PORTAGE PARK — A free screening of the the Oscar-nominated documentary that details the life and work of street photographer Vivian Maier set for Sunday has been moved to the Portage Theater from the Patio Theater, organizers said.
"Finding Vivian Maier," which is up for the Academy Award for best documentary, will be shown for free at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., said Dan Pogorzelski, who helped organize the screening.
The movie will start a half-hour later than planned to give those who go to the Patio Theater, 6008 W. Irving Park Road, by mistake a chance to get to the Portage Theater, about 1½ miles away.
Charlie Burns, who manages both the Patio and the Portage theaters, said he was forced to move the documentary screening because the Patio plans to show "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" this weekend to paying customers.
"They are very strict about sharing the screen with other movies," Burns said via email, referring to Paramount Pictures, which produced the SpongeBob flick.
Burns did not respond Friday night to a question from DNAinfo Chicago about why the screening of "Finding Vivian Maier" was scheduled for the same weekend as a first-run Hollywood movie if theater operators knew it would conflict with the rules for showing the SpongeBob movie.
The relocated screening is the third event to be canceled at the Patio Theater in recent weeks, prompting two independent filmmakers to warn others not to book events at the recently reopened theater.
A statement from the Patio Theater blamed "an unforeseen scheduling conflict" for the venue change.
Pogorzelski praised the Patio Theater management for rescheduling the screening for the same night.
"These things happen," Pogorzelski said.
Before the screening, co-sponsored by the Northwest Chicago Historical Society, Maloof will be honored by state Rep. Robert Martwick (D-Jefferson Park) for his role in rediscovering Maier's work.
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