By Crystal Harrell
With the Palm Springs International Film Festival on the horizon, moviegoers will flock to the valley for a slew of cinematic releases at various local theaters. One such venue is the newly named Festival Plaza — a commercial center formerly known as “the Courtyard” with a legacy of being a community hub in Palm Springs. The new owner, Dale Okuno—based in Pasadena with a background in technology and real estate investing, strives to have the space continue to be a key venue for local film events—in collaboration with local restaurant veteran Gerard Noonan.
In an unprecedented deal presented by Noonan, negotiated by longtime local Commercial Real-estate broker Steve Lyle and stewarded by PSIFF executive board members, Okuno took possession of the former Courtyard Shopping Center across from the Palm Springs Convention Center, quickly re-branding it as Festival Plaza. Shortly thereafter, Okuno and Noonan partnered to take over the former Regal Cinema 9 theater in the Plaza to develop what is now Festival Theaters with the single purpose to create a community forward, first-run blockbuster movie theater with a uniquely positioned two screen art house hybrid theater and a VIP membership lounge in the back for hosting world class curated events and specialized movie industry programming.
“The Regal had just emerged from bankruptcy protection and even though the theater business is tough right now, we wanted to preserve the theater. That’s one of the theater’s main roles in Palm Springs is to support the Film Festival. It’s perfect timing with the event happening next week. The site has been a venue since Sonny Bono started the Film Festival, and it will continue to be,” said Okuno.
Gerard Noonan is Chief Operating Officer of Festival Theaters, located within Festival Plaza. The theater, which was formerly the Regal reopened in November and is gearing up for a busy film festival. There are many future plans in store for the Festival Theaters while maintaining its historic relevance—as the site itself was the last building famed architect Donald Wexler worked on in Palm Springs.
In addition to the yearly Palm Springs International Film Festival Chairman’s Dinner Reception and Preview, the theater will host more community events and industry events.
These exciting additions reflect the goal to create a vibrant arts and entertainment hub throughout the entire property with curated programming that is in tandem with the Community and Art House Theater Movie Club Operations that Festival Theaters is creating.
“This is a really exciting time to have this year’s film festival at Festival Theaters. One of the biggest pluses of doing this was to have local and community control of the space and of the theaters. We have a very close-knit relationship, and I really enjoy the collaboration and working hand in hand, especially with their technology team. They have some amazingly talented people that are making this happen. It’s nice to be a part of that process and to see how it works,” shared Noonan.
Noonan has been a driving force in both the high and low desert over the decades, acting as the CEO for Fisherman’s Market & Grill for 12 years and Shanghai Reds Palm Springs—as well as being elected the Chairman of the Yucca Valley Planning Commission and opening Sky High Pie as Chef Partner and Owner, selling hand-crafted artisanal pizzas in Joshua Tree. These accomplishments just scratch the surface of the projects and plans Noonan has had a hand in developing over the years.
With his ownership of Sky High Pie, Noonan has his sights set on making the concessions and menu items the best they can be at the Festival Theaters. The delicious visions include “Monster Size Popcorn” that pops huge for flavor and large surface so movie-goers can taste the theaters “better butter blend” with real whipped butter, or with Himalayan sea salt and tasting the Organic Coconut Oil used to pop the popcorn. Guests will also be able to dust their giant popcorn with a cinnamon and sugar blend to sweeten it up.
“We use quarter-pound Nathan’s all-beef hot dogs and brioche buns for our hot dogs. We also use fresh poblano cheese for our nachos and the same chili used at Tommy’s Burgers in LA. We are working on offering fresh baked items from Towny Bagel, our favorite local bakery in town, to keep our business local. Craft beer programs and quality wine will be offered throughout the venue as well as a full cocktail lounge in the Producers Lounge in the very near future. There will also be cafe dinning and curated music in the main entry along with fresh baked goods and a news stand for guests to plan their day and movie night open in the morning hours,” said Noonan.
It has been noted that theaters are finding success by implementing special programming like live performances, livestreams, and industry meet and greets. Festival Theaters is the only first run theater in Palm Springs and is paving a path towards success. With a plan to upgrade comfort, create a premium food and beverage experience, and curate unique events and interactions with movie industry dignitaries, Festival Theaters is prioritizing the community and captivating culture that helps make Palm Springs a destination like no other in the world.
“I’m happy to come home from the high desert to the low desert and start working on the development of this theater. The local community is going to have very specialized programming for them that they like. We’re looking at a modernism type of festival. And we’re looking at some other independent related festivals that we can activate over time that can be housed there at the theater to justify the name of Festival Theaters and Festival Plaza,” stated Noonan.
