On March 9, the night before this year’s Oscars, Ciné, a non-profit art house movie theater, and event venue in Athens, GA, held a fund-raising Gala to convert a space in Ciné to a third screening room. Attending the Gala was a “who’s who” of the Athens creative community, government dignitaries and fun seeking citizens! The 429 attendees started the evening with a Red-Carpet arrival, champagne starters, and big band music by the amazing group, Mary and the Hot Hotty-Hots.
“The Ciné Oscar Gala Fundraiser was an outstanding success, surpassing our expectations in every way,” said Ciné Executive Director, Pam Kohn. “Athens really came out to show their love for the nonprofit and we are truly humbled and grateful!” Airee Edwards, Ciné Board Member, Gala Chair, and owner of Agora Vintage agreed, “The Gala brought our creative community out and connected them in a fun and engaging way!”
In addition to Athenians, film makers and creatives from Atlanta attended. Hip Hop artist Waca Flocka Flame was in the house along with former UGA Bulldog, Super Bowl Champ, and children’s book author, Malcolm Mitchell. State Representative Spencer Frye took the stage and gave an overview of the importance of preserving the Georgia Film Tax Credit. In fact, a good deal of the focus of the Gala was about the preservation of the tax incentive.
“The Georgia film tax incentive has brought over $4 billion this past year in direct project funds to the state. We know without the incentive, most of that revenue will dry up,” said David Sutherland, Senior Lecturer at UGA’s Terry College of Business and Ciné Board and Gala Committee member, “and would negatively impact the local Athens economy, given the recent opening of Athena Studios, a 185,000 square foot purpose-built sound stage.”
But the primary focus of the Gala was to have a good time. Half the crowd was dressed in formal attire and the other half costumed as their favorite film star. In addition to the Hot Hotty-Hots, there were several dance sets by DJ Mahogany, and actress and filmmaker Sheri Winkelmann performed her nationally known, spot-lit “Marilyn Monroe Show”, where she impersonates Marilyn, covers her songs, and engages members of the audience in her act. “Everywhere you looked there was a touch of class”, said Winkelmann of the Epting Events decorated space, “Athens certainly knows how to roll out the red carpet!”.
Russell Edwards, Gala Co-Producer and Master of Ceremonies was impressed, “The inaugural Gala was a great achievement for Ciné (and) a strong showing of Athens support for the cinematic arts.”
To learn more about Ciné, go to https://www.athenscine.com .
