Campaign seeks help to “digitize” small town theaters

Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI), a nonprofit community organization, is partnering with independent Colorado theaters to launch a fundraising campaign – “Save Our Screens” – to support the digitization of local theaters. A digital projector can cost more than $60,000, which is a significant financial burden for smaller theaters.

As the film industry makes the transition from print film to digital production, local theaters are required to make the switch as well; major film studios will stop delivering 35mm print films to theaters, replacing them with more cost-effective digital hard drives next year. The problem for independent theaters is the high cost of purchasing the digital projectors.

At least 10 theaters across Colorado are participating in the Save Our Screens campaign, including the Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley.

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“These movie theaters don’t just contribute to the local economy,” DCI Executive Director Katherine Correll said in a statement. “In many small towns, they shape the cultural identity and build a strong sense of community.”

Donations can be made to a specific theater on the DCI web page. Each theater is hoping to meet its goal by the first of the year. The Historic Sands Theater in Brush, for example, was the first campaign to be launched on Nov. 30 and has raised over $25,000 in three days, with a goal of $60,000.

“The financial burden is pretty significant,” said Kristin Golliher, spokeswoman for the campaign. “If the theaters can’t raise the funds in time, unfortunately they will have to close their doors; they’re not going to have the tools to stay in business.”

Not only would failure to meet the goals mean theater closures, it would also mean loss of jobs. In Colorado, the motion picture and television industry is responsible for 10,434 direct jobs and $454 million wages, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Earlier this year, the Lyric Cinema Café in Fort Collins launched an online Kickstarter campaign in which it raised $158,692 from 2,324 individual donations to buy two new digital projectors, new sound systems and new seats for the two showrooms.

In an effort to raise awareness, DCI has been working with additional organizations, including Boettcher Foundation, Denver Film Society, Department of Local Affairs, El Pomar Foundation, the Office of Economic Development, Office of Film, Television and Media (a division of Colorado Creative Industries), students from the University of Colorado Denver, and the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.

The participating Colorado theaters in the Save Our Screens Campaign are:
• Crow Luther Events Center, Eads
• Fox Theater, Walsenburg 
• Kelloff Regional Center for the Arts, Monte Vista 
• Storyville Cinema, Salida 
• Liberty Theater, Pagosa Springs 
• Historic Sands Theater, Brush
• Movie Picture Showhouse, Trinidad 
• Kress Cinema & Lounge, Greeley 
• Mountaineer Movie Theater, Lake City 
• Flagler Theater, Flagler