in its 100-seat theatre, which will be followed by audience discussion with various speakers, Gilbert said.
"If you go into Blockbuster or Rogers Video, you don't see a big documentary film section. But there are so many out there and people know about them. Major theatres just don't screen them," he added.
Recent offering include No Logo by filmmaker/activist Naomi Klein and the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp, a documentary about an evangelical Christian summer camp directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing.
During the day, the space will be available for community groups.
"We want to make it more like a community centre than just a theatre. We may very well fold after a couple of months if we don't get the support. But we're banking on the community coming out to support us," Gilbert added.
Feb 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Bruce DeMara
Entertainment Reporter
The second floor of the defunct Poor Alex Theatre is going from cabaret to movie house, with a bill exclusively featuring documentaries that focus on social, political and environmental issues.
Student activist Scott Gilbert – co-creator of the Fair Trade Clothing Co-op, the first such certified store in North America – and girlfriend Bre Walt have just opened the Brunswick Theatre in the century-old building south of Bloor St. W. on Brunswick Ave.
The site was chosen because of the Poor Alex's long history of supporting culture and independent artists. The three-storey building, purchased last year by restaurateur Graziano Marchese, is a "cultural icon" in Toronto, Gilbert said.
The "student-owned and operated worker co-op" will have no difficulty in finding documentary programming for evening screenings in its 100-seat theatre, which will be followed by audience discussion with various speakers, Gilbert said.
"If you go into Blockbuster or Rogers Video, you don't see a big documentary film section. But there are so many out there and people know about them. Major theatres just don't screen them," he added.
Recent offering include No Logo by filmmaker/activist Naomi Klein and the Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp, a documentary about an evangelical Christian summer camp directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing.
During the day, the space will be available for community groups.
"We want to make it more like a community centre than just a theatre. We may very well fold after a couple of months if we don't get the support. But we're banking on the community coming out to support us," Gilbert added.