3 Mission Statement 4 Letter From The Executive Director 5 Community Feedback 7 The Loft Cinema At A Glance 8 By The Numbers 9-10 Screen One Renovation 11-16 What We Do 17 Loft Film Fest 19 Loft Kids Fest 21-22 Solar Cinema 23-24 At The Box Office 25-26 Financial Data 27 Marketing 28 Building For The Future 29-36 Donors 37 Volunteers 38 Board Of Directors & Loft Cinema Staff Photos by: Jesse Jackson (unless noted otherwise) Design & Layout by: Matt McCoy (Deputy Marketing Director) Cover Photo: Newly renovated Screen 1 with new seats, stadium seating, more aisles, full accessibility for all including the hearing and sight impaired, better temperature control, better sound, and more! Photo Credit: Tim Fuller “Tucson’s film scene and movie nerds are plentiful, and the pinnacle of our cinema love has, and continues to be, The Loft Cinema. The ultimate source of independent films, unique Q&As, special guests and favorite cult films, the three-screen theater continues to reign supreme in the community.” - Best of Tucson, Tucson Weekly MISSION STATEMENT The Loft Cinema is a local nonprofit dedicated to creating community by celebrating the art and diversity of film. 3 DEAR FRIENDS OF THE LOFT CINEMA, 2017 was a banner year for the theatre! We celebrated The Loft Cinema’s 45th anniversary of serving Southern Arizona with great films and unique programming. We completely renovated our flagship Screen 1, converting it from floor to ceiling with new seats, great sightlines, improved acoustics and temperature control, and full accessibility! Thank you to everyone who made the renovation possible! We re-opened Screen 1 with the premiere of Dunkirk, marking the first time The Loft Cinema opened a new film on 70mm. We set a new record at the end of 2017: December was the highest attended month in the 15 years that The Loft Cinema has been a nonprofit…a record quickly erased when January 2018 surpassed it! We had our first full year of Loft Solar Cinema, with 59 screenings from as close as Himmel Park to as far away as Douglas, with more than 10,000 people enjoying family-friendly films under the stars! 2018 holds the promise of being another year of record attendance as we continue to show an eclectic collection of new films and classics, special events with that unique Loft brand, and, as always, the unexpected! Thanks to everyone who loves The Loft Cinema for making 2017 a year to remember! Peggy Johnson Executive Director 4 COMMUNITY FEEDBACK “I want to thank you and your board and all at The Loft Cinema for the wonderful events you brought to our community. Your rural film program is so important!” - Laurie McKenna, Re: Rolling Reels Screening at Central School Project “Tucson’s best independent movie theater. Lots of special events, very knowledgeable staff, and a great selection of food and drinks.” - Chris Macholtz “The Loft is a movie going experience unlike any other in Southern Arizona. They really try to make sure you have the best time you can have. Highly recommend.” - Nick Trask “Very pleasant experience. I’m a Tucson native who had never taken time to experience the Loft Theater. My loss. The theater has recently remodeled and it’s beautiful and comfortable inside. The concession stand is well stocked and the staff friendly and helpful. You must visit this local gem.” - Jesse Huggins “Wonderful atmosphere! Friendly people! Great vibe! Classy venue for independent films! Thanks!” - Leslie Messenger “A Tucson point of pride. I lived in Austin once and I used to refer to the Loft as a lesser Alamo Drafthouse. Then I grew up.” - J.R. Dodge “The Loft Cinema is a great local theater. I love going for the classic films and wonderful atmosphere. My kids love going for the free kids movies and activities hosted there. It is always a good time for all.” - Jessica Gonzales 5 HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE 20TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY! THE LOFT CINEMA AT A GLANCE 3 SCREENS SCREEN 1 DIGITAL PROJECTION, 35MM, 70MM AND 376 SEATS LOOP TECHNOLOGY SCREEN 2 DIGITAL PROJECTION 85 SEATS AND LOOP TECHNOLOGY SCREEN 3 DIGITAL PROJECTION, 3D 98 SEATS AND LOOP TECHNOLOGY ONE OF 23 MEMBERS OF SUNDANCE ART HOUSE PROJECT AMERICAN CINEMA MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF ART 3 HOUSES (CICAE) 1 AMERICAN FESTIVAL MEMBERS OF CICAE 45 YEARS THE LOFT CINEMA HAS BEEN OPEN 15 YEARS THE LOFT CINEMA HAS BEEN A NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION 6,108 LOFT CINEMA MEMBERS 120 VOLUNTEERS 2,646 VOLUNTEER HOURS 174 DONATIONS TO COMMUNITY NONPROFITS $17,915 VALUE OF DONATIONS 7 BY THE NUMBERS AGE 217,877 18-44 35% 45-65 30% NUMBER OF ATTENDEES OVER 65 35% POUNDS OF ORGANIC POPCORN 11,025 SERVED 18 35MM SCREENINGS 103 DOCUMENTARY FILMS 121 70MM SCREENINGS 637 TOTAL DIRECTORS 379 FEATURE FILMS 51 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED 86 FIRST RUN FILMS 59 OFFSITE EVENTS 65 SHORT