The Bronx Independent Cinema Center (BICC) will premiere its first monthly film club meeting at its headquarters, located at the business incubator on the third floor of Lehman College’s CUNY on the Concourse (COTC) campus at 2501 Grand Concourse in Fordham Manor on Tuesday, March 11, at 5 p.m.

 

Members of BICC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 2022, said the monthly film club is for local filmmakers and movie lovers and is free to join. They said after the launch, the club will meet on the second Tuesday of each month from March to November, skipping July for a summer break. They said the new club will be a safe space for community development, collaboration, the screening of directorial feature film debuts by prominent filmmakers, and conversations about the films and their directors.

 

“Although we’re extremely happy that Regal Cinemas is coming to The Bronx, besides Cinema on the Sound, located on City Island, there isn’t a space in The Bronx that showcases arthouse, local, independent, international and classic films consistently,” the club founders said.  “There are only two multiplex cinemas in the borough. If you’re interested in meeting other cinephiles and filmmakers, this club is for you.”

 

According to Regal Cinemas’ website, a new movie theater is set to open at Concourse Plaza on 161st Street in Concourse Village, opposite the Bronx Hall of Justice between Morris Avenue and Concourse Village West. We’ve reached out to Regal Cinemas for more information on the expected opening date and will share any details we receive.

Meanwhile, as reported, a suspected e-bike fire in a Fordham Manor building on Creston Avenue adjacent to the famed Loews Paradise Theater was thankfully brought under control in September 2024 before the fire spread to the landmarked building. The historic movie theater, located at 2403 Grand Concourse, closed in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

As reported, BICC members held their inaugural gala on Nov. 16, 2023  in the South Bronx. The nonprofit is a community development organization created to increase diversity and career opportunities within the film and  television industry. The organization’s representatives said they believe visual storytelling is essential; through screenings of independent films, workshops and mentorship. “We are working to create a new class of filmmakers that can navigate all aspects of the industry,” representatives said.

 

They continued, “Our motto is ‘Be a better filmmaker,’ and we aim to develop a single screen cinema that will seat 100 people and reside in the Fordham area of The Bronx. This will be a third space for filmmakers in The Bronx and neighboring communities in Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. This space will serve as a catalyst for community engagement and professional development.”

 

Meanwhile, Gregory Hernandez, executive director and president of BICC, said, “Networking is important, but as filmmakers you have to make the right connections in your area. Why not establish a monthly club to build relationships and create a thriving cinema community in the Bronx?” Norwood News has reported over the years on Hernandez’s powerful documentary “1.5 Million,” about the literacy crisis in our borough.

As reported, BICC started looking to bring an independent cinema space to Fordham Road in early 2024, and the group was hoping that with the help of Bronxites, they could make it happen. The group later got the green light from Bronx Community Board 7 in June 2024.

 

As reported, Bronx Film 48, the initiative behind the annual, 48-hour, short filmmaking challenge, has since disbanded but some of its members are part of Bronx Independent Cinema Center, including Hernandez. Read our previous story on the last screening of Bronx Film 48 in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood last year here.

 

Those interested in joining the new film club can RSVP via the organization’s eventbrite page. The first film to be screened will be “La Pointe Courte” (1955) by the Agnès Varda (1928 – 2019).