Bradenton Herald, May, 2006 by JOHN SIMPSON

It's beginning to look a lot like a cinema.

The $4 million, 21,000-square-foot Lakewood Ranch Cinema on Lakewood Main Street will seat close to 900 people. It's set to open around July 14.

"We hope to create a film community to entertain and to educate," said Noel Hazard, executive director of the Sarasota Film Society.

On the inside, the cinema has metal stud walls extending to the ceiling, 32 feet in height, that outline all six theaters. General superintendent Jim Doucette said he expects the project to be close to finished by the end of June.

Hazard said the cinema would show the best films available, whether they're independent, Hollywood, foreign or family films.

Members of the Sarasota Film Society, Hazard said, will be able to buy advance tickets to the films in highest demand.

The left side of the cinema houses the two ... Read Full Article