Public ownership an option in bid to save city’s only arthouse cinema

THE option of public ownership is among the possibilities being considered by campaigners lobbying to save the future of Cork’s only arthouse cinema.

The 188-seater Kino Cinema in Washington Street, Cork city, which has debts in the region of €50,000 arising from a redevelopment project which fell through, is set to close on November 29 unless a rescue plan can be found.

Yesterday owner of the cinema, Mick Hannigan, said a working group had been set up to look at options for the cinema’s future.

“We are looking at the possibility that maybe it could continue to operate under a different structure, maybe some form of public ownership,” Mr Hannigan said. The working group, which held its first meeting yesterday, will spend the next four weeks working on a business plan to save the 13-year-old cinema.

Chaired by William Galinsky, artistic director of Cork Midsummer Festival, the group was formed in the wake of a public meeting on Saturday attended by up to 400 supporters of the Kino. Mr Hannigan said the working group was composed of a “wide-ranging group” of people with a mixture of skills and experience that would bring practical and moral support to their ‘Save the Kino’ campaign.

Saturday’s public meeting was attended by a number of politicians, including Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin.

“We will see what we can do. We may have space now to seek out a solution and what I would like to see is a workable pathway. I will certainly do everything I possibly can to try and rescue this,” Mr Martin said.

Lelia Doolan, who spearheads the Solas arthouse cinema group in Galway, also attended the meeting to offer her support.

Mr Hannigan said the options being considered include an approach to the Arts Council or to the Department of Arts for assistance or a return to the Cultural Cinema Consortium (CCC) run by the Arts Council and the Irish Film Board, for increased funding. The CCC approved grant aid totalling €750,000 in 2003 to redevelop the Kino but the money was not drawn down because the Kino was unable to make up the remaining sum needed to redevelop the premises. An architectural firm – Dennehy and Dennehy Designs Ltd – involved with the planned expansion went to the high court to seek €50,000 payment for their services but it is understood the case has been adjourned for four weeks.

Mr Hannigan said he intends to approach the CCC to ask if the Kino could be given €1.5 million, the amount it awarded last year to the Solas group in Galway.

Mr Hannigan said he was delighted with the extraordinary level of support for the Kino which included “offers of financial help”.

“The actual position is that the closure date is still there but the threat of High Court action and the sheriff seizing goods and equipment has receded a bit,” Mr Hannigan said.