The Cinéma Impérial, a historic monument in Montreal that hosts numerous film premieres and film festivals, could close its doors on January 31st. The century-old venue blames a lack of funding from the federal government.
The Renaissance-inspired Imperial Cinema, a heritage building, was built in 1913 in what is now the Quartier des Spectacles, at a time when there were several very large cinemas in downtown Montreal.
Since 2017, the Cinéma Impérial has been trying to launch a project to restore its historical elements and modernize its theater in order to expand its vocation and allow it to integrate other artistic disciplines.
An expensive restoration
According to the cinema, if the Quebec government committed to financing the project with a total value of $19 million to the tune of $5.6 million, the federal government did not offer enough support.
Without sufficient support from the Canadian government, the viability of this project would be seriously jeopardized and the Cinéma Impérial would have to cease its activities, said Benoit Clermont, spokesman for the Cinéma Impérial board, in a press release.
“As a government, we are committed to supporting the Imperial Cinema through a contribution through the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund, which is intended to support important organizational projects,” Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge's office said in an email sent to radio. Mail known -Canada.
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The Renaissance-inspired interior of the Imperial Cinema
Photo: Radio-Canada
According to Canadian Heritage, this fund, whose resources total $12.4 million for Quebec, has allocated $1 million to the Imperial Cinema project over two years, from 2025 to 2026.
However, according to Imperial Cinema, this is not enough. He is asking Ottawa for financial support similar to that of Quebec.
Beyond its heritage, the Imperial Cinema is an important place of cultural dissemination for producers, cultural partners, creators, artists and the public, argued Benoit Clermont.
Let's not wait until we lose this gem before we act.
End of support from Quebecor
Over the past six years, the Imperial Cinema has counted on $8.5 million in aid from Quebecor, which came to the non-profit organization's aid in 2017 when the Imperial Cinema, collapsing under debt, was threatened with confiscation.
However, Quebecor, which recently announced the layoff of 547 employees within the TVA group, has decided to withdraw its financial support.
“We understand that it is a difficult situation for a non-profit organization to lose private investors,” emphasized the Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
A shock for the cinema industry
Located on Rue de Bleury, the Cinéma Impérial is primarily the venue for screenings during the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, the Cinemania and the Montreal International Documentary Meetings.
The Imperial cannot and must not disappear!, responded the Cinemania Festival on Facebook.
Like most of our colleagues, Cinemania recorded unprecedented attendance records in 2023, which allowed us to finally rediscover the pleasure of seeing the Imperial with its 824 full seats, as was often the case before the pandemic.
We must do everything we can not to destroy this positive dynamic. If this iconic site disappears, an entire part of Montreal's already fragile cultural ecosystem would be seriously threatened, he added.
The Fantasia International Film Festival, for which the Imperial Cinema has long served as a venue, also expressed its sadness on the social network X.
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With information from Louis-Philippe Ouimet