4 Mission Statement 6 Letter From The Executive Director 7 Our Story 9 Community Feedback 11 At A Glance 11 By The Numbers 12-13 What We Do 15 Loft Film Fest 17 Loft Kids Fest 20 Solar Cinema 22 At The Box Office 23 Financial Data 24 Marketing 25-33 Donors 34 Volunteers 35 Loft Cinema Staff 36 Board Of Directors “The Loft Cinema is much more than an ambitious movie theater that shows high-quality films. Beyond screening everything from arthouse cinema to mondo cult classics, The Loft succeeds in being a hub for the community, allowing local organizations to rent out theaters, hosting outdoor movies in the city’s parks, and presenting rousing singalongs in its home base. Even during this downer year, The Loft is keeping busy with film streaming, private rentals and outdoor screenings in its own backyard. It’s a harmonious relationship: Tucson is lucky to have a place as magical as The Loft, and the cinema is lucky to have hordes of devoted fans.” - Tucson Weekly, Best Movie Theater 2020 THE LOFT CINEMA: MISSION STATEMENT Building community by celebrating the art and diversity of film. DEAR FRIENDS OF THE LOFT CINEMA, The best way I can come up with to describe The Loft Cinema in We are producing a two year “Annual” report because about the time 2019-2020 is a rollercoaster ride, and I’ve never been a big fan of we were ready to prepare the report for 2019, the world changed. rollercoasters. COVID 19 wreaked havoc on the world, and The Loft Cinema closed its doors for the first time ever on March 15. Little did we know then, nor BOX OFFICE 2019 BOX OFFICE 2020 could we have imagined, we would be closed for a year and counting. $180,000 $160,000 With the help of many generous donors, government support and a $140,000 smart, dedicated staff and an active and involved Board of Directors, $120,000 The Loft Cinema has managed to navigate these strange waters and $100,000 find a way to survive, until things return to whatever normal will look $80,000 like. $60,000 This report of The Loft Cinema in 2019 and 2020 is like no other. It $40,000 tells the story of what we do, how we think on our feet and outside the $20,000 box. It illuminates the generosity of our community, and yes, it ends 0 with a cliff-hanger. We pledge to do everything in our power to make JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC sure that when 2021 draws to a close, this story has a happy ending. 2019 was a mini-rollercoaster. Box office in the first quarter was really strong, with unexpected drop for a few months it turned around to end Peggy Johnson the year with a record box office. We thought that was a wild ride. In Executive Director 2020, we had our best January and February ever at the box office, and then March and, the rest, is history. And historic. OUR STORY In 2022, The Loft Cinema will celebrate 50 years of providing art when The Loft Cinema was transitioned to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit films to audiences in Tucson and Southern Arizona. The path from arts organization, admissions have more than quadrupled, with 1972 to today has been full of changes and challenges, none more record attendance in 2019 of 231,757. difficult than the closure in March 2020 because of the coronavirus The Loft Cinema is a member of the Sundance Art House Project, pandemic. based on our excellence of programming and service to our The Loft’s path forward is not yet completely in focus. What we community. The Loft was selected to be an official satellite venue of know for certain is that everyone involved with The Loft Cinema the Sundance Film Festival in 2021. will work together to bring us back to our original purpose of Tucson is one of the smaller cities in the US with an independent, showing films to live audiences on the big screen. This includes our nonprofit mission-driven art house. While we collaborate and employees, our Board of Directors, our volunteers, our members, our communicate with our colleagues from peer cinemas, The Loft donors, and our audiences. Cinema is unique and reflects the community of Tucson and We don’t know what the “new normal” will look like for The Loft Southern Arizona with programming uniquely curated to meet the Cinema. It is our intention to return to screening the best new needs and interests of the many communities of interest that we independent films from the US and around the world from an serve. inclusive and diverse group of filmmakers. We will return to our The Loft Cinema was voted Best of Tucson by readers of the Tucson signature events including filmmaker visits, First