I am beginning to suspect that Detroiters have short-term memory for how the city is changing. It’s hard to believe that the Burton Theatre opened its doors only two years ago as the only art house offering in the city. The project received national attention for its innovative reuse of an old school, diverse and creative programming, along with a shoe-string budget and affordable ticket prices. The Burton Theatre was a comfortable place, the crew made it feel like home, and every movie screening was a memorable experience. From seeing “Tron” on laser disc, a sell-out and sometimes angry crowd during the “Palladium Boots” screenings, to seeing parts of men I never imagined during Dan Deacon’s WHAM City Comedy Tour, I hold these memories dear. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and even though The Burton Theatre was a gem to the community, disputes with the landlord forced it to abruptly close the doors permanently this past spring. During the summer, the misplaced founders maintained their spirits and operations while in exile. I ran into them at a double screening of “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” and “Pink Flamingos” onto a parking structure in Eastern Market — by far one of the more inspiring experiences in the city (I still have Gabba Gabba Hey stuck in my head). What it boils down to is that is seems like these four gentleman, Nathan Faustyn, Jeff Else, David Allen and Brandon Walley can make anything happen.

It is with great enthusiasm that I can finally announce the Burton Theater will be re-opening in a 100,000 square foot former brass foundry as Corktown Cinemas. Promising to continue to be a destination for creatives, Corktown Cinemas teamed up with Detroit Big F Deal and launched a campaign to crowd source $10,000 toward the rehab of what is now a raw industrial space. Find out more and donate (it has arranged seriously awesome perks) at http://www.detroitbigfdeal.com/#/corktown-cinema/4557101114. At the time of publishing and only two and a half days in, it is already twelve percent funded.

Corktown Cinemas Executive Director Else took a moment to answer some questions:

Vanessa Miller: Briefly, and in your words, what was/is the goal for the Burton Theatre?

Jeff Else: The Burton was created in response to the shortage of art house venues in the city of Detroit. Our aim is to help Detroit rival Chicago and New York as a center for independent film.

VM: Previously you have been interviewed by press from all over the world, has this changed your organization at all? Affected business?

JE: Press coverage helped tremendously to get the word out to the metro area that we exist and brought people from some distance, who probably would never have heard of us otherwise. Also, we’ve gained some national notability, and I’ve heard friends in New York say that our name has come up among non-Detroit native friends. Press in the form of movie reviews continually affects our attendance. A positive review, or lack thereof, can make or break the success of a title’s run.

VM: I know it has been tough, but have there been any benefits from this transition period?

JE: The transition period has actually been quite beneficial. Firstly, the tremendous outpouring of public support we experienced upon closing was greatly encouraging. In terms of finding a new location, we had several offers, and were afforded the luxury of being choosy. It has also been a great joy to work with other organizations throughout our programming “in exile.” OmniCorpDetroit in Eastern Market, the Magic Bag in Ferndale and Whitdel Arts in southwest Detroit have all been very gracious hosts and collaborators. Finally, as inexperienced in business as all of us were before starting the Burton, this break has allowed us the time to thoughtfully retool our operation with the benefit of our experience and mistakes.

VM: I know you said you were surprised by Detroit’s very positive reaction to the movie “The Room,” which had a strong cult following in other cities, can we expect you guys to introduce more movies like it?

JE: We love “The Room.” And we were very proud to bring a movie like that to Detroit right at the beginning of a national wave of popularity. Movies that are hilariously bad are a great love of ours. There were many more in that vein that we showed: “Troll 2” (as well as a doc about the making), “Birdemic,” “Get Even,” to name a few. We hope to be the premier venue in metro-Detroit for such fare.

VM: Any other new and exciting changes with the new location? Programing? Hours?

JE: Probably the most exciting aspect of our reincarnation is the location itself. Corktown is a wonderful neighborhood with a quickly expanding offering of unique independent businesses, which we are super excited to be a part of. And the theatre will be a part of Scott Griffin and Angel Gambino’s larger development of 2051 Rosa Parks Blvd. (just off Michigan Avenue), a 100,000 square-foot former brass foundry that is becoming the place of choice for Detroit’s most innovative businesses and shops, including the Detroit bureaus of the Huffington Post and Curbed, as well as the new location of Leopold’s Books.

VM: If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

JE: Kenneth Anger’s “Inauguration of the Pleasuredome.”

VM: One last thing, I loved when you played the movie “Tron” on laser disc, please continue to do more awesome stuff like that. But then again, the outdoor movies are great. Guess I am just really glad you are apart of this city.