When the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival held its first edition in 2017, it screened 29 films over two days in a single theatre at Cottonwood Cinema.

According to organizers, the festival eventually grew to take over all four of the cinema’s theatres, showing 100 films over a single weekend.

In an Instagram post in May 2025, organizers said they had learned Cottonwood would close permanently. They described it as one of the last independent cinemas outside Vancouver and said the festival wouldn’t be what it is today without the support of the team that ran it.

The festival has had to change course before, after flooding in the Fraser Valley cost it half its operating budget and again when COVID-19 hit. This time, organizers said, “we’ll pivot again here,” adding that they were talking with the city about whether a permanent home might be possible.

The Chilliwack Film Society, the organization behind the festival, is now planning Basement Cinema, a two-screen independent theatre at 9232 Young Road, one block from District 1881. The society has a lease on the space and plans to begin hosting screenings in spring 2027, with both theatres completed by the end of that year.

After Cottonwood closed, the Film Society salvaged equipment from one of the theatres there, including the seats and projector. “We held onto the hope that we could give the seats, equipment and spirit of that cinema a new home,” said Taras Groves, festival director. He credited support from CEPCO, the City of Chilliwack and the community for making Basement Cinema possible.

This year’s festival is already underway. The 10th edition began October 21 and runs through October 25 with 110 films across Galaxy Cinema, Cowork Chilliwack, the Grand Hall and Basement Cinema, which hosts a pop-up screening of the horror film Creep 2 on October 23, followed by a Q&A with director Patrick Brice.

The Film Society is also asking the community for donations toward the cinema. Donors can earn perks such as cinema tickets, a spot on a donor wall or a personalized seat in the theatre, with details at ciff.ca/attend/donate.