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Help wanted investigating screen slashing at Film.Ca

Film.Ca Cinemas
Film.Ca Cinemas

Independent cinema Film.Ca Cinemas is reaching out to the community asking for help in identifying two males who slashed two movie screens at the cinema on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 23, 2022. Police are also investigating the incident.

At approximately 5:58 p.m. on Wednesday, two unidentified teenage males went into a pair of cinemas, and once inside, cut two screens before exiting and fleeing the premises. The two culprits caused an estimated $4,500-$6,000 worth of damage.

The cinema, located near Speers Road and Kerr Street, is a staple of the Oakville community and one of the largest entertainment venues in Town.

Cinema staff say the incident took only a few minutes, and they've released a video of the crime in action, hoping someone will recognize the culprits and assist identifying them for police.

Almost all of the incident was recorded on security footage from Film.Ca Cinemas and has been compiled into a reel released on social media, now seen over 15,000 times. While one cinema was empty, another had patrons watching Spider-Man: No Way Home. The full video is available here:

In the video, two suspects enter the theatre and one suspect is clearly seen cutting the cinema #2 projection screen with a sharp object while the second records the stunt on his mobile phone. After a patron followed the pair out of cinema #2, the two suspects ran into the then-empty cinema #5 and slashed that screen before using a street exit and escaping by jumping the outside perimeter fence.

In a Facebook post, the cinema said, "We assume these clowns were doing a social media stunt as the little guy was filming everything. Well, they wanted their 15 minutes of fame, now they get it and hopefully this video will lead to arrest and humiliation."

Until new screens can be ordered and installed, cinema staff worked through the day Thursday sewing the torn screens by hand so movies could be shown this weekend. All five screens at the cinema are expected to re-open this morning, Friday, Feb. 25.

"This is costing us for new screens plus lost shows," the post continues. They said this was "the last thing we needed after having been closed and revenue-less for almost two years during COVID-19."

Victoria Jones, a friend of cinema, started a GoFundMe campaign late Wednesday night in an effort to raise the money needed to repair the screens. The campaign raised more than $10,000 in its first 24 hours, with nearly 300 people contributing.

The CEO and owner of Film.Ca Cinemas, Jeff Knoll, is also the Ward 5 Town & Regional Councillor in Oakville, a position he has held since 2000. In January 2021, he was also named Chair of the Halton Regional Police Board.

Two other independent cinemas were also hit by screen slashers, now believed to be the same culprits. The first was CinéStarz in Burlington and the other the Princess Cinema in Waterloo.

Cst. Steve Elms says anyone with information about this incident can and should "reach out directly to Halton police."


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Tyler Collins

About the Author: Tyler Collins

Tyler Collins is the editor for Oakville News. Originally from Campbellton, New Brunswick, he's lived in Oakville more than 20 years. Tyler is a proud Sheridan College graduate of both Journalism and Performing Arts.
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