Friday Shorts, Weekly in 2020, after having earned that distinction every year from Mondo Monday, Cult Classics, sing-a-longs. Our two film festivals, 2003-2016, and again in 2020! The Loft Film Fest and the Loft Kids Fest, will return! Our solar cinema will once again hit the road taking free films to urban The Loft Cinema is a member of the International Confederation of neighborhoods and rural communities. Our partnerships and Art Cinemas (CICAE) and the Loft Film Fest is the only American collaborations with more than 140 local nonprofits will resume to festival to have a CICAE-juried award. help raise funds and awareness of issues and stories that matter! We are dedicated to making The Loft Cinema one of the most The Loft Cinema is a member-supported cinema, with more than interesting and dynamic art houses in the US and in the world. 5,000 memberships and 7,000 individual members. Since 2002, Thank you to everyone who has helped along the way! COMMUNITY FEEDBACK “The Loft is an oasis in a desert of thoughtless entertainment. “My praises for The Loft Cinema, are quite lofty! The Loft Cinema You’ll always find some form of community involvement because hosts so many wonderful events, that are a staple to my schedule they ARE the community. Independent movies, theme nights, every year. Whenever I am at the Loft Cinema, it’s never “just a film festivals, free screenings in the park, documentaries, sing a movie”. It’s an experience, and I feel like I have found my people! longs, movies with live accompanied orchestra, costume contests It’s a bit of what makes this wonderful city my home. The Loft without it being Halloween, free kid’s movies during the summer, Cinema is a key part of the threshold of Tucson, and I hope you concessions from local businesses. I could go on and on. It is a check it out, and/or return often!” community funded theater and that shows in everything they do. The movie goers are just as interesting and diverse as the film’s - Hannah Makela, Google they show. It truly is a privilege to have The Loft to enjoy and call my own.” “The Loft is kind of magical. My friends and I regularly drive - K Terry, Google to Tucson from Phoenix just to come here. They’ve got the best selection of films and things that can’t be seen nearly anywhere else. Plus, Scream-o-Rama, Mondo Monday’s, the Lost Film “A wonderful Tucson institution! Worthy of your support! I think Fest, on and on. The Loft doesn’t disappoint. Thanks to everyone what they offer our community is so unique and special that I behind the scenes here.” decided to become a member... and I seldom watch movies, at home or elsewhere! But once or twice a year I see a film (or film - Pharaoh Lamothe, Google panel) here that just blows my socks off.” - Laura K, Yelp AT A GLANCE BY THE NUMBERS SCREEN 1 Digital Projection, Closed Captions, Audio Descriptions, Loop Technology 2019 ATTENDANCE 231,757 376 SEATS 35MM and 70MM SCREEN 2 Digital Projection, Closed Captions, Audio Descriptions and Loop 2020 ATTENDANCE 50,657 85 SEATS Technology (On track for 240,949 pre-pandemic) SCREEN 3 Digital Projection, Closed Captions, Audio Descriptions, Loop Technology 98 SEATS and 3D Ages: 18-44 35% 45-64 28% 65+ 37% • One of 23 Members of Sundance Art House Project 5,475 TOTAL SCREENINGS • The only American Member of the Solar World Cinema Network 2019 NUMBERS ONLY: 50 35MM SCREENINGS 272 SPECIAL EVENTS • The only American film festival member of the International Confederation of Art Houses (CICAE) 122 70MM SCREENINGS 122 SPECIAL GUESTS 369 FEATURE FILMS 87 COMMUNITY RENTALS 48 Years Since The Loft Cinema Has Been Open 107 FIRST RUN FILMS 109 EDUCATIONAL EVENTS 18 Years Since The Loft Cinema Became a Nonprofit 390 SHORT FILMS 164 COMMUNITY PARTNERS 7404 Loft Cinema Members (2019) DOCUMENTARY FILMS 80 FREE SCREENINGS 7439 Loft Cinema Members (2020) 111 TOTAL DIRECTORS 58 FULL HOUSES IN SCREEN 1 164 Volunteers (2019) 4,238 Volunteer Hours (2019) 596 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED 52,637 TOTAL FREE ADMISSIONS 230 Donations to Community Nonprofits (2019) 54 $24,079 Value of Donations (2019) 38 OFFSITE EVENTS WHAT WE DO The Loft Cinema has developed a comprehensive JOURNALISM ON SCREEN An ongoing series pairing films that explore the world of journalism with array of programs and activities designed to serve lively discussions with experts and industry professionals. Presented by The the entire community. During the COVID-19 close, New York Times, the UA School of Journalism, the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Arizona Inn.