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Toronto Film Venues
The Acacia Centre
186 Spadina, in Chinatown
New arts screening/stage venue. Formerly Chinatown's Golden Classics cinema.
Al Green Theatre
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.
 
Upcoming:
Mar 21    Crazy Love (2007, USA, D: Dan Klores)   TJFS
Alliance Atlantis Cinemas
  • Beach, 1651 Queen E, just past Coxwell, in the Beaches
  • Cumberland, 159 Cumberland, in Yorkville, near Bloor and Avenue
  • Once a promising cross-Canada chain of arthouse theatres, now reduced to two mini-multiplexes in Toronto. The downtown Cumberland is Toronto's premier arthouse venue. The east-end 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.
    AMC Theatres
  • Interchange, 30 Interchange Way, at Highways 400 and 7
  • Kennedy Commons, 33 William Kitchen Rd, in Scarborough
  • Winston Churchill, 281 Winston Park Dr, in Oakville
  • Yonge & Dundas, 10 Dundas E, in the heart of downtown Toronto
  • The American cinema chain has a number of suburban multiplexes (and now, one urban one) scattered across the greater Toronto area. Often the only stop for specialized fare in the outer reaches of the city.
    Bloor Cinema
    In the Annex at 506 Bloor W, just east of Bathurst
    Toronto's venerable repertory house, featuring an eclectic mix of second run features, classics and specialty programming by various organizations and festivals. A $3 membership keeps regular ticket prices to $5.00 (cheaper in the afternoons) for six months, although specialty programming is often more expensive. The venue sports a good-sized screen, but sound quality tends to the muddy. Don't sit in the balcony in a packed house if you want to have any hope of seeing the bottom half of the screen. Home to Toronto's monthly Rocky Horror Picture Show screening.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 4    Inferno (France, D: Serge Bromberg)
    Mar 7    The Oscars At The Bloor
    Mar 11    Bural Ground (1981, Italy, D: Andrea Bianchi)   Film School Confidential
    Mar 12-16,18    Prodigal Sons (USA, D: Kimberly Reed)
    Mar 13    Encirclement: Neo-Liberalism Ensnares Democracy (2008, Canada, D: Richard Brouillette)
    Mar 17    Garbage Dreams (2009, USA, D: Mai Iskander)   Doc Soup
    Mar 18,22    2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, USA, D: Stanley Kubrick)
    Mar 18    Cannibal Girls (1973, Canada, D: Ivan Reitman)   Cinemacabre
    Mar 19    Fortress (2008, Azerbaijan, D: Samil Nacafzada)    Free!
    Mar 19    Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008, USA, D: Darren Lynn Bousman)
    Mar 20    Pure Pwnage
    Mar 21-22    The Last Waltz (1978, USA, D: Martin Scorsese)
    Mar 23-24    Network (1976, USA, D: Sidney Lumet)
    Mar 24-25    Manhattan (1979, USA, D: Woody Allen)
    Mar 25    Django (1966, Italy, D: Sergio Corbucci)   Film School Confidential
    Mar 26    The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, UK, D: Jim Sharman)
    Mar 31    The Reckoning: The Battle For The International Criminal Court (2009, USA, D: Pamela Yates)
    Brunswick Theatre
    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.
    Camera
    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.
    Cinecycle
    129 Spadina, down the alley
    Low-key experimental film venue, nestled behind tall buildings in the downtown core.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 6    What Manner Of Person Art Thou? (2008, USA, D: Erin Cosgrove)   Pleasure Dome
    Mar 26    Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (1974, Japan, D: Kazuo Hara)
    Apr 16    Zero Film Festival
    Apr 30    Fragments Of 8
    Cineplex Odeon
  • Carlton, 20 Carlton, near Yonge & College
  • Canada Square, 2190 Yonge Street
  • Grande, 4861 Yonge, at Sheppard
  • Paramount, 259 Richmond W, at John
  • Silver City Yonge & Eglinton, 2300 Yonge Steeet
  • Varsity, 55 Bloor W, in the Manulife Centre
  • Now that it has swallowed Famous Players, Cineplex Odeon is Canada's major cinema chain, specializing in first-run fare in theatres that range from older multi-screen venues to noisy modern multiplexes with stadium seating. The stature of the downtown Carlton has faded a good deal, but along with the cinema at Canada Square, it remains one of Toronto's primary arthouse venues. Higher profile arthouse fare often shows up at the Varsity and occasionally the downtown Paramount first. In an example of marketing run amuck, the Paramount is now known as the Scotiabank, despite the fact that it is neither a bank nor located in Nova Scotia.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 4,7    Oscar Nominated Shorts 2010
    Cinesphere
    On the waterfront, in the big white dome at Ontario Place
    Toronto's original Imax venue still screens large-format documentaries for family visitors to the theme park that it is situated in, but is also rented out for special events.
    Drake Hotel
    1150 Queen St. West
    West downtown boutique hotel hosting nightly arts programming, including the occasional indie film event.
    Empire Theatres
  • Empress Walk, 5095 Yonge, north of Sheppard
  • Square One, in Mississauga
  • Following the Cineplex Odeon/Famous Players merger, Empire is now the second largest cinema chain in Canada, with two theatres in the Toronto area.
    The Fox
    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:
    Mar 7    The Oscars At The Fox
    Goethe Institut
    163 King W, near University
    The Toronto chapter of the German cultural institution programmes German films of past and present at various city venues.
    Golden Theatres
  • Albion
  • Woodside
  • The magic of Bollywood screens at these two suburban cinemas located on either side of Toronto.
    Harbourfront Centre
    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.
    Innis Town Hall
    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 with not especially comfortable seats 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.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 4    The Cove (2009, USA, D: Louie Psihoyos)   FFF    Free!
    Mar 7    The Oscars At Innis   Free!
    Mar 12    Bound For Glory (1976, USA, D: Hal Ashby)   FFF    Free!
    Mar 26    Love Songs (2007, France, D: Christophe Honore)   FFF    Free!
    Isabel Bader Theatre
    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.
    Japan Foundation
    131 Bloor W, Second Floor
    The gateway through which Japanese culture often passes into Toronto.
    The Kingsway
    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 arthouse hits and high profile indies.
    Mediatheque
    In the National Film Board Of Canada at Richmond and John.
    The National Film Board Of Canada's public face in Toronto. Hosts 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.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 4    Persepolis (2007, France, D: Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi)   Cine-Jeudi
    Mar 10    Les Rendez-Vous De La Francophonie   Free!
    Mar 17    A World Of Shorts: Spotlight On Animation  A World Of Shorts
    Apr 1    Days Of Darkness (2007, Canada, D: Denys Arcand)   Cine-Jeudi
    Rainbow Cinemas
  • Market Square, 80 Front, near Jarvis
  • Promenade, Promenade Mall, Thornhill
  • Woodbine, 500 Rexdale, in the Woodbine Shopping Center
  • Three locations in the Greater Toronto Area, reviving venues discarded by the major chains with first run films and discount pricing.
    Revue Cinema
    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. A $6 membership keeps movie prices down to $6.50 for 6 months. Programming is basically second run screenings of recent fare spiced up with the occasional specialty 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:
    Mar 4    Near Dark (1987, USA, D: Kathryn Bigelow)
    Mar 7    The Oscars At The Revue
    Mar 14    Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914, USA, D: Mack Sennett)   Silent Sundays
    Mar 16    Six Figures (2005, Canada, D: David Christensen)   Canadian Cinema In Review
    Royal Cinema
    in Little Italy, at 608 College
    One-time Festival Cinemas venue, saved from clubland/condo takeover by Theatre D. Films selected by ex-TIFF programmer Stacey Donen run the gamut from first run releases of arty or scrappy downtown fare to one-off screenings of Canadian independent cinema to second runs of recent arthouse hits.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 4    The White Stripes Under The Great White Northern Lights (USA, D: Emmett Malloy)
    Mar 4    Until The Light Takes Us (USA, D: Aaron Aites & Audrey Ewell)
    Mar 5-11    Zooey & Adam (Canada, D: Sean Garrity)
    Mar 5-11    At Home By Myself With You (Canada, D: Kris Booth)
    Mar 19    The Room (2003, USA, D: Tommy Wiseau)
    Royal Ontario Museum
    At Avenue and Bloor.
    Toronto's largest museum, currently undergoing renovations. 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 means that even tall people have trouble reading subtitles during packed screenings. Occasionally, the rumbling of the subway running underneath the theatre can be heard.
    Theatre D
    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.
    Tiff Cinematheque
    In Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery Of Ontario, at Dundas and McCaul, McCaul street entrance.
    Emphasizes the artistic end of filmmaking, hosting travelling and homegrown retrospectives, weekly experimental/avante-garde programmes and occasional short runs of recent films that would otherwise not get a Toronto release. Fall, Winter and Summer programmes cover most of the calendar year, with breaks typically occurring during much of December and the first half of January, April through the end of May and mid-August until mid-October. A $45 membership yields substantial discounts and access to advance ticket ordering. Advance tickets may be purchased online, by phone at 416-968-FILM or in person at 2 Carlton.
     
