The Grand Illusion

Join us for this special fundraiser screening of Giuseppe Tornatore's CINEMA PARADISO. The proceeds from your $25 ticket will go towards our relocation, plus you'll get to see one of the most beloved films ever made.

Funny, moving and unabashedly sentimental, CINEMA PARADISO swept the world’s major film awards, reinvigorated Italian cinema, and has become a true classic.

Young Salvatore Di Vita discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl and takes over as the theater’s projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Told in flashback, with a gorgeous score by maestro Ennio Morricone and a legendary ending montage, CINEMA PARADISO is a love letter to the movies, community, and the power of art to give meaning to our lives.

Note: We are screening the 124 minute award-winning 1990 international release version.

Part of our Farewell to 1403 series.

For all of our fundraiser screenings, if you see a “Sold Out” message on the ticketing page it means we sold all of our 68 seats. We’ll start a wait list for door sales, but no guarantees we’ll have extra tickets.

“An alluring blend of postmodern self-referentiality and old-fashioned sentimental nostalgia, [it] plays like a parable or a fable, a paean to the inspirational power of the moving image.” Mark Kermode, BFI Player

“This is one of the finest films about innocence ever made.” Camilla Long, Sunday Times (UK)

“Both emotional and sentimental, Cinema Paradiso shows nostalgia for the mythical magic of collective movie-going in the past, before the age of television, when movies were the main source of entertainment.” Emanuel Levy