CINCINNATI — The historic Mariemont Theatre will once again screen films starting this month, and a grand reopening gala will close down Mariemont Square in September.
The Mariemont Theatre by Cindependent has launched its new website, where tickets are now on sale for a soft opening happening on Friday, Aug. 28. Then, on September 16, the independent film nonprofit will hold a grand reopening gala to formally launch the theater into its new chapter.
The Aug. 28 soft opening will feature 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. showings of four different films:
- Tony
- The Brink of War
- The Rivals of Amziah King
- Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
That same day, Cindependent will launch a month-long series of films from 1938 to mark the year the theater originally opened. Those historical screenings will feature audience discussions with University of Cincinnati film professors.
"It feels like we're standing at the starting line after months of building, and now we finally get to go to work," Cindependent Founder and Executive Director Allyson West said. "I'm incredibly proud of what we've put together, grateful for every neighbor and so ready to fill these rooms with stories — both on and off the screen. This is the moment it starts to feel real."
Multiple daily screenings will continue through the soft opening period leading up to the Grand Reopening Gala on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The event coincides with the opening of the 2026 Cindependent Film Festival, presented with LADD, and will close down traffic on Mariemont Square.
The gala will feature street performers, live music, and "Taste of Mariemont" food stations throughout the Mariemont Fountain and Lawn area that afternoon. The evening will close with special screenings in all 5 auditoriums of The Singers from Cindependent alumni and Oscar-winner Jack Piatt, and Take Me Home from Sundance Film Festival winner Director Liz Sargent. Piatt will be in attendance along with other special guests.
Traffic in front of the theater will be re-routed around the Square from noon to 9 p.m. on Sept. 16. A 12-piece 1930s band will perform on the roadway in front of the cinema starting at 5 p.m.
Tickets for the grand reopening gala are available online.
Moviegoers can also support the theater by purchasing concessions and signing up for the Friends of the Mariemont Theatre membership program.
