Sundance Cinemas is a movie theatre owned by Robert Redford's Sundance Group that aims to showcase independent, documentary and foreign-language films as well as some studio projects. Paul Richardson, President and CEO and Bert Manzari, President of Film and Marketing, have a long and successful career in the motion picture theatrical business. Co-founders of Landmark Theatres, they formed a partnership over 30 years ago and built the largest and most successful independent film theater circuit in the United States. With 33 locations, the theaters were held up as the industry standard for their respectful presentation of art, independent, and world cinema. Richardson and Manzari's reputation in the industry is stellar, and their relationships with filmmakers, distribution head and other exhibitors are unrivaled in the industry. In 2005, they approached Robert Redford to help make a long-standing dream come true; to extend the Sundance brand into the world of motion picture exhibition. The first such cinema, Sundance 608, opened May 11, 2007 at the Hilldale Shopping Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and contains six stadium-seated auditoriums, along with a cafe, bistro, bar, rooftop bar, and Gallery 608, which sells local and Sundance-related arts and merchandise. A second cinema, the Sundance Kabuki, is an eight-screen theater in the Japan Town section of San Francisco, California. Although it is currently open to the public during the renovation, it's Grand Opening is expected in the late summer of 2007. Sundance has also announced plans to open an eight-screen in Chicago, IL in the spring of 2009 (ground breaking in winter of 2007) as well as a six-screen at the Metropolitan Gardens in Denver, Colorado in the spring of 2010 The company hopes to have about 100 screens nationwide by 2012.
See also
- Sundance Group
- Robert Redford
- Sundance 608
- Sundance Kabuki
References
- Sciretta, Peter (2005-5-22). Sundance launches Sundance Cinemas. cinematical. Retrieved on 2007-6-28.
- Jackson, Margaret (2007-5-21). Sundance Cinema on way. Denver Post. Retrieved on 2007-6-28.
- Baeb, Eddie (2007-5-24). Redford's Sundance Cinemas to open theater in Chicago. Chicago Business. Retrieved on 2007-6-28.
