Hall Building Auditorium goes Dolby Digital for FanTasia

Concordia University was a popular hot-spot this summer as thousands of faithful movie-goers lined up to see an array of films, some showing for the first time ever, at this year's edition of the FanTasia International Film Festival. Organizers enjoyed record-breaking attendance this year, with more than 73,000 tickets sold for films varying from fantasy, action and horror to comedy, drama and documentary. Over 16,000 tickets were pre-sold during the first 48 hours.

The festival, which previously took place at the Imperial Cinema, was cancelled last year due to ongoing renovations. After checking out the cinema facilities in the university's Hall building (H-110), festival organizers jumped on the opportunity of using this spacious location for the July 17th to August 10th event.

In preparation for its grand debut, the H-110 cinema underwent an extensive facelift involving an upgrade to Dolby Digital surround sound, as well as a new screen (17 X 36, compared to the old 15 X 28 screen in H-110) and lenses.

"The system sounds fantastic and the screen is two feet larger than the one at the Imperial," said Marc Lamothe, director of communications, FanTasia. "We promised our fans we would meet or exceed the location and we oversold the previous year by more than 3,000 tickets. It was our biggest year." Festival organizers are preparing to sign a long-term contract with the university.

"Digital video can now be seen the way it was meant to, with surround sound," said Cynthia Canavan, manager, academic facilities & services, Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS). Discussions are currently in the works for additional upgrades to the cinema, including a new curtain and improved seating.

Lamothe noted the difficulty of finding a theatre with a 700-seat capacity. "We were on the verge of booking the fest in a multiplex," said Lamothe. Organizers found it difficult, however, to envision FanTasia fans lining up for Ichi the Killer alongside the crowd for Dumb and Dumberer. "The energy is based on the fact that you get 700 people in the same place – it feels more like a concert at times. It's [the setting] very passionate and enthusiastic," he added.

Now that H-110 has been transformed into a state-of-the-art cinema, the now-popular facility is being booked by a variety of clients, including screenings for Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) and Paramount films, le Festival des Publicités, Vues d'Afrique and the National Film Board (NFB). The Concordia Student Union (CSU) has taken advantage of the facility, showing various films as part of Orientation Week. The student union plans on making this a weekly event, and other student groups are also making similar use of the cinema.

The festival, in its seventh edition, also took place in the smaller J.A. de Sève cinema in the Library building (LB-125). The films were produced in over 20 countries, including Japan, Spain, Germany, Thailand, France, Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, as well as Canada and the U.S. A variety of films made their world premiere launch at this year's festival, including Jeepers Creepers 2.

Both cinemas can be booked by students and outside clients by sending an e-mail to deseve@alcor.concordia.ca (J.A. de Sève), ncurran@vax2.concordia.ca (H-110, internal clients), or beatrix@vax2.concordia.ca (H-110, external clients).