The reason why the mini-theater "K2" was born in Shimokitazawa "My favorite masterpiece theater is gone..." (TOKYO HEADLINE WEB)

Mr. Takeshi Otaka of Motion Gallery Co., Ltd., which operates the theater "Shimokita-Ekimae-Cinema K2" (photographed by Yutaka Tsutano)

In January of this year, the newest movie theater in Tokyo, the mini theater "Shimokita-Ekimae-Cinema K2" was born, directly connected to the southwest exit of "Shimokitazawa Station". What are your thoughts on opening a new mini theater in Shimokitazawa now that the business environment for movie theaters is becoming severe due to the decrease in the number of spectators due to the influence of the new coronavirus? We asked Kenji Otaka of Motion Gallery Co., Ltd., one of the LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) IncLine (hereafter referred to as the Incline) that operates the museum. [Photo] "Shimokita - Ekimae - Cinema K2" opened in the complex facility "(tefu) lounge" ◆◆◆

A mini-theater is needed as a common area open to the city

First, what kind of activities are Motion Gallery and Incline doing? “Motion Gallery Co., Ltd. has been operating the crowdfunding platform “MOTION GALLERY” (hereafter referred to as “Motion Gallery”) since 2011. Let's collect money that is absolutely necessary from everyone." Business activities for business can collect business money such as investment and loans, but cultural activities and community contributions do not necessarily have the maximum profit. The purpose is not to make things happen.If you do that, it will be difficult to invest funds, and in Japan it is very difficult to take on new challenges and cultural challenges.Nevertheless, there are many people who are happy when something is actually born.For example, Movies such as "Don't Stop the Camera!" didn't follow the rules of hits and didn't raise funds, but with crowdfunding, movie fans said, "Looks interesting," and invested. Motion Gallery has been doing this for a long time. These are the five LLPs that were involved in the production of Ryusuke Hamaguchi's movie Happy Hour.The main business of all five companies is IT companies, but if you create LLPs and work together to make movies, you can do something interesting. We are engaged in activities that focus on creativity, such as the production of the movie "Wife of a Spy" and the distribution of "Coincidence and Imagination." How did it come about? “The Shimokita Railway District is a redevelopment project to create a more livable town by making the railroad crossing of Shimokitazawa (between Higashi-Kitazawa Station and Setagaya-Daita Station on the Odakyu Line) underground. Speaking of Shimokitazawa, there was a redevelopment plan in the past to build a highway, build a skyscraper, and put in a commercial facility. However, this Shimokita railroad street is developed in such a way that the culture is inherited and developed according to the needs of the people of the town. Since Motion Gallery was involved in movie production and urban development, we began to receive inquiries from Odakyu Electric Railway that they wanted to create a mini-theater in the Shimokita railroad area. I want to create a building with coffee, movies, and working places in the southwest area of ​​the Shimokita railroad street. In the midst of that, when he said he wanted to open a mini theater, I gave him advice on things like, ``Will a movie theater that people in the city will enjoy be viable as a business?'' and ``How should we design the screening? I was asked if I would like to manage a movie theater, and I proposed that it be done under the framework of Incline, in which Motion Gallery also participates. There was a demand for a movie theater as a common area open to the city, and there were some things in common with what I was doing as a motion gallery, so I wanted to create a movie theater that could embody that."