    Upcoming:
    Feb 24-Mar 6    Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
    Feb 25-Mar 12    The Way Of The Termite: The Essay Film, Part Two
    Mar 4    Images Of The World And The Inscription Of War (1989, West Germany, D: Harun Farocki)   The Free Screen    Free!
    Hotel Des Invalides (1952, France, D: Georges Franju)
    Mar 11    Time And Essence: The Preseved Films Of Colleen Fitzgibbon  The Free Screen    Free!
    Mar 12-14    Everyone Else (2009, Germany, D: Maren Ade)
    Trash Palace
    Shhh, it's a secret.
    Cult films unearthed (on 16mm film, not video) in a secret location in downtown Toronto. Advance tickets (purchased at Tequila Bookworm) bear the address for each screening.
     
    Upcoming:
    Mar 5    Christina (1974, Canada, D: Paul Krasny)
    Mar 12    Return From The Past (1967, USA, D: David L. Hewitt)
    Yonge-Dundas Square
    Downtown, at the corner of Yonge and Dundas
    City square development features outdoor screenings once the warm weather hits.
    Defunct Toronto Film Venues
    Festival Cinemas
  • The Royal, in Little Italy at 608 College
  • The Paradise, at 1006 Bloor W.
  • The Kingsway, in the far west end at 3030 Bloor W.
  • The Fox, in the Beaches at 2236 Queen E.
  • The Revue, in the west end at 400 Roncesvalles
  • 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
    Out Of Town
    Eastman House
    Rochester, NY
    Bringing solid repertory programming and arthouse releases to upstate New York.
       

    Compiled by Don Marks (contact)

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