COURTESY OF MONTCLAIR FILM
The Bellevue Theatre in Upper Montclair.
Montclair Film — which presents the annual Montclair Film Festival as well as other screenings and events, throughout the year — has announced that it has has signed a multi-year lease to operate the now-dormant, three-screen Bellevue Theatre in Upper Montclair, as a nonprofit cinema.
The theater, which originally opened in 1922, has been closed since 2017.
According to a press release, the theater “will be programmed and operated by Montclair Film in concert with The Clairidge, Montclair Film’s six-screen, nonprofit cinema in downtown Montclair, and Cinema505, Montclair Film’s microcinema, performance, and event space in downtown Montclair.”
The press release also states that the theater will “focus on current releases and in-demand films” while Montclair Film will continue to bring “art house, independent, documentary, classics, and foreign language films to The Clairidge. Both will feature conversations and educational programs with partners, non-profits, and other organizations throughout the region.”
The theater is expected to reopen in time for this year’s Montclair Film Festival (Oct. 17-26), with full operation beginning in early November.
A fundraising campaign will seek “individual, sponsor, and community support for the reopening and operation of The Bellevue.” For information, visit MontclairFilm.org.
“Our community has been clear in sharing their desire to see The Bellevue Theatre thriving again, and we are counting on that passion and enthusiasm to help us re-establish The Bellevue as a destination for new memories and experiences,” said Evelyn Colbert, president of Montclair Film’s board of trustees, in the press release.
“Community support is crucial to sustaining a non-profit movie theater, and as the continued growth at The Clairidge has demonstrated, Montclair is a thriving community for filmgoing,” said Montclair Film artistic director Tom Hall. “The Bellevue Theatre will allow us to expand and diversify our programs, delivering more opportunity for filmmakers and distributors to share their films, and offering us tremendous new flexibility to grow the impact of cinema in our community.”
Montclair Film members’ benefits will extend to the new theater, as well as The Clairidge and Cinema505.
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