A LIGHT IN THE DARK

Through good times and bad, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center has been a beacon and a refuge. This holiday season, we are asking for your support so that we can purchase a new state-of-the-art $80K Christie Laser projection system, a much needed upgrade that will allow us to continue serving the community, uninterrupted, for years to come.

For many of us, going to the movies approaches a spiritual experience. Young and old alike, we gather in a dark theater to eat our popcorn and, with hushed reverie, relax back into our comfy seats. To look up and watch moving pictures of light that we call cinema.

But where does that light come from? For any cinema, the heart of its operation is its projection system. We began our journey some 24 years ago with a second-hand 16mm reel-to-reel projector. Audiovisual technology sure has come a long way! Yet, our current projector is past its life expectancy, and though it has served us admirably for 11 years, it must be replaced. We need to be proactive: Were our projector to break down unexpectedly, it would take months to purchase, receive, and install a replacement. We can’t leave our community in the dark for that long. Not with winter on the horizon!

 Your end-of-year donation will help us continue to serve our community uninterrupted for years to come. 

The new state-of-the-art Christie Laser Projector CP2415-RGB is a much needed upgrade to our projection system.

Your end-of-year donation will help us purchase a new state-of-the-art $80K Christie Laser projection system. We will also upgrade our DCI server, which works in tandem with the projector. This is a new capability that will make the images on our screen even more captivating. (This upgrade is ADA-compliant, with closed/open captioning and special monitors for hearing-impaired patrons.)

In just 11 years since opening the MV Film Center, we’ve grown to 2200+ members with 30,000+ admissions annually. The MVFC offers over 600 film and live events each year, including six unique film festivals. We also provide our island community several cultural performance series: the Met Opera Live, London’s National Theater, and Great Art on Screen. These one-of-a-kind experiences are among the many things that makes the Film Center unique when it comes to small-town cinema.

As we head into the Holiday season and a festive New Year, we wish you the very best.

See you at the movies!

Richard Paradise
Founder/Executive Director

CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

In just nine years after opening the MV Film Center in September 2012, we’ve grown to 2500+ members and 35,000 admissions annually. MVFC offers over 300 film and special events annually, including six unique film festivals. We also provide  several one-of-a-kind live performance series: the Met Opera, London’s National Theater, the Bolshoi Ballet, and Great Art on Screen.

Off-season, the Film Center’s role as an island-wide venue expands as the Film Society collaborates with dozens of other island non-profits to host special events, speakers, and screenings that enhances community dialogue and spirit. It also provides free screenings in cooperation with island schools and clubs. Residents enthusiastically express their gratitude that the film center remains open year-round.

Our state-of-the-art theater at the Tisbury Marketplace is a project that came together fast in 2011-12, without initial capital resources. We were able to raise $500,000 in 10 months to furnish the interior and purchase the film equipment while partnering with a private developer (our landlord), who paid for the building’s construction/design costs. In a matter of four months we went from breaking ground (May 2012) to opening our doors. Since our September 2012 grand opening, we’ve proven that our business model is sustainable. Our annual budget has grown from less than $100,000 in 2011 to more than $1 million, without any debt or losses to speak of.  (Click to see original MV Times article on project)clmlcml

If a purchase is made with a 50% long-term mortgage and 50% with donor contributions, our budget savings would be $32,000+ annually, more than $350,000 over the remaining 11 years of our lease.  But there are several other good sound reasons for owning our primary performance venue.

For any cultural arts organization, owning your performance venue is key to thriving long-term and controlling your own destiny. This will allow us to justify investments into the building’s structure and operating efficiencies, and grant us the flexibility to expand operationally. Additionally, current mortgage rates are at an “all-time” low, which makes financing now rather than later very desirable.

We need your support to do this now. We can Buy our home venue for $1.5 million.  Your Capital Campaign Gift will go directly to the purchase of the Film Center. You can Donate Now, or Pledge a Donation, and not have to pay until we are a few months from our building/property closing.

Your generosity makes the difference as to whether we purchase the Film Center in 2021 to reduce significantly our annual operating expenses and secure a bright and prosperous future for the Film Society in the Film Center.

I am happy to discuss our project in detail, and your potential gift, either by phone or in person.

My cell # is 774-392-2972: Can we chat soon?

Gratefully,

Richard Paradise
Founder/Executive Director

CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

2021 Capital Campaign Goals