A staple of the Newton community since 1978, the West Newton Cinema was sold to a developer in August of 2022. This developer had plans to tear the cinema down to build apartments before the West Newton Cinema Foundation was able to buy back the building.
The previous owner of the West Newton Cinema had put a clause in that agreement that said if a nonprofit foundation was able to be created and able to raise the necessary funds which was over five and a half million dollars in a two-year window, the developer would have to sell the building back to a foundation, if one was formed.
Because of this, the Newton community knew they had to act quickly, so at the end of 2022, the nonprofit West Newton Cinema Foundation (WNCF) was born and had a lofty goal to buy back the theater.
Elizabeth Heilig, President of the West Newton Cinema Foundation’s Board of Directors, started within the organization as a volunteer in June of 2023. She took over as the Foundation’s president in November 2023.
“Nobody thought we could do it,” said Heilig. “There’s just no way you can raise $5.6 million in less than two years to buy this building back and save it from being demolished.”
Heilig continued to explain the Foundation’s efforts toward their ultimate goal. “But we were very lucky. We have a great team of people involved in the fundraising and a lot of love from the community as well. And we were able to do it.”
The West Newton Cinema is now a community-run nonprofit. The Cinema continues to show a wide variety of new movies, and now hosts weekly events. The Foundation also allows for rentals of the theaters for private screenings, gaming on the big screens, and for independent filmmakers to show their films.
“The last three weeks have been insanely busy for us,” said Heilig. “Not only have we bought the building, we’ve transitioned operations on to our staff. So, we have a new manager, new assistant managers, basically setting up the business under the Foundation.”
The Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline and the Embassy Theater in Waltham are also historical businesses, independently-owned theaters in the area that show new and curated films alike. The West Newton Cinema is the only movie theater of this type in Newton, which emphasizes Heilig’s explanation of why the institution was so important to keep alive.
“If you want to see something like an independent film, or a foreign film, or a repertory film, we’re kind of it,” said Heilig. “And there’s a lot of people in the community that really care about that, and don’t want that to go away.”
Heilig expressed interest and anticipation at the idea of college students and other Newton community members involved with the West Newton Cinema Foundation, either to volunteer or brainstorm ideas for future events.
“We are definitely looking for ways to make the space more utilized by more people across all aspects of the community, including the college population.” Heilig says.
“That’s really important for the cohesiveness and the vitality of a neighborhood, a community, and of a town to have these spaces where people can come together.”
The West Newton Cinema Foundation is still fundraising to continue their efforts making the Cinema an entertainment hub for the community.
Currently they are raising money for renovation and restoration of the theater, so people of the Newton area can find their “3rd place,” or a place where they can gather outside of work and home.
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