Creative Interactions An Urban Catalyst

Microcinema lounges will create an interactive indoor gathering space at the award-winning Michigan Theater that will morph into a state-of-the-art audiovisual/social setting for digital filmmakers to showcase their work. The grant will be used for a microcinema digital projection system, flat screens, digital cabling, WiFi, digital upgrades for sound and computer video, renovations, and furniture.

Highlights:

• The beautifully restored Michigan Theater is a hub of activity in downtown Ann Arbor, attracting diverse patrons and helping to maintain the Liberty and State Street district as a safe and vibrant business and cultural center of Ann Arbor.
• The digital infrastructure has enabled the Theater to expand its programming and the range of films it can show. Many old films, new documentaries, and locally produced films are available only in digital format.
• A recent showing of the 3-D film Up, an entirely digital Pixar production, drew an estimated 10,000 people to the Theater.
• The digital capabilities are a great boon to the annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, which shows a wide range of independent and experimental art films, and attracts filmmakers from around the world.
• The summer Film Camp, in which area youth learn about filmmaking and create their own short films, would not be possible without the equipment purchased with the Cool Cities grant.
• The Michigan Theatre was recently noted as a site of interest in an article by Bing Travel on America's Best College Towns.