The Dollar Cinema, 2017-2022
Selected photographs from this series
Decarie Square Mall holds a distinct place in my memory, an architectural relic that has remained largely unchanged since my childhood. Its glass facades and neon lights preserve a sense of the past, standing as a quiet resistance to the rapid transformations surrounding it. Within this space, the Dollar Cinema once served as an essential gathering place, an affordable and accessible alternative to mainstream movie-going experiences.
Opened in 2004 by Bernie Gurberg, the Dollar Cinema operated under a simple yet powerful philosophy: movie-going doesn’t have to be an expensive outing. For 22 years, it provided uninterrupted service, creating a space for connection and celebration. I maintained a good relationship with Bernie, who remained dedicated to keeping cinema accessible. However, in May 2022, the theater announced its closure due to financial pressures and the broader forces of gentrification. Its loss was not just the disappearance of a cinema. It was the erasure of a shared cultural experience and a reminder of the fragility of community-centered spaces in the face of urban redevelopment.
This project is an act of remembrance, documenting the Dollar Cinema as a way to preserve collective memory while reflecting on the broader implications of cultural shifts and displacement. By capturing the stories embedded in these spaces, I consider how places of nostalgia, like Decarie Square Mall and the Dollar Cinema, contribute to community identity over time and what is lost when community-centered spaces disappear. In the face of gentrification, these questions become increasingly urgent, highlighting the fragile nature of cultural cohesion and the importance of preserving shared histories.
I would like to thank Bernie Gurberg for supporting me on this project for the past 5 years.