The silver screen will be blacked out at the Rio Theatre this week.
The small, cherished community cinema near Commercial Drive and Broadway is being forced to cancel all of its upcoming film programming — including the International Mountain Film Festival and Emily Carr graduation show — because of a last-minute condition imposed by the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch that prevents it from showing any movies at the venue whether they serve alcohol or not.
The provincially imposed order came as a shock to Corinne Lea, the theatre’s general manager, who says the Rio’s future is now uncertain.
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay the bills,” said Lea, whose venue is now only permitted to host live events under the liquor licence. “We were already just hanging on by a thread. We’re reeling from this news.”
In October, the Rio was permitted to serve alcohol during live events such as concerts during certain times, but Lea believed she could still screen films at the theatre as long as alcohol isn’t served to customers.
She wasn’t told otherwise, until Thursday.
The news also came as a shock for Vancouver Coun. Heather Deal, who is planning a motion at city hall to urge the province to revisit its “ancient” laws.
“We didn’t think it was an issue when we gave the Rio a licence,” she said. “They’ve done everything by the book, showed great management and have supported the arts community in so many ways.
(The LCLB) is hurting small business.”
Deal said the province defends its decision as a public-safety issue, “that it’s too easy to pass a beer to a minor in a darkened theatre.”
The Rio plans to appeal the condition, and is prepared to take more drastic steps — including a public campaign and possibly a lawsuit challenging to the board’s interpretation of the laws — if the nothing changes.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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