About

the theatre

The Westdale screens art and independent films, and provides an intimate cultural space for public performances and exhibitions, showcasing Canadian and world content. The Westdale is a fully licensed and fully accessible theatre with described video and closed captioning technology.

westdale cinema group

The Westdale Cinema Group is a charitable corporation that owns and manages Hamilton’s premier repertory cinema and arts venue at the historic Westdale Theatre.

History

The Westdale Theatre has been an important part of Westdale (Canada’s first planned neighbourhood) since it opened in 1935. It was the first theatre in Hamilton built expressly to show sound motion pictures. The theatre remained in operation until it was put up for sale in December of 2016. The newly incorporated Westdale Cinema Group (WCG) submitted an offer to purchase the building that was accepted on January 27, 2017.

The full purchase and restoration budget was raised in Hamilton, by Hamiltonians, both residents and the City of Hamilton. After over 18 months of restoration and modernization of services (washrooms, wheelchair access, heating and air conditioning, etc.), the theatre reopened its doors on February 14th, 2019 as a cultural hub showcasing films, talks, music, performance and special events.

Vision

The Westdale will be a community-based cinematic, cultural and economic hub for Westdale Village, the City of Hamilton and the surrounding region.

The Westdale Mission and Objectives:

The Westdale Theatre, as Hamilton’s community cinema and arts venue, will primarily screen independent and repertory films, providing an intimate, heritage-designated space for cultural performances and exhibitions, showcasing Canadian content.

We present the arts into our community through cinema, stage, and exhibitions while curating community-based arts creation, production, and dissemination. We also provide space for our community to host their events.

o Our film showings are thoughtfully curated, showcasing the best of independent films and documentaries, interwoven with cinematic classics and all-time favourites, giving special attention to diverse Canadian works.
o We present a dynamic range of live stage performances of Canadian greats and local up-and-comers as well as international talents; from musicians to authors, to comedic acts, to magicians, and beyond
o We bring artists, filmmakers, authors, and others to our community to discuss their work and create collaborative works.
o Our Artist’s Lounge showcases the work of local visual artists for exhibitions, as well as work created during community-based arts programming.

Through our programming, we seek to use art to explore commonalities and differences and encourage the inclusion of diverse cultural groups. To this end, we support the work of non-profit organizations and other community groups with low-cost use of our space.