New “Indie” Theater Opening in Williamsburg

Renowned hipster enclave Williamsburg is about to get even more indie cred.

A new theater is coming to the nabe -- "indieScreen" will open in late June, debuting in this year's Brooklyn International Film Festival from June 4th through 13th. 

Best of all, the independent film emporium also contains a restaurant and bar.

"I talked to people [in Williamsburg] and people are dying to have a theater," Marco Ursino, owner of indieScreen and director of the Brooklyn Film Festival since it began in 1998, told NBCNewYork.  There have been no movie theaters in Williamsburg since the Commodore, a Vaudeville-era theater, closed in 2002.

The past failures of Williamsburg theaters haven't deterred  Ursino.  Now is a good time to open indieScreen "just because everyone [else] closed down, I guess," he laughed.

"The main drive was to find a permanent house for the Brooklyn festival," he explained. "I know that three other festivals want to have festivals here, so there is a demand."

Ursino bought the theater in July 2009.  Located on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, it's small: only 93 seats and a 17 x 8-foot screen, reports the Brooklyn Paper

"The idea is really to play indie films," Ursino told us, "but I don't want to put any limits to it.  We will start with independent films and see where we go."

The film festival, which has taken place at the Brooklyn Heights Cinema for the past three years, will show 101 indie films this year.

Most of these will be screened twice, at both the Brooklyn Heights Cinema and at indieScreen.

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