The first unofficial screening at FilmScene was held before the carpet was installed and a ticketing system was in place. But there were seats, a projector, a visiting filmmaker and people who believed in the idea.
“It is of those moments along the way, where you’re like, ‘all right, this is becoming real,” Executive director and cofounder of FilmScene, Andrew Sherburne said.
More than 800 people donated to a crowdfunding campaign over that frutiful Thanksgiving weekend in 2013. The theater was packed with people eager to see “Blue is the Warmest Color” and “All is Lost.”
“That was the first time that I realized how much or how invested the rest of the community was in this,” Sherburne said. “(The community was) a part of it in every way possible, that this was their place too, and that I think we’ve just been caring for it and nurturing it together (ever since).”
FilmScene’s original location on the Ped Mall at 118 E. College St. is officially theirs 12 years later.
The $2.3 million purchase was made public on Friday, Aug. 1, four months after foreclosure proceedings were initiated by GreenState Credit Union against the building’s former owner, Marc Moen, in March.
The milestone was made possible through a partnership with nonprofit Resilient Sustainable Future for Iowa City (RSFIC), founded in 2021 by Riley and Michal Eynon-Lynch.
“We always knew that we wanted to stay here…(We) told the Moen Group that whatever happens, we want to make sure this building is owned and operated by someone who cares about Iowa City, cares about FilmScene as much as they did, as much as we do,” Sherburne said. “We were deeply invested in that, and one of the possibilities was us taking ownership over this. Thankfully, we found a partnership in RSFIC.”
The Ped Mall location recently received seating and lobby upgades, along with a new projection system in 2021. FilmScene bought its Chauncey Building location in 2021.
Securing FilmScene’s future
FilmScene has two years to raise the $230,000 down payment for its PedMall building. The cinema will then make mortgage payments to Resilient Sustainable Future over the next 20 years while keeping rent for other building tenants, including Velvet Coat and Modus Engineering, at “below market rate.”
FilmScene and Resilient Sustainable Future have a long-standing partnership with the broadcast of “Stories of Community,” which rolls a part of the theater’s trailer reel before each screening. The short film series that started in 2021 amplifies stories of sustainability and resilience in local neighborhoods.
Resilient Sustainable Future has helped other organizations, such as the Wright House of Fashion and Tamarack Discovery School, by helping purchase buildings and equipment. The organization has helped support more than 50 projects since 2021 by offering grants up to $500.
“There is a lot of Iowa City retirement money and foundation money invested in Wall Street. Think of what we could do if we invested it here,” said Michal Eynon-Lynch, President of RSFIC, in a news release.
Building ownership ensures FilmScene’s “organizational stability and enabling long-term investment in physical upgrades, accessibility enhancements, and creative expansion,” according to a news release.
The purchase arrives just a few months after FilmScene lost its $30,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
“I think local control is important, not just for this building but for all of downtown Iowa City,” Sherburne said. “Having people who understand the community and care about the community being the ones that are making the decisions about what happens to these spaces is incredibly important… this is our home, and it’s been our home for so many years, we know exactly what we’re getting into.”
A home built with community support
FilmScene operates five-screens between its two Iowa City locations, showing more than 450 films and drawing 80,000 patrons each year.
The theaters are open 360 days a year while hosting a range of community events. The Ped Mall building is a hub for key programming, playing host to the ReFocus Film Festival, the Rooftop Series, and FilmScene’s animation camp, whose short films are featured in the theater’s trailer reel.
“(FilmScene is a) community space… We’re not just here to turn on the lights, show you a movie, and sell you popcorn,” Sherburne said. “Movie theaters have always been a community gathering space. That is a part of our mission, to maintain the communal experience, both laughing and crying with each other, gathering before and after movies, reconnecting with friends, or meeting new friends.”
FilmScene and Resilient Sustainable Future will host an open house to celebrate the PedMall purchase at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14. The night will feature live music from Dan Padley, along with light movie theater snacks and drinks.
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: From crowdfunding to ownership: How FilmScene bought its original Ped Mall location
Reporting by Jessica Rish, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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