A plumbing issue forced the Brattle to shut down for the weekend, but the well-known Harvard Square theater will be ready to go for the Independent Film Festival Boston this week, organizers say.
The Brattle, a Cambridge institution since 1953 known for showing foreign, classic, and arthouse films, has canceled all screenings through Monday due to a “plumbing emergency,’’ according to a post on the theater’s website.
The theater staff wrote that they expect to be up and running on Tuesday, one day before the independent film festival begins its programming there.
Still, the staff wrote, “This is a big financial hit for our single-screen cinema.’’ They’re trying to raise $12,000 to cover the costs of the closure.
“We need your help to ensure this doesn’t threaten The Brattle just when we have dug ourselves out from our COVID closure,’’ the staff wrote, linking to a fundraising page and promising passes to future screenings and other rewards for donors.
The 22nd annual Independent Film Festival Boston is set to take place this week, showcasing 15 feature films, dozens of shorts, and more than 20 feature-length documentaries. It includes multiple days of programming at the Brattle.
Festival executive director Brian Tamm said Saturday that he expects everything to go as planned there.
“We have a great lineup at the Brattle,’’ he said, particularly documentaries and foreign films, as well as some good “oddball stuff.’’ The Brattle has a strong built-in clientele with a wide range of interests, he said, so “We really tried to have something for each of those audiences.
Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com. Follow him @cotterreporter.
