The Loft Cinema, a cornerstone of Tucson's independent film scene, is confronting a significant financial setback following the National Endowment for the Arts' decision to rescind a $30,000 grant earmarked for the 2025 Loft Film Fest.
The NEA informed the theater that the grant was being withdrawn because it "falls outside the funding priorities of the President."
Ethan Cox, the cinema's development director, expressed surprise at the abrupt change. "The one line they sent to us was because the president’s priorities had changed."
For nearly a decade, the NEA's support has been instrumental in underwriting the Loft Film Fest, typically covering about one-fifth to one-sixth of the event's total costs.
Cox speculated that the festival's emphasis on amplifying underrepresented voices might have influenced the funding decision.
"Our film fest is really focused on lifting up voices that are not often heard, either in this community or around the nation," he said.
Despite the setback, the Tucson arts community has rallied around the cinema.
"We’ve heard from a lot of folks that they’re pretty upset about this," Cox shared. "And then, the next thing they say immediately after that is, 'How can we help?'"
Many donors have already pledged support to offset the lost funding.
"We’ve already had so many donors who have found out about this who have stepped up and said, 'We’re gonna help you replace that lost revenue,'" Cox added.
Looking ahead, the Loft Film Fest remains scheduled for November 5–13, 2025.
This year's festival will be the first held in the cinema's newly expanded space, featuring five screens.
Cox expressed optimism about the future.
"The great thing is that this will be the first film fest in our new space with five screens."
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
