True West Film Center Launches Community Phase of Capital Campaign to Bring Movie Theaters to Downtown Healdsburg

With $3.6 Million Raised to Date, Community Phase Kicks Off with Foley Family Pledge to Match First $100,000

HEALDSBURG, CA – Hillary Kambour, Chair of True West Film Center’s Board of Directors, announced today the launch of the community phase of the nonprofit organization’s $5.6 million, multi-year capital campaign to bring state-of-the-art cinemas to its James Redford Campus in downtown Healdsburg. Campaign to Open True West invites North Bay individuals and businesses to add their names to the project with the purchase of a $500 brick, $2,500 theater seat, or $5,000 large paver.

“We are thrilled to launch this phase of our capital campaign,” said Kambour. “As we prepare to open our James Redford Campus, we are delighted to invite and celebrate the support of the communities we are so proud to serve.”

With principal gifts contributed by Sonoma County vintners Alan Baker and Serena Lourie of Cartograph Wines and the Merriam Family of Merriam Vineyards, the campaign’s quiet phase generated $3.6 million. The Foley Family of Foley Family Wines & Spirits has pledged to match the first $100,000 in donations to the Campaign to Open True West.

“The visionary leadership of Alan and Serena, the Merriams, and the Foleys has laid the foundation to realize our dream of creating a filmgoing space, social hub, and vibrant cultural destination in Sonoma County,” said Executive Director Kathryn Philip. “We are honored to kick off the Campaign to Open True West with the Foley Family’s pledge to match the first $100,000.”

Bricks, seats, and pavers will be engraved with donors’ names, and placed around the exterior perimeter of the cinema entrance, within the theaters, and throughout the courtyard, respectively. The new campus will comprise 8,000 square feet, including three movie theaters, educational facilities, and a central gathering space for the community. The three theaters will be outfitted with state-of-the-art exhibition technology in order to provide audiences with big screen cinematic experiences. The project is scaled to the community, offering a total of 101 seats across all three theaters. The cinemas are expected to open this fall.

When the project is complete, True West projects it will welcome 45,000 people per year within the first three years of operation, expanding its current audience by nearly 10 times. Within one year of opening, the Campus is projected to generate $2 million in new economic activity for Sonoma County.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director John Cooper, the cinemas will present first-run movies and repertory screenings 365 days a year. A wide range of programs celebrating cinema history, documentaries, Spanish language films, and special offers for locals will reflect True West’s mission of creating a filmgoing space where everyone belongs.

Campaign to Open True West launches amid a period of transformational growth for the non-profit. Over the past twelve months, organizational milestones have included naming Sundance veteran John Cooper to the post of Artistic Director, breaking ground on the James Redford Campus and cinemas, and transitioning its name from AVFilm to True West Film Center.

Tom Rael of Rael Architecture (New York) is the project architect. Eddinger Enterprises of Healdsburg is the construction firm. Theaters will be equipped with Christie Digital Laser Projectors and Dolby Sound equipment. Alfonso Felder, SVP of Administration and Facilities for the San Francisco Giants, is serving as volunteer project manager.