La Grande, Oregon's Granada theater has severed ties with the Eastern Oregon Film Festival. For much of the past decade, the theater has hosted films for the fest in a profit-sharing arrangement. The Granada's owners, Mark, John and Charles Greulich could not be reached for comment.
Festival director Christopher Jennings said that the loss of the venue is definitely a challenge — there is no other venue of that size in La Grande. But Jennings said the festival will go forward as planned this fall.
“There are logistics, of course," Jennings said. "We’ve worked over the years to get a turnkey solution to make this festival really fun. [So] having this setback was a little rough. We’re hoping to leverage new partners and ideas, and get creative, like when we started 10 years ago."
The Granada's three screens have made it an important linchpin to La Grande, Oregon's downtown.
April Baer / OPB
Jennings noted La Grande’s Liberty Theater is under renovation and might be ready in time for the 2020 festival. If organizers can come up with a short-term solution, the renovated Liberty might offer a new option for the long run.
The festival has handled its own film bookings and fees for the duration of their arrangement, and split screening profits evenly with the Granada. One of the Granada's part-time employees serves unpaid as a venue manager for EOFF.
The 2019 festival is scheduled for Oct. 24–26. Submissions will be solicited in February.