Bloor Cinema launch delayed, plans start to take shape

The entrance to the Bloor Cinema is boarded up and construction is officially underway just east of Bathurst in the Annex. The theatre has been closed for almost three months already and it seems like the changes are finally starting to take place.

On Wednesday it was announced that Robin Smith, of KinoSmith has taken on the role of Programmer for the theatre. Unable to go into too many details at this point, Smith was able to share a few notes, "The majority of the programming will be non-fiction, but we do plan on extending the old Bloor-style programming as part of the mix."

With the earlier stated "80% doc" figure in my head I had to ask if there was such a formula in place, to which Smith responded, "No real hard-and-fast parameters have been set for the programming" after all, their goal is "to ensure that both Hot Doc patrons and Bloor patrons will be satisfied."

Anything more specific than that will have to wait until an official statement, which we can expect next month. Smith did say that they have already gotten in touch with all of the Canadian distributors so that when the theatre does re-open they'll have a strong lineup in place.

When exactly that re-opening is? It seems that is the biggest question mark in all of this. In August it seemed like November was the goal, but now Smith says that the anticipated opening won't be until December/January.

Also announced on Wednesday were the architects behind the renovations. Hariri Pontarini Architects have taken on the task of making the Bloor more spacious and accessible, while emphasizing the history of the building. If they come up with anything resembling their work on the Pape/Danforth Library then their involvement is definitely something to be excited about.

Previously:

Hot Docs takes over the Bloor Cinema
Hot Docs makes concessions at the Bloor