By Maria Saporta

Good news Atlanta moviegoers!

The Tara Cinema will rise again.

Chris Escobar, owner of the Plaza Theatre, announced Tuesday evening at the closing night of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, that he will be reopening the beloved Tara in the near future.

“If you’re like me and have been coming to the AJFF for years — and a fan of historic cinemas, I’m sure you too are sad this year couldn’t also be held at Tara due to its recent and unexpected closing,” said Escobar in a video message before the showing of the closing night movie.

Chris Escobar in front of the Plaza Theatre. (Special: Atlanta Film Society.)

Escobar said he is able to reopen the Tara thanks to a few partners, and his friendship with Kenny Blank, AJFF’s executive director, who advocated on their behalf as well as the Halpern family, who own the property on Cheshire Bridge and LaVista, where the Tara is located.

“It’s a testament to what is possible when Atlantans come together, and how our cultural institutions can live on when we all get a say,” Escobar said. “For the first time in decades, the Tara will once again be run locally.”

Escobar has become a major player in Atlanta’s movie and arts scene.

Before buying the Plaza Theatre on Ponce de Leon in 2017, Escobar was a member of the Atlanta Film society since 2007, joining the board in 2010 and becoming its executive director in 2017.

In some ways, Escobar is the younger version of George Lefont, who once owned both the Plaza Theatre and the Tara. For decades, Lefont was known for bringing independent, artistic and international films to Atlanta.

“Once re-opened, it will have the same qualities and programming those who love the Tara have come to expect, but also much, much more,” Escobar said in the video. “In just a few months, I’m looking forward to welcoming you, and next year, the AJFF back to the Tara! See you then.”

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