March 2015: Paradise Sisters Passes Torch To Carbon Arc

The Board and members of Paradise Sisters Film Society have elected to wind down the organization and transfer its assets to Halifax repertory cinema Carbon Arc Cinema Co-Op Ltd.

Created in 2002 by an intrepid group of volunteers led by Kate Delmage, Paradise Sisters' goal was to create a repertory cinema in Halifax with its own permanent theatre. Hundreds of film fans contributed financial donations to the initiative. But over the years the cost of developing such a facility proved daunting and the current Board of Directors have decided to put the remaining funds toward supporting existing rep cinema Carbon Arc.

Carbon Arc Cinema has been screening films since 2010. It was founded by ex-Wormwood volounteer Siloën Daley with help from Kenny Lewis and Alan Collins. They present about 30 films each year.

"This is a logical move for us", said Paradise president Emanuel Jannasch. "Carbon Arc has very similar goals and mandate to ours and Siloën and her team run a first class operation". "We are delighted to accept this timely support", said Carbon Arc director Siloën Daley. "We will put these funds to work to continue the spirit of Paradise Sisters' vision", she added. The Carbon Arc screening room is located in the Museum of Natural History at 1747 Summer St. The theatre has 74 seats. The entrance is off the south side lower parking lot. The screening schedule can be found at www.carbonarc.ca.

February 2009: Dalhousie Management Without Borders Report

The Dalhousie Management Without Borders student team worked diligently for the last couple of months on the business case for a rep cinema in Halifax. Their report was presented on Monday, February 16th. Here is a copy of the report.

September 30, 2008 General Meeting & Elections

The Founding Members of the Paradise Sisters Film Society elected a new board of directors last night, at a meeting of about twenty-five Founding Members. The previous board had tendered their resignations the previous week.

"This is not a suitable project for a non-profit model," said outgoing chair Kate Delmage in a letter to the members sent last week, "I do think that a devoted, and perhaps quixotic, entrepreneur would have a chance of restarting a new version of Wormwood Cinema. Almost inevitably, that's what has worked elsewhere."

After the elections, the new board immediately began working with the assembled members to begin planning the society's future.

"Kate is right," said Emanuel Jannasch, one of the new directors, "We need the entrepreneurial spirit of a Gordon Parsons (of Wormwood's). Luckily, the Society includes many successful organizers and innovators. To build on the hard work and fundraising of previous boards, we need to bring more of our own membership into the picture."

There are about five hundred members of the society, which was founded in 2002 to bring repertory cinema back to Halifax, four years after the closing of Wormwood's Dog And Monkey Cinema. People interested in helping plan the future of Paradise Cinema can contact the board via the webpage, paradisecinema.ca.

Get involved!

If you would like to get involved with the next phase of Paradise, whatever that may be, email us at info@paradisetheatre.ca.