![]() “We’ve grown it to a level that people look to the theater as one of the first places when there’s a film coming out that they want to see.” “Being there for 40 years, you just can’t help but establish yourself as a presence in the whole West Newton Square, and we have,” said co-owner Jim Bramante. It’s become such an icon since opening in 1937 that the first result when Googling “West Newton" is an image of the building. Today, parents take their children to the theater where they watched films growing up, like their parents did before them. Over the years, the theater has played host to first dates, marriage proposals, and weekly movie nights in between. ![]() The same could be said for the community as a whole. “In big ways and in small ways, it’s kind of woven into the fabric of what our family is,” she said. It’s where they celebrated birthday parties, sold Girl Scout cookies, and held sleepovers. With nonessential businesses shuttered until at least May 4, the money will help the theater survive for a few additional weeks.įor Bali, 33, and her two siblings, the theater served as the backdrop to their childhood. And from the first flood of donations, it was clear the money could help bridge the gap until the theater can reopen.ĭonations will help pay the theater’s mortgage, utilities, and other bills. Like they did then, he figured that one way or another they’d make do.īut at Bali’s persuasion, he agreed to give it a try. He has experienced plenty of the industry’s ups and downs during his 40-some years on the job, including navigating the theater through the pain of digital conversion, which knocked many independent cinemas on their heels. “You just go through things sometimes with your head down, and go on another day, but this has been a very special experience.”īramante, who has owned the theater with his brother Jim since 1978, wasn’t initially sold on asking for help. “What’s happened with the GoFundMe and the notes that have come in, it’s eye-opening,” Bramante said. Donations have ranged from $5 to $10,000, a testament to how much the theater means to its community. ![]() Three weeks later, donations had jumped to nearly $34,000 –– nearly $9,000 more than the original goal. Within two days of its March 16 posting, the family’s GoFundMe page had raised more than $10,000. The outpouring of support was more than the family could have imagined. When the West Newton Cinema’s future was thrown into uncertainty by the coronavirus pandemic, owner David Bramante’s daughter, Bridget Bali, took to the Internet to ask those who know and love the theater for help. ![]()
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