The Imperial Cinema, a saved heritage building in extremis by Quebecor in 2017, has still not obtained the financing necessary for its restoration, we learned in a press release published Monday. The non-profit organization indicates that due to “insufficient federal funding”, the cinema on rue De Bleury “will have to end its activities on January 31, 2024”.
According to Benoît Clermont, spokesperson for the board of directors of the Center Cinéma Impérial, Quebecor has already invested 8.5 million in safeguarding the cinema over the last six years, while the Quebec government has committed to paying a sum of 5.6 million in the renovation of the building built in 1913, which requires significant work. The City of Montreal has also committed to contributing to its renovation, discussions are “ongoing” and “on track”, according to Mr. Clermont.
But “without sufficient support from the Government of Canada, the feasibility of this project is seriously compromised, and the Imperial Cinema will have to end its activities,” writes administrator Benoît Clermont. Quebec has already lost a large number of heritage buildings due to dilapidation. If the preservation of built heritage is a real priority, a fair share between public and private contributions is essential. »
The Imperial was donated to the World Film Festival (FFM) in 1995 by Viacom, the parent company of Famous Players. But following the growing difficulties of the festival and numerous renovation works to be done on the building, the cinema had to close its doors several times. Restoration work was finally carried out in the early 2000s.
But faced with the financial troubles of the FFM, Quebecor bought the cinema’s mortgage debt in 2017, allowing the non-profit organization to remain the owner and avoid recovery procedures by creditors. The company managed by Pierre Karl Péladeau then became a priority tenant and activities were able to resume their course.
At the same time, a financial arrangement of the work to be carried out was made by Manon Blanchette, of Quebecor, jointly with the general director of Imperial, François Beaudry-Losique (the son of Serge Losique, founder of the FFM). The CA is asking today that the “federal government grant a financial contribution equal to that granted by the government of Quebec”, i.e. 5.6 million.
However, Cinéma Impérial has requested assistance for only 2.5 million as part of the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund. Canadian Heritage did not grant him the requested amount, but he must still receive 1 million over two years from 2025-2026. A sum deemed “insufficient” by Benoît Clermont, who insists on the fact that “the initial requests to the federal government were of the order of 7 million”.
“We need a sum of around 15 million to carry out this work,” François Beaudry-Losique told us in a telephone interview. Basically, we would like the cinema to be able to transform into a multidisciplinary room, because at the moment, we are getting by. We also have to replace the audiovisual equipment, the speakers, the screen, we have to redo the roof, the painting… We cannot cover our costs in the current state of the cinema. »
The office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, reacted at the end of the day Monday, saying it regretted “a difficult situation for a non-profit organization which is losing private investors”.
“As a government, we are committed to supporting Imperial Cinema through a contribution through the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund, designed to support key organizational projects. Thanks to this fund, we contribute to improving the artistic, heritage and creative landscape. We continue to support arts organizations through various programs and work closely with them to ensure they can benefit from the different initiatives we offer. »
What will happen to the building if Quebecor cannot find a new financial arrangement? “It is certain that we are not going to demolish this building on the 1er February, replies François Beaudry-Losique. We will resolve things in a civilized manner. But we will have serious discussions and you will know pretty quickly what will happen. For the moment, Quebecor has made the decision to withdraw if the federal government does not support the project. So I take note of it, I can’t do anything about it. »
Benoît Clermont agrees. “At the moment, we are accumulating deficits. Quebecor is the only major private investor, so if the building is not renovated, we will have difficulty finding other investors. And the longer we wait, the more renovation costs will increase, he told The Press. So we hope to continue discussions with the federal government to find a solution. Otherwise, the CA will look at all the possibilities, but honestly, at the moment, we are in a dead end. »
The Cinéma Impérial hosts several festivals, including Cinemania, the Festival du nouveau cinéma, but also Présence Autochtone as well as the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal (RIDM).