West Newton Cinema Foundation aims to save the theatre
The West Newton Cinema, 75-year-old movie theatre – and Newton’s last neighborhood theatre – was sold to Mark Development in 2022. David Bramante, who owned and managed the cinema, was forced to sell because of Covid’s negative impact on movie attendance. Newton residents quickly responded to the theatre’s plight by forming a separate entity, the nonprofit West Newton Cinema Foundation (WNCF), which aims to raise $5.6 million by August of 2024 to acquire the building from Mark Development — and then eventually to restore and renovate the Cinema as a community center.
While David Bramante continues to manage the theatre, the WNCF is engaged in raising awareness of its mission to create a community center offering films, a wide array of cultural events, a gathering place for groups, and opportunities for education and entertainment. For inspiration, the WNCF draws on the examples of the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge and the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline.
WNCF president Elizabeth Heilig sees the transition to an eclectic community center as a multi-generational site, offering a place for people of all ages to host social, business, and creative events.
Panel discussion on “Killers of the Flower Moon”
To acquaint local residents with the center’s possibilities, on November 12 the WNCF hosted a panel discussion of the Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon. The film is about the 1920s murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, who were inheritors of oil wealth. Approximately 80 people came to the free event, which preceded the showing of the movie.
WNCF was able to assemble an extraordinary panel for this discussion:
- Denise Cummings, Senior lecturer in film and media studies at Tufts University, whose areas of expertise include Native American and global Indigenous screen cultures, as well as Native literature, Art, and visual culture
- Malcolm Turvey, Sol Gittleman Professor and founder of film and media studies at Tufts University, known for research on film theory and storytelling
- J.B. Sloan, a member of the West Newton Cinema Foundation and a member of the Osage Nation
- Lynne Pepall (moderator), Professor emerita of Economics at Tufts University, and a member of the board of the West Newton Cinema Foundation
The widespread murder of Osage Natives was the first big case investigated by the FBI. Panelists noted that the production and direction of first-run films about Native Americans were still the domain of White film makers like Martin Scorsese. Mr. Sloane added immeasurable context to the discussion in relating his own family’s experiences.
Ms. Heilig and the WNCF are anticipating that this panel discussion will serve as a model for other community-driven events. She believes the West Newton Cinema’s film offerings will lead to more panel-led discussions and more opportunities for moviegoers to look behind the screen at the making and meaning of movies.
Sixth-graders sell bracelets to benefit WNCF
Later the same day, three enthusiastic sixth-graders — Charles, Siyona, and Eva — held a fundraising event at West Newton Cinema to benefit the WNCF’s efforts to Save the Cinema. They sold bracelets and bracelet-making kits, and they taught kids how to make bracelets. Through this event, they raised over $250 for WNCF’s Save the Cinema campaign. This amount will now be matched by a relative’s employer, bringing the total impact of their efforts to over $500.
These three sixth-graders developed the idea for their fundraising event from their collaborations on the Dolphins FIRST LEGO League team. They love the West Newton Cinema and want to see it saved, so they contacted Ms. Heilig of WNCF and Mr. Bramante of West Newton Cinema — and they received an enthusiastic reception. It’s likely this success will be repeated, so cinema-goers are advised to keep an eye out for more fun (and fundraising) activities in the West Newton Cinema lobby.
