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“There has been a lengthy conversation about putting a cinema inside the Fitton Center, which predates me being here,” he said, noting that he assumed leadership in 2015. “This has been a little over a year in the process of finally getting this done.”
The idea of getting the fiscal and technical issues to come together and then mix in how the operation would unfold was a daunting task, but it all ended up in a high quality cinema getting developed, he said.
“It cost about $50,000 to get everything constructed, but Director of Development Alisa Miller and myself have been working with the Hamilton Community Foundation and multiple generous donors throughout the community to help us get absolutely high-end projection equipment,” MacKenzie-Thurley explained.
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What they ended up getting was a custom-built, 22-foot retractable screen, plus a 9,000 lumen three chip projector made by Barco, a leading company in film projectors. The current Fitton theater was also outfitted with a new surround sound system to enhance the movie going experience.
“The three chips mean there is an individual computer processor for red, for green and for blue. So the color resolution on the screen is phenomenal,” Mackenzie-Thurley said. “The image strength is first rate.”
What the new cinema won’t be is a place to see mainstream movies or an entity to replace the already established movie theaters in the area.
“What this cinema isn’t is the Hamilton AMC 8 or the CinéBistro at Liberty Center,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “We are not showing mainstream movies like the latest Star Wars or Disney films.”
What people can expect to see are documentaries, locally produced independent films and art house movies that rarely have a chance to make it to the big theaters.
“We are talking with some local movie producers about showing their films at an opening gala that I hope to announce in the next couple of weeks,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “We hope to open the cinema to the public in March or April.”
A few dry runs have been held for staff, and so far things have worked out well.
“We have about 150 seats, which is a bit of a challenge, but we have a parking lot, box office, foyer and liquor license already in place,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “So in a matter of 15 to 20 minutes, we can go from a performing arts space to a cinema.”
He said the cinema space will also be rented out for birthday parties or board meetings since the screen and surround sound capabilities can fit plenty of needs.
“We wanted to create a space that is special for the Hamilton community and Butler County at large,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “We also want to set-up special showings for senior citizens and those with developmental disabilities and sensory issues.”
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