Malibu Film Society pitches privately funded arts center Play

The Malibu Film Society is raising funds to build a theater, performing arts center and art studios in the Malibu Civic Center. It's exactly what the city council and arts commission had been planning before the project had to be put on hold because of White House interference with California disaster funds.

The Malibu Film Society presented its plans to the Arts Commission yesterday. The Film Society proposes to raise private funds to construct the Arts Center on 2 acres of city-owned land behind the Cross Creek Ranch shopping center, north of the Malibu Library.

Film Society director Scott Tallal:

"We'd like to have a movie theater for the film society and other screenings. But we'd also like to have a theater that could be used for readings, plays, other musicals, dance, other kinds of performances. In addition to that, we would like to see an event space that could be rented and help underwrite all of the operations to the whole facility, something that is very common around the rest of the country. And then you also want to have an art gallery, maybe some artist studios."

Reporter: "So pretty much it's the wish list that the arts commission came up with in its meetings over the past few years?"

Tallal: "Exactly. But we decided to do this before the City Council decided to table the issue and work on other priorities. We know that the city's reserve fund has been depleted by the lack of reimbursement from Washington on the Palisades fire expenditures, and the funds just aren't there now to move forward with construction of the arts center. But we've been working on this for over a year and a half. We've been looking for venues in other locations, and we think this is just going to be the best possible venue for this in Malibu."

Reporter: "How much and where are you going to get the money?"

Tallal: "We won't know for sure until we know the project. We're not looking at this just as a local fundraiser in Malibu but beyond Malibu. We also plan on funds from large donors as well as giving arms of the studios."

Tallal tells KBUU News that the Film Society is going to ask the city council to "unfreeze" planning for an arts center. The city council last winter said there is just not enough money right now in the city's savings accounts to build an arts center at the same time that residents clearly want athletics fields, a community center and a public pool.

Tallal says his group — with deep Malibu ties and years of movie industry contacts — can swing the deal while the city staff concentrates on the community center and new park.

The Malibu Film Society was forced out of the Malibu Cinema when it was converted to a swanky retail store. Two movie theaters housed it in Agoura Hills and Calabasas — they are now torn down to make way for high density residential. And showing movies in the city hall chambers has proven to be, charitably speaking, not great.