ELORA – From the rise of video stores, multiplex theatres and streaming, the Gorge Cinema in Elora has been an unlikely survivor of many challenges that have claimed other independent cinemas worldwide.
Open since 1974, the iconic movie theatre could be fading to black as its lease is set to expire in 2023 and and won't be renewed.
A global pandemic has made finding a new venue even more difficult.
Husband and wife team Payton Curtis and Julianna Cox took ownership in 2017.
Curtis said small independent cinemas have taken a big hit during the pandemic for obvious reasons.
Some operators luckily own the buildings their cinemas are in but Curtis said the Gorge Cinema is not one of them.
“Unfortunately for us, we’re at the mercy of landlords who are in fact developers and really the cinema is not part of their development plans,” Curtis said.
“We were already facing eviction and planning our next move to save the cinema. Then COVID just kicked us in the teeth.”
Although Curtis said he doesn’t agree with removing the historic cinema, he understands that it’s the owner’s prerogative to proceed how they see fit with the building.
“We know we got three years left,” Curtis said. “Let’s stop crying about it, move on and find a new home.”
He said they were making progress on saving the cinema with a plan to turn it into a non-profit as an extension of the Elora Centre for the Arts.
Pitching this to the arts centre was going well with talks of a possible new build onto their existing site which is an old decommissioned school with lots of land.
“Then COVID happened and everybody paused,” Curtis said. “Any progress that we made to transition to a non-profit and move it over there came to a grinding halt.”
Curtis said the cinema is essentially in survival mode, with only 25 maximum patrons to the 130 seat theatre.
The work has essentially become volunteer work for Curtis as he explained he’s just trying to raise enough to pay for rent and other bills.
Both animators, Curtis and Cox have returned back to part-time and full-time work respectively. Curtis spends evenings and weekends running shows and doing paperwork to keep the Gorge Cinema open.
Curtis said small independent cinemas are important as they foster talent from independent filmmakers whose films aren’t usually screened at larger chains.
For a small town like Elora, Curtis said it’s almost unheard of these days for there to even be a cinema.
However, there is a loyal group who have supported it to keep the spirit of cinema alive.
During the pandemic, the Gorge Cinema has found ways to raise some funds through streaming, selling popcorn, t-shirts and more recently small viewings.
“It’s lovely, there’s some really good people here and the surrounding area that want to see it survive and know we have our backs to the wall,” Curtis said.
He explained that a community group is forming to support the Gorge Cinema’s next steps.
“How can we realistically find a path to keep this place relevant and open to the community,” Curtis said. “That’s the next step. I’ll be meeting with a bunch of people just to figure something out.”
The plan is to come up with a community plan and list of supporters if they need to go to Centre Wellington council for any reason.
The cinema is a labour of love for Curtis who said he knew going into cinema ownership that he would never become rich off it.
To keep it afloat, he said he will continue to volunteer his time as long as it takes to get through this current challenge.
“Against all odds this little place keeps chugging through it,” Curtis said.
“It would be a huge loss to the community if it had to close.”
