A U Haul self-transport truck is parked behind the Grocery Bar on Main Street in Chattanooga in this Feb. 25, 2015, file photo.

Cine-Rama, an art-house theater originally slated to open in the basement of the new Arts Building on 11th Street, will open in the former Grocery Bar building on Main Street, according to Chattanooga Film Festival Executive Director Chris Dortch.

The theater will show quality films of all genres, and will serve as a year-round classroom for arts education within Chattanooga's arts, music and theater scene, according to Dortch. He said the CFF has had plans for a couple of years to create a space that can be used by other independent artistic groups like Muse of Fire and Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp.

Dortch said the CFF will have access to all 12,000 square feet of the space in the Main Street facility and he would like to see it used as many hours of the day as it can.

"We want the space to be a community hub," Dortch said. "We want to have film education classes and those can be 9-5 hours."

He said he'd like to see some independent live music and comedy shows and other "things that are interesting and cool. We think it's a wonderful space."

Cine-Rama, which will have more than 200 seats for film screenings in its new location, was to be housed in The Arts Building on 11th Street. But construction of the basement theater concept there became a challenge, Dortch said.

"We were honored to be offered a space in The Arts Building among so many of the leaders of Chattanooga's arts and culture scene," he said. "We loved that building deeply, but after months of trying to wrap our heads around how to put a functioning theater space in there we had to admit to ourselves that the space just wasn't ideal for film presentation."

Folk School of Chattanooga, now located at 537 Market St., has agreed to move into the Arts Building space, using half of the ground floor, according to Executive Director Laura Walker. No contracts have been signed and design work for the space is underway, she said. The plan is to move in sometime in June.

Artsbuild President Dan Bowers said he is still looking for something to be housed in the other half of the ground floor. The goal, he said, is to find something with an arts purpose to fit with the rest of the occupants, which include ArtsBuild, the Southern Lit Alliance, SoundCorps and Townsend Attelier.

Mise En Scenesters film club will also continue its efforts through Cine-Rama with weekly midnight offerings.

"Since MES started now nearly seven years ago it's been our goal to open an indie theater in Chattanooga," said Dortch. "With two years of the Chattanooga Film Festival, and an amazing third year on the way, being able to stand in the Cine-Rama building is truly surreal. This theater is something Chattanooga deserves, and we can't wait until we can open the doors."

The 2016 Chattanooga Film Festival is set for March 31 to April 3 at the Majestic 12 downtown. Dortch said the plan is to move into the new space after the festival.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or at 757-6354.