‘Let’s save it’: Ituna, Sask. residents rally to buy local movie theatre

Residents in the community of Ituna are rallying together to save their local movie theatre. Fruzsina De Cloedt has the story.

High winds have blown off the sign belonging to Ituna’s beloved movie theatre. The Main Street fixture now sports several banners, announcing the venue is up for sale through an auction house.

Inside, three Ituna, Sask., locals share their stories about the theatre. First opened in 1946, the venue has seen multiple ownership changes, but it remained an integral part of the local community.

“Many people remember, even as far back when they were kids, watching movies here, having plays, having festivals, all kinds of things in this building,” Ituna town coun. Peter Overduin told CTV News.

Today, the theatre still serves as a community hub but only offers movie screenings.

“That’s what we want to restore it to,” Overduin added.

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Unfortunately, the situation is dire. According to residents, the current owner of the Ituna Theatre had decided to put the establishment up for sale through an auction house. This is when Overduin set things into motion and called on the community for help.

“We’re raising money through a [Community Investment Co-op] model, where people can give up to $1,000, which goes into an investment account,” he explained to CTV News in front of the theatre’s concession stand. “We’re hoping to get enough [money] to purchase the theater and own and operate it locally.”

He emphasized that this is not a donation, but an investment opportunity. So far, they’ve collected over $10,000 into their account at Cornerstone Credit Union, but more is needed before the auction concludes on Nov. 28.

“We’re really hoping for this final push in the next few days where people will step up and invest what they can,” Overduin added.

Those who gathered at the theatre on Tuesday afternoon agreed that losing the theatre would be a huge blow to the small Saskatchewan town.

“We recently lost a hotel in a fire, and that was another hub of the community,” Terry Kolody, the theatre’s operator, explained. “It happened in 2020, when COVID hit, and that didn’t help businesses in town. To lose this place would really kill the atmosphere on Main Street.”

Kolody started working at the theatre when he was 14 years old, 40 years ago. He learned the trade on a carbon arc projector, and his technical knowledge evolved with the theatre itself, today he’s an expert with a digital projector.

While Kolody shared his story, another resident, Diane Olech’s eyes welled. She’d been a regular at the Ituna Theatre since the 1950s.

She recalled a memory of her parents taking her to see the 1953 feature Titanic.

“My dad and his parents immigrated to Canada in about 1912. So, the sinking of the Titanic was a big thing,” Olech said. “When [the movie] came to Ituna, he took the whole family because this was closely related to him, because he came to Canada about that time, and it could have been him on that ship.”

As the years passed, she kept visiting the Ituna Theatre with her own family; “When my kids were in high school, Saturday night was movie night for them.”

Olech said the first thing that came to mind when she learned about the uncertain future of the venue was action.

“Let’s save it!” she proclaimed. “That was my feeling. That we have to keep it. We’ve lost too many things in small communities. We have to keep these things going and everybody has to step up and do their part.”

In the event the resident’s community investment co-op approach fails, the funds will be returned to all investors in the following weeks after the auction.