Local Film Cultures

Towne Cinema

As a first-run art house venue, the Towne served a dual purpose, playing both recently released films and art cinema.
The Yonge St. Strip and its Grindhouses

Grindhouse theatres did not operate within a bubble on the Yonge Strip, but as a component in the hugely varied entertainments and distractions that the strip provided.
Funnel Theatre performance

Napo B. in Fastwurm’s “Fishhooks to You” at the Funnel Theatre. Jan. 5-24, 1981. Photography by John Porter
Innis Film Society

The Innis Film Society presents Paul Sharits at Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave., Toronto – February 8, 1991. L-R: Kathy Elder, Jim Shedden, Bruce Elder, Michael Snow, Roger Bourdeau, Paul Sharits, Bart Testa.Innis Film Society. Photograph by John Porter
Suspect Video

Rather than objects of cinematic nostalgia, Suspect is hung with objects of cult appreciation.
Rochdale

Artists sought to reform film exhibition and practice; Rochdale made this possible by providing a space for them to do so.
Rep Houses

Repertory cinemas fulfilled the role as the cinematic educator: bringing accessibility to the inaccessible, and by extension inspiring the growth of cinephilia.
OFDC

With Toronto being the media center of Canada, most of OFDC’s initiatives inadvertently became about supporting and strengthening the Toronto film industry.
NFB in Toronto

The position of Toronto as a case study of the NFB poses a challenging and contradictory task since the city is but one aspect within the Canadian landscape, itself composed of diverse sites and scenes.
Nat Taylor’s Approach

“Our Business” conceptualized Taylor’s ideal model for a Canadian film industry, one adhering to a transnational strategy according to the fundamental economic principles of supply and demand.
Print Journalism

…. How does a critic like Jay Scott factor into the change of how entertainment was viewed?
The Little Italy Scene

Mastrangelo’s Pylon and St. Clair theatres were “an important meeting place for the neighbourhood… [that] brought a concept of public leisure and pleasure to the street.”
The IMAX Experience

With its encompassing, eight-story screens, impeccable picture quality, and crisp sound, IMAX has based its entire existence on blurring the distinction between the fake and the real.
Grindhouses, Yonge St, Permissive City

Old and decaying, the heterogeneous publics that filled the auditoria of spaces like the Rio and the Coronet represented something more than just a crowd of miscreants.
Building Toronto’s Feminist Film Scene

The interdisciplinary interactions and collaborative underpinnings of the feminist film scene and Toronto’s larger cultural sphere were key.
Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre

With increased production came an increased awareness of the key role of pedagogy—to foster alternative film awareness.
‘Bad Food and Passion Pits’

Toronto’s Drive-Ins’ two faces: sexual and communal spaces.
Alternative Media

The written word surrounds the filmic viewing experience, whether it is promotional material, localized listings, or obsessive fan writings.
Coronet Theatre

A “Classic Fleapit”, or, where audiences became more involved than your average movie house.
Century Theatre

At the theatre in 1979, a “largely Greek” crowd rose to their feet in support of the new revolutionary government in Nicaragua.
Golden Mile

The Golden Mile: The gem of Scarborough
The Club

After becoming New York’s first openly gay owned bathhouse in 1970, Club Baths opened its Toronto branch in 1973.
Fox Theatre

Fox Theatre: Will Canada ever formally recognize its oldest surviving cinema?
Eaton Cineplex

The practices established by the Eaton Cineplex revolutionized going to the movies.
Victory Theatre

The Victory Theatre represents the peak of an era as well as its end.
University Theatre

Within a year of opening, it was regarded as one of the finest theatres in Canada.
Parkdale Theatre

The theatre was a source of escape – even if the nature of the escape was not always cinematic.
Metro Theatre

The Metro complied with decency standards by selling the sizzle, not the steak.
Cinema Lumiere

Cinema Lumiere was a venue strictly about the art.
Funnel Experimental Film Theatre

Andy Warhol Superstar Ondine (standing far right) presents “Chelsea Girls” at The Funnel, 507 King St. E., Toronto – February 16, 1980. Photograph by John Porter
Grindhouses from East to West

The negative attitude that Torontonians had towards the Yonge Street strip caused people to seek entertainment in their own neighborhoods.
OAC

Though the Ontario Arts Council acts on a provincial level, its impact on the Toronto arts scene cannot be overstated.
“Brassieres of Uranus”

Jack Smith’s “Brassieres of Uranus” performance at the Funnel Theatre, 1985. Photograph by John Porter
Biltmore

The Biltmore regularly carried all-night billings of action movies, horror films and miscellaneous pornographic features.
Tivoli Theatre

The Tivoli Theatre was the full cinematic experience.