FILMS 4,928 TOTAL SCREENINGS 440 SPECIAL EVENTS 191 COMMUNITY PARTNERS 147 SPECIAL GUESTS 86 FREE SCREENINGS 61 COMMUNITY RENTALS 53 FULL HOUSES IN SCREEN 1 132 EDUCATIONAL EVENTS 51,444 TOTAL FREE ADMISSIONS 8 2017: THE YEAR OF THE SCREEN 1 RENOVATION After many years of dreaming, After being refurbished and trimmed, and more years of planning and the gold drapes returned to their place fundraising, The Loft Cinema’s of prominence, allowing Screen 1 to flagship Screen 1 was brought into the retain its magic while providing a 21st Century in style! more comfortable experience. Screen 1 also retained its 35mm projector In a miraculous 10-week period, along with Southern Arizona’s only Screen 1 went from shabby to chic, 70mm system, allowing us to re-open with new seats, stadium seating, Screen 1 with Dunkirk in 70mm! more aisles, full accessibility for all including the hearing and sight We have more work to do, with the impaired, better temperature control, final phase a building connecting the better sound, and many other main building and Screen 3. In the improvements and updates you can’t meantime, look for The Loft Cinema necessarily see but will definitely to go SOLAR in 2018! improve your experience. 9 2017: THE YEAR OF THE SCREEN 1 RENOVATION Thank you to our generous donors whose $20,000 gifts helped make our Screen One rehabilitation a success! BONNIE KAY BAYARD AUCHINCLOSS PEGGY JOHNSON & JOE TARVER MAX MCCAUSLIN THE JACK CHALLEM TRUST And we want to thank everyone who purchased the naming rights to the seats. All 376 seats were sold in record time! 10 WHAT WE DO FIRST-RUN FILMS The best new independent, foreign and documentary films, many in exclusive Tucson engagements. GUEST FILMMAKERS Industry professionals, including directors, producers, actors, and writers, interact with audiences and answer questions about the context and artistic content of their work. LOFT FILM FEST The Loft Cinema’s annual international film festival, presented by Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment (see page 17 for more details). LOFT KIDS FEST & LOFT JR. A year-round celebration of family-friendly films with an emphasis on underserved families, featuring an interactive program, hands-on activities and free popcorn (see page 19 for more details). FIRST FRIDAY SHORTS A monthly competition for local filmmakers to win $200 and qualify for the finale in May, when the winners of all 12 months compete for $1,000. ESSENTIAL CINEMA A free series of the most important classic art films. ART ON SCREEN The performing arts on the big screen, with thrilling theatre productions from around the world, captured live and presented in beautiful high definition. JOURNALISM ON SCREEN An ongoing series pairing films that explore the world of journalism with lively discussions with experts and industry professionals. Presented by The New York Times, the UA School of Journalism, the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Arizona Inn. 12 WHAT WE DO CONTINUED ONE HIT WONDERS Great new documentaries at special one-night-only screenings. SCIENCE ON SCREEN Thought-provoking films, paired with insightful contextual discussions with scientists to create illuminating and entertaining programming that brings the exciting world of science to life on the big screen. Made possible by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS The Loft Cinema collaborates with dozens of nonprofits and other organizations on screenings and events that allow the groups to promote the understanding of specific issues and to raise funds and awareness. NATIVE EYES FILM SHOWCASE The longest continuously-running film showcase devoted to Native American and Indigenous films, workshops and filmmaker Q&A’s in Arizona. Collaboratively produced by Arizona State Museum with the Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum, Pascua Yaqui Computer Clubhouse, Indigenous Strategies and the UA American Indian Studies Department. LOCAL FILM PREMIERES The Loft Cinema is the venue for premieres of films made in and around Tucson, or by Tucson-based filmmakers, often with the director, writer, producers, cast and crew in attendance. LATE NIGHT CULT CLASSICS The greatest cult classics of all time on the big screen. MONDO MONDAYS A series of weird, wild and wonderful films from the Mondo side of the silver screen, every Monday night. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW The Loft Cinema has screened this cult phenomenon Saturdays at Midnight since 1977. 13 WHAT WE DO CONTINUED SOLAR CINEMA The Loft Cinema became the first American member of the Solar Cinema network, joining our global partners in Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Croatia and Spain. The mission of Solar World Cinema is to democratize the access to cinema, creating a special platform to screen films with social matters for free, turning public spaces into self sustainable open-air cinemas.