Member of the Month: Tivoli Cinema, Charlottetown, PEI

Member of the Month: Tivoli Cinema, Charlottetown, PEI

It is our rare pleasure to welcome a brand new cinema to Canada: Tivoli Cinema in Charlottetown, PEI!

Tivoli Cinema started out strong with an incredible lineup featuring everything from indie Canadian cinema darling Matt and Mara, to cult anime classic Paprika, and even a screening of Nosferatu accompanied by a live jazz score.

This exciting new update brings the total number of independent cinemas in the province of PEI to two, including stalwart City Cinema. Congratulations to all movie-lovers in the Garden of the Gulf!

Tivoli Cinema dynamic duo Walker MacDonald and Phil Homburg took some time out of their busy opening schedule to chat with NICE about their sparkling new venue.

Tell us why you decided to open Tivoli Cinema:

Walker MacDonald: When I travel, I make it my personal mission to find the weird movie house in whatever town I’m in—whether that’s the Revue in Toronto, Propeller Arcade in Halifax, or the Music Box in Chicago. Every time I visit one, I’m in awe of the atmosphere, the programming and the sense of community. But more than that, I’m mystified by the fact that I can’t find that same experience in my own backyard. Our owner Phil Homburg and I share this passion, and have set out to provide both Charlottetown, and the east coast, with a premium repertory cinema experience.

Phil Homburg: When we were developing the concept for The Arts Hotel we wanted it to be a compelling entertainment venue as well as a simple but great downtown hotel. Alongside the Dali Cafe and The Trailside, we think a cinema really completes the package. On a personal level, I love independent cinemas and seek them out when I’m travelling and I’m excited to be working with Walker to bring a really fun experience to Charlottetown.

What have you heard from the community about Tivoli Cinema?

WM: The filmmaking and film-going communities in Charlottetown have been nothing short of ecstatic about the Tivoli. We had the good fortune of starting our promotional roll out around the time of this year’s Charlottetown Film Festival to get the bug in everyone’s ear, and we can’t wait to start making good on that excitement in January. A huge part of our goal is community engagement. We want everyone’s tastes to be acknowledged and thrown into the melting pot of our programming.

PH: I’m thrilled at the response from the community. We’re excited to collaborate with the film community and other groups to bring diverse and interesting programming to a wide audience. The feedback has been really positive and I hope we deliver when we open in January!

What sort of films will Tivoli Cinema show?

WM: Tivoli will run week to week with new releases, mostly first and second run indies and festival films. But our primary focus will be on repertory. From classics to curios, our schedules will run on a hearty diet of anniversaries, retrospectives, family matinees, and bizarro double features. We will also be hosting cinema series by guest curators, starting with local repertory programmer extraordinaire Laurent Gariepy’s silent film revue series, Roving Picture Shows.

PH: Walker and I have complimentary tastes, he maybe leans a little more populist and I like maybe a bit more art house stuff. At the end of the day, where we see eye to eye is that the entire cinema experience—from walking into the building to going to the washroom—should be fun. When we open, we’re covering a lot of bases, but I’m excited to see how the attendance numbers look and we plan to be responsive.

What will you sell at concessions?

WM: Our concessions are pretty standard to start. Popcorn, hotdogs, soda and beer. We might get a little wild down the road and add nachos and coffee to the menu, who knows. Don’t know that it falls under concessions, but our upstairs neighbours at the Salvador Dali Cafe have a fantastic menu that we encourage folks to check out before or after a movie with us.

PH: Of course, we are going to do the classics: popcorn, soda, and a fun assortment of candy. As a hot dog enthusiast, having a roller in the theatre was important to me. We will be licensed, so beer, wine and seltzers will be available as well. Because of our location in the Charlottetown Entertainment District, we’re surrounded by some of the best bars and restaurants in the city, and we’re excited to collaborate with those establishments for some fun special events.

Tell us about yourselves; how did you get your start in film exhibition?

WM: Before I was a programmer, I was a screenwriter, and long before that, I was a fanatic. My start in exhibition came about just a few short years ago, when enough tire kicking and stub collecting at City Cinema (fellow NICE members) resulted in me being let into the guts of the operation. I sat on the Charlottetown Film Society’s board of directors for two years, and handled their repertory programming for just shy of a year. My work there landed me my position at the Tivoli. Apparently, if you just start talking about movies and never shut up, someone will eventually see that as a profitable skill.

PH: Walker is really the brains of the operation on the programming side. I’ve been a passionate filmgoer for my entire life, some of my earliest memories are going to the movies. I’ve made some 16mm shorts and worked on some friend’s films over the years.