PLEASE NOTE - WE DO NOT NEED THE FULL £250,000 ON THIS CROWDFUNDING PAGE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS - WE ARE SOURCING FINANCE IN OTHER PLACES TOO - BUT THIS IS OUR TARGET AND WE DO NOT NECESSARILY FAIL IF WE DONT REACH THE £250,000 TARGET.
SHORT SUMMARY
My name is Bruce Webb. I'm a film
and TV producer and director and I also am the founder and director of the Isle
of Wight Film Festival which is now in its 8th year.
I feel very passionately about
saving this cinema and giving it back to the next generation.
For many years I have looked at the
Rivoli Cinema in Sandown and fallen in love with its bold art deco design.
Always wondering what it looks like inside and wishing I could buy it and re
open it. The cinema came up for sale last year and I finally got to see inside
and I was gobsmacked. It was like finding a rare old classic car in a barn. The
projection room, the bar, the raked flooring for 500 seats, the screen frame
and the fire exits were all intact.
What Tony the owner had done is moth
ball the architecture since the 1980's, architecture which in itself had been
kept the same from the early 60's when the hall was turned from a cinema into a
bingo hall.
It has come on the market and is
earmarked for redevelopment. I have however made an offer and it has been accepted.
They have given me to the end of January 2014 to raise the funds and I
desperately need your help as I don’t have enough money to save it.
I want to reopen the cinema showing the latest movies at the weekends and holidays, and art house cinema during the
week. We will also show live events such as theatre and sports events.
With your help you can save the Rivoli Cinema from impending
demolition - local Councillors have demanded the lifting of a conservation
order on the building and there are plans going in at the end of January to
have the cinema demolished and flats built in its place.
I believe the building is more than fit for purpose - the roof is in good shape
and the building has not been over developed inside, so its perfect for a re launch
.
What We Need & What You Get
I am selling everything I can to buy
this building but there is a large shortfall and I need your help with the
commercial mortgage and installing the cinema equipment.
We have lots of volunteers helping
but hard cash is needed - but not much. The money raised will firstly go into
saving the building from demolition. Then the remaining money with go towards
buying new seats, fitting out the foyer and bar, putting in digital projection
for 1st run movies and decorating and fitting out the auditorium back to its
art deco resplendence.
If you buy a seat for £200 you get 20
tickets to the cinema redeemable over 5 years (providing you book the ticket)
You also get your name on a plaque on the seat which remains for as long as the
seat remains in the cinema.
For every £15 you donate we will
give you 2 tickets you can redeem at the cinema for the next 5 years as long as
you book the screening you want (in case the film sells out)
For £500 you will get a lifetime member ship and a 15% discount on all tickets.
For every £900 you can have the cinema for free with your choice of film for a whole evening on the day or/and evening of your choice.
We will also be rolling out sponsorship packages too.
If we don't reach our target of
£250,000 we will look at the feasibility of what funds we do raise being put
towards the cinema opening as a small 2nd run and art house cinema with no bar
and reduced seating. Should we only raise a very small amount of money and the
cinema cannot be saved we will return your money minus the fees associated with
crowd funding.
The Impact
You have a chance to make a difference to the world by
supporting this project. The Isle of Wight Film Festival programmes Human
Rights and Environmental films and this cinema will be its base. Our ethos has
always been showing films with a heart and there is little or no choice for the
population of the Isle of Wight and millions of visitors to see much more than
Hollywood films.
The Rivoli will show those Hollywood films as we need them
to keep the coffers full but we will use them to subsidise showing art house
films, and films which kids and adults alike would not find easily accessible.
Aside from making it possible to show films such as these
you will also be saving a beautiful old building and giving the town and Island
a well needed cultural boost and help
the regeneration of Sandown.
I can hear you asking – will you pull this off ? Well I am
very passionate about this project and that is worth a lot. I have made feature
films on my own and sold them around the world. I started up the Isle of Wight
Film Festival, I teach film making and I have a huge network of people in
movies…so Im used to managing bigger projects like this and have a 20 year
knowledge of the film business.
But I need your help, no matter how small.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you are
sitting there and you have got this far you are probably interested in helping
but may not have any spare cash to help. Well don’t worry – you can help
without cash. You can tell people about the campaign. On facebook, on twitter,
down the pub or in the supermarket – you can make a huge difference
And…if you are a whizz kid on a computer you can use Indiegogo
share tools!
