A Funky Indie Movie Theater With a Bar Is Coming to Hamtramck

A new bar and “microcinema” called the Film Lab is settling into Hamtramck’s Post 1 P.L.A.V. building at 3105 Holbrook Ave. this summer with a full list of international and independent movies on deck.

Josh Gardner, founder of pop-up film non-profit Cinema Lamont, and Lara Sfire, founder of filmmaking collective Film Shop Detroit, are behind the theater project, per a release. In the first phase of the project, Gardner and Sfire plan to transform the 1,600-square-foot first floor into a bar using the 95-year-old building’s original marble bar and retro wood paneling. The pair plan to host film screenings in the bar area with “themed drink specials” and food from local pop-ups. Gardner tells Eater in an email that the space has a roughly 70-person capacity and will be ages 18 and up with the exception of family-friendly events.

On the second floor, Gardner and Sfire are adding a two-screen, dine-in cinema. One screening room will seat approximately 75 people, while the other will be smaller with a 20-seat capacity. Once the second floor space opens sometime in 2020, Film Lab will become all ages “depending on the film’s restrictions,” according to Gardner.

Cinema Lamont will be screening a range of films at Film Lab, from cult classics to new festival films to movies by local filmmakers. The founders also plan to showcase films that highlight the international communities that have settled in Hamtramck.

Stay tuned for more updates as the project moves forward.

• All Coming Attractions Coverage [ED]