Milwaukee Film announced on Monday, the official reopening of its Oriental Theatre which is set to take place Friday, Aug. 20. Sundance Film Festival Winner CODA is currently scheduled exclusively at the Oriental Theatre to welcome the public back.
“We are so excited to have film fans back in our beloved theatre,” said Jonathan Jackson, CEO for Milwaukee Film. “We’ve been patiently awaiting this day for a long time and cannot wait to once again open our doors for moviegoers to experience the wonder that is the Oriental Theatre. With our restoration work completed during the pandemic, Milwaukee’s historic architectural icon is ready again to transport our community via movie magic like nowhere else in the country.”
After the theatre’s previous closure in spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, the nonprofit used that time to continue their ongoing commitment towards restoring the historic movie palace through a multi-million dollar renovation project made possible thanks to generous donations from the organization’s 2019 capital campaign. One step into the new and improved Oriental Theatre main house is sure to transport you back in time to 1920s cinema.
2021 Sundance Film Festival Fiction Film Top Prize Winner CODA which will exclusively welcome moviegoers back in person, is the emotional, crowd-pleasing story of seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) who is the sole hearing member of a deaf family – a CODA, child of deaf adults. When Ruby joins her high school’s choir club, she discovers a gift for singing and is torn between obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams.
The reopened theatre will also host several screenings and events for Milwaukee Film’s upcoming Cultures & Communities Festival taking place Sept. 6-12.
Movie tickets for the theatre’s reopening will go on sale Thursday, Aug. 12. More information about Milwaukee Film and the Oriental Theatre is available at mkefilm.org.
Posted by: Tom Fuchs