Florida State University has officially purchased the Regal movie theater near the Governor’s Square Mall. The facility will be used to expand the university’s College of Motion Picture Arts. And L.B. Bunch isn't holding back her excitement.
“Our film school is one of the top in the country, especially one of the top public film schools. We are the only top film school in the country though that hasn’t had our own dedicated screen space," says Bunch, who works with Torchlight Studios and the film school. "All of the other big film schools have their own, maybe even have multiple. So, I mean, this is a big deal for us,”
Torchlight Studios is the film school’s Center for Cinematic Innovation where students are able to use state-of-the-art production resources, connect with alumni, and create professional relationships. In addition to serving as Torchlight’s new home, the Governor’s Square theater will screen student work.
The 43,000 square-foot theater was previously on the market for $4.6 million. In December, university officials confirmed that FSU was under contract as a buyer. The deal was finalized last week. The final purchase price was around $4 million.
FSU Alum Emily Hyde graduated last summer from the College of Motion Picture Arts with a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting. She thinks the purchase price was well worth it. That's because she says getting space for screenings came with a host of problems. Normally, the college would have to reserve the Student Life Cinema on campus, or other venues.
“So there’s always people that are doing film festivals and trying to show off all sorts of other projects, and when you’re kind of competing with the rest of the school for space, it gets a little crazy and a little hectic, especially if something goes wrong,” says Hyde.
Hyde hopes the newly acquired theater will bring more recognition to Florida State’s film school, comparable to schools out West.
Reb Braddock, the Dean of Motion Picture Arts at FSU is hoping for the same thing. Braddock incorporated Torchlight as a college center back in 2019. He says the biggest change now is having a real film destination and plenty more room to create.
“So, the big part of this is that we are now gaining two, three, four sound stages, a better home for our virtual production stage, and brand new facilities which we don’t have at all related to production design,” says Braddock.
Braddock and the university hope to transform the Governor’s Square theater into a hub for community art engagement and film appreciation, and give Tallahassee a little slice of Hollywood.