HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — The Waterfront Film Festival is moving again – this time to Holland.
Organizers say they spent much of the past year transforming an auto body shop on Columbia Avenue into a multipurpose studio that will serve as the festival’s permanent year-round screening and event facility. The building’s large garage doors roll up to reveal an outdoor gathering space as well.
The group says the site is versatile – it can be used as a 200-seat theater or workshop and education space. The space also serves as the Waterfront Film Festival’s headquarters and offices.
The project was made possible by a matching grant from the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
The Waterfront Film Festival moved from Saugatuck to South Haven in 2013. In 2015, organizers canceled the event, instead partnering with ArtPrize for a film competition.
As part of recent restructuring, the nonprofit organization transitioned its event from an annual four-day festival to year-round individual screenings at the new facility.
The Waterfront Film Festival will celebrate the facility’s grand opening with an inaugural film screening on June 22. Ticket information will be released in May.