Egyptian Theater Renovation on Track; Hollywood Landmark to Re-Open Later This Year With Increased Screening Opportunities for Indies

by Eugene Hernandez

Hollywood’s landmark Egyptian Theater is on track to open later this year following a massive renovation. The site will become the permanent home for the American Cinematheque. One week after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the creation of a new Oscars facility on Hollywood Blvd., the American Cinematheque held a press conference in the famed Egyptian courtyard yesterday to explain their plans and give attendees a sneak preview of the work in progress construction site. An array of filmmakers, Hollywood industry people, civic leaders, and Cinematheque brass gathered to unveil a $12.9 million fundraising campaign aimed at closing the financial gap created by the project. Organizers also revealed that the new complex will become a significant venue for indiefilm screenings.

Opened in 1922, the Egyptian Theater was built by Sid Grauman five years before the legendary Chinese Theater down the street. It was the first major movie theater in Hollywood. Yesterday, as painters put final touches on courtyard walls, construction workers inside continued the laborious rebuilding process. Attendees at yesterday’s event were given hard hats and allowed to walk through portions of the work site. Scaffolding dominates the interior, which is still in skeletal form as wall boards and floor boards are installed. The only apparent vestiges of the legendary theater are the ceiling paintings which will be restored to their original appearance.

A part of the ongoing effort to re-vitalize the Hollywood area, the Egyptian renovation will produce a permanent home for the American Cinematheque, a non-profit, film organization that screens rare movies, screenings series, and independent films for both members and the general public. When Cinematheque programs move to the Egyptian from Raleigh Studios the groups’ Alternative Screen series which showcases new indie works will be expanded, series producer Margot Gerber told indieWIRE yesterday. Regular programs can be held in the primary 650-seat theater, while the venues smaller 75-seat house may be rented for screenings. With a permanent venue, the Cinematheque may also offer the screen for week-long runs of independent and foreign films, Gerber said.

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Bound to become a popular tourist stop in Hollywood, the site will also include a restaurant, as well as book and magazine kiosks amid the restored entrance portico, ticket booths and four massive columns. For yesterday’s event, the Cinematheque welcomed a large group of filmmakers who support the endeavor and their work. Alfonso Arau, Paul Bartel, Curtis Hanson, Tim Hunter, Monte Hellman, and Jerzy Skolimowski were among those who attended, while attorney Peter Dekom, longtime Hollywood industry execs Mike Medavoy and James G. Robinson, producer Steve Tisch, and Cinematheque president Sigurjon Sigvatsson rounded out the dais as hosts. Cinematheque Director Barbara Smith and Programming Chair Charles Champlin participated, along with LA Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, and Community Redevelopment Chair Christine Essel. While screenings may begin at the venue in mid-fall of this year, the new Egyptian is officially set to debut on December 4th with a “vintage Hollywood premiere” of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments.” The event will take place on the exact 75th anniversary of the film’s original world premiere at the Egyptian. The silent film screening will be accompanied by a live orchestra. Login to recommend this article » posted on April 10, 1998 Films to Snag Login to Leave a Comment »