Grand Cinema tops fund goal for digital conversion, plans new screens, sound upgrades as well

By Thanksgiving patrons of The Grand Cinema will enjoy bright new movie screens and improved sound systems as well as the crispness of state-of-the-art digital film projection.

The enhancements are on the way thanks to a successful community fundraising drive that netted more than $370,000 for a digital conversion project.  The original goal for the 10-month campaign, which ended Sept. 15, was $344,000.

“We’re thrilled with the community’s response,” said Philip Cowan, executive director of the 16-year-old independent, nonprofit movie house in downtown Tacoma. “We had no choice but to switch to digital technology. But now we can enhance the total viewer experience in other ways as well.”

A crew from Boston Sound & Light, a highly regarded theater technology company, is scheduled to install the digital equipment and other upgrades in early November, with a goal of completing the work by Nov. 15, Cowan said.   Only one of the cinema’s four theaters will be closed at any time during the project.

In addition to new screens and enhanced sound systems, changes will include automatic curtain “masking” that adjusts the dimensions of the screens and an improved assistive-listening system for the hearing impaired.

The Grand will retain the ability to show archival 35-mm prints in one of its theaters. “That’s really important to us,” Cowan said, “because our mission includes showing older films that might not be available in the new digital format.  That’s a crucial part of movie history we otherwise couldn’t access.”

The Grand’s move to digital was prompted by an industry-wide conversion to digital production and distribution that is well underway.  Eventually all theaters showing new films will have to make the costly switch to digital projection.

Boston Sound & Light is “the premier sound and projection company in the nation,” Cowan said.  The company equips the screenings for major events such as the Sundance Film Festival and for many commercial theaters, colleges, museums and other institutions around the world.   Famed film director Martin Scorsese hired the firm to equip his personal screening room.

More than 1,600 individuals contributed to The Grand’s fund drive, Cowan said.  Foundations that contributed generous grants include:

The Dimmer Family Foundation

The Forest Foundation Fund of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation

The Russell Family Foundation

The Ben B. Cheney Foundation

The Bamford Foundation

The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation

“We’re humbled and grateful for such broad-based support,” said Mitch Robinson, president of The Grand’s board of directors. “It demonstrates that the community really cares about The Grand and values our mission of showing quality films for a wide range of audiences.”

The successful fund drive comes at a time when The Grand’s membership is at an all-time high of 5,441.  The total stood at 4,612 when the campaign began in November.  When The Grand opened its fourth screen in December 2009, membership was only 2,300.