AVFilm (previously known as Alexander Valley Film Society), an organization dedicated to the transformative power of film, is actively working to find a way to bring cinema back to Healdsburg. AVFilm has a vision statement that outlines the organization’s focus on using film to impact, educate, empower and engage people of all ages in a way that is equitable for the entire community. As part of that mission, AVFilm is currently working on a feasibility study to determine the implications of re-establishing a theater in Healdsburg.
Jenny Gomez, chair of the board for AVFilm, as well as a member of the Healdsburg community, explained the importance of having a cinema in Healdsburg as “being able to have that cinematic experience for people, not only people who live here, but people who visit here, so that our town has a rich culture, and it’s not just about wine and food.”
“AVFilm has always been dedicated to finding ways for everyone to have access to film,” said Gomez in February when asked about the equity goals of a prospective theater. While the older Raven Theater, which shut down because of the pandemic, was primarily a commercial operation focused on showing bigger Hollywood films, according to Gomez, AVFilm wants to establish a theater in Healdsburg that has a mission of “creating sense of diversity, equity and belonging and access.”
There has been a movie theater in Healdsburg ever since 1918, and local kids now will tell you how much it meant to have a movie theater in town. “It was one of the few things we still had going on in Healdsburg, there’s nothing really kid-friendly here anymore,” said Erick Guttierez, a junior at Healdsburg High School (HHS).
Sam VandenHuevel, another HHS student, expressed a desire for a reopening of the movie theater: “It would be way nicer than having to drive to another town.”
Making friends, going on dates and experiencing fun is just not as easy without someplace like a movie theater, and many adolescents in Healdsburg share a desire for a new movie theater, or just something to do other than walk around town and go to the river.
“It was nice having a source of entertainment in town, so people don’t have to drive everywhere,” Emily Pile, a Healdsburg High junior, expressed.
Fortunately, AVFilm brings salvation with its mission to re-establish cinema in Healdsburg. Gomez said that they are exploring options to have a theater that is two-thirds for commercial screening of mainstream films and one-third for community-based events and showcasing of more artistic cinema. It is unclear if it will be feasible for AVFilm to use the Raven’s former space, “There’s no competition for another movie theater, but there is competition for spaces in town,” explained Gomez. The Raven is an important part of AVFilm’s feasibility study.
According to Eric Drew, the leasing agent of the building that was Raven Movie Theater at 415 Center Street, the current owners of the space are the third generation of the family that built the theater in the mid-1950s, and they want whoever buys it to continue it as a movie theater.
“We’ve had two different groups very interested in the movie theater (one of which being AVFilm), and the landlords haven’t been very interested in either of them, but the hope is they would get together and do a cooperation,” Drew said in a February interview. He was unable to say anything about the other party interested in the space.
The theater has about 390 seats and when it was first built it was servicing a crowd of around 40,000 people, whereas now it services closer to 15,000 people, according to Drew. This makes it a difficult business to run. Drew described how in 1993, when the theater was being put together, it only worked out because they managed to raise $600,000, and that was in a different economic environment. Although the financial aspects of bringing back a movie theater appear potentially challenging, Drew did state that, “My client would like to see the continuation of a theater there, a community theater.”
Part of the AVFilm feasibility study involves determining how much support there would be in the community for a theater, “I’m very encouraged from what we’ve seen so far,” said Gomez, optimistic that the community will come together with the support to make a movie theater happen.
AVFilm plans to pursue creation of a movie theater regardless if they are able to get the Raven Theater or not.
“We’re looking at possibly having an outdoor screen space,” Gomez explained. In February, Gomez said that AVFilm was having a meeting with community leaders to understand the feasibility of this project.
With the expansion of the tourism industry in Healdsburg, many locals long for the movie theater to return.
“I would actually really love that,” Erick Gutierrez expressed. Although AVFilm doesn’t have a timeline due to the changing factors of the project, they are drilling down to try and figure out how to make cinema happen in Healdsburg.
“If there’s a will there’s a way, and we will have a cinema in Healdsburg,” Gomez said.
Harrison Threlfall is a junior at Healdsburg High School and an intern at SoCoNews and the Healdsburg Tribune.
