Tropic Cinema’s board announced on Aug. 4 that it will turn over all operations and responsibilities of the nonprofit cinema to Tennessee Williams Performance Arts Centers of Key West (PACKW) effective that day.
PACKW committed to honoring the mission, membership commitments and programming of the Tropic Cinema. As PACKW’s Matthew Rawls stated, “we are committed to preserving everything that makes Tropic Cinema special.”
The handover represents a positive development after an extended period of financial pressure brought about by multiple factors. The Tropic’s board believed PACKW would have a better opportunity to be successful in the space.
The outgoing cinema board acknowledged the contributions of the many people who have shepherded the Tropic Cinema since it opened 22 years ago, and the five years before that as the Key West Film Society. It thanks the members, supporters, volunteers and staff who have committed so much to bring independent film to Key West, in particular former executive directors Matthew Helmerich and Carla Turner, the past and current board, and the support and leadership of co-founder George Cooper.
Performing Arts Centers of Key West is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the performing arts in Monroe County. Through its stewardship of the Tennessee Williams Theatre and operation of KeysTix, the organization works to connect audiences with arts experiences across the Florida Keys.
The Key West Film Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999. It owned and operated Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton St., the Florida Keys’ only nonprofit art-house cinema. The organization’s mission is to exhibit, promote and celebrate independent, foreign, documentary, classic and culturally significant films while fostering a deeper appreciation of cinema as an art form.
