Last week I wrote about independent film theater Cinema Detroit and its attempts to crowdfund $50,000 for new digital decryption equipment so it can screen more mainstream Hollywood titles in its new and improved Midtown home.
With time quickly running out and funding commitments falling well short of that goal, donors (including yours truly) received this email update from owners Tim and Paula Guthat:
While we’ve raise a far (sic) amount, we will most likely not reach our goal by November 4. You may be wondering what will happen if we don’t make our goal. When we began I decided to make the campaign an “all or nothing” – if did not reach our goal we would not keep any of the pledges.
The Guthats, who own the two-year-old business and are the sole employees, told donors they plan to extend the deadline by a week to Nov. 11 but lower the fundraising goal to $15,000.
Throughout the campaign we have emphasized the necessity of purchasing a new digital projection system. That is as true now as it was at the start of the campaign.
Since we will not have the full amount, we will finance the the purchase of the equipment. So, your donations are just as important: they will provide the needed down payment to finance the purchase. Your generosity will allow Cinema Detroit to continue to show the best independent movies as well as the bigger movies that you want to see that are only made possible with the new projection equipment.
Taking on this amount of debt is a serious decision, but Detroit needs and deserves an independent movie theater in the heart of the city. And we are committed to being that theater.
The updated Patronicity page puts things into more stark terms: “If we can’t, staying open will be difficult, as we won’t be able to offer the most popular movies.”
As of this writing, the campaign had received $11,535 in pledges from 150 patrons. So now’s your chance to support ’em if you support independent cinema in the city.
Recent Comments