New owners bring Hollywood experience to Brunswick’s Eveningstar (2025)

Seeing movies on the big screen is an infinitely more impactful experience than seeing it at home.

Nobody who’s stuck with this column over the years should find that statement shocking, so I’ll let Sean Hoessli and Lindie Kuzmich, new owners of Brunswick’s Eveningstar Cinema elaborate:

“We love movies and have spent our life believing in the moviegoing experience,” Hoessli said.

“We want to give people something other than streaming. It’s about giving them an experience,” said Kuzmich.

Now obviously, I don’t take much convincing, but for new Mainers Hoessli and Kuzmich, taking ownership of one of Maine’s few remaining arthouse movie theaters is all about continuing a lifelong journey of moviegoing – and encouraging their new neighbors to come along for the ride.

The Eveningstar holds a special place in one old movie fan’s heart.

I came to Maine to go to college in Brunswick, and the Eveningstar in the late ’80s/early ’90s was a second home away from home. I shared my experience of seeing Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” at the Eveningstar and then stumbling out to sit, silent and shellshocked, on a bench on the Brunswick common.

“That’s what it’s all about,” said Kuzmich, “creating these seminal moments. It’s a legacy through the movies, and if we stop going to the theater collectively, that’s a big shift.”

Added Hoessli, “Streaming is great and everything, but seeing a movie on the big screen for the first time – you remember that experience. Streaming is fast food. You forget it the next day. In person, sharing the experience with others, you remember that experience forever. Those moments are what life is all about.”

Twenty-year-old me, staring into a world irrevocably changed by a remarkable movie while my fellow moviegoers streamed past, deep in conversation or deeper silence, can only agree.

Hoessli and Kuzmich bring a treasure trove of filmmaking experience – and they’re excited to share.

Before taking over the Eveningstar from equally movie-mad previous owner Shaun Boyle in late October, Hoessli and Kuzmich were both intimately involved in the film world. After meeting (where else) on a film set more than 20 years ago, the couple acted as everything from producers to director to even on-set medic (Kuzmich is also a registered nurse). You might have seen Hoessli’s name in the visual effects credits for blockbusters like “The Suicide Squad,” “Sin City,” the original ”Hellboy” and “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.”

All that lived-in film industry experience, coupled with the couple’s love of movies, saw them move to Maine from Montreal, where they’d been living and working. Said Kuzmich, “We heard about the cinema, and we wanted a change, to be less in the big city. And to get out of production for a while. So we’re still in the movie business.”

To that end, the couple have big plans to bring a little Hollywood to Maine.

Hoessli and Kuzmich are effusive in their praise for Boyle for keeping the light burning in Eveningstar’s projection booth. They also see some room for innovation at the single-screen Brunswick institution going into its 45th year.

“Shaun already did amazing remodeling – new seats, new sound, real state of the art stuff,” said Hoessli. The new owners plan to build on Boyle’s desire to give moviegoers a truly memorable night at the movies with, among other things, a revamped lobby. “We want to facilitate more of a warm place that will encourage people to hang out and talk,” said Kuzmich. “More like a cinema cafe.”

In addition to selling beer and wine and the Eveningstar’s legendary real butter popcorn, the duo also plans to coordinate with local businesses. “The boba shop next door is already planning themed drinks for movie nights,” said Hoessli, “and we’re selling treats from local Maine vendors in addition to the usual movie snacks.”

A movie theater is really only as good as its movies.

And Hoessli and Kuzmich have big plans there, too. They tout the success of Eveningstar’s usual crop of indie flicks (current papal thriller “Conclave” is doing quite well), while reaching out to the various Maine audiences for input on more unusual and ambitious screenings. Planning to expand the theater’s hours from its current four-day-a week schedule, the couple sees plenty of space for variety.

“We’re going to show more family films (Hoessli is excited to host a ‘Paddington in Peru’ screening, having worked on the 2025 film), more community events, arthouse movies, revivals,” said an excited Kuzmich. “Really change it up a little.” The new owners are already connecting with the Bowdoin College film department and local residential homes, looking to cater to new and loyal audiences both young and old.

“We have so many loyal older patrons, and we’re going to continue to serve them, said Hoessli, “but when we think of these great movies from, say, 20 years ago, maybe younger audiences haven’t even heard of them. We want to get them excited, too.”

Said Hoessli, “Lindie and I want to involve the community as much as possible with talks, events and guest speakers from friends in the business from the films we’ve worked on. We also want to tie screenings to community themes like nursing, climate change, a Sundance retrospective during this year’s festival. There will be retro nights and special events – we’re excited to see just how much we can show on our single screen.”

And so am I. A great local movie theater like the Eveningstar is a precious gift to a town. Portland’s been a duller place since the Movies on Exchange Street flickered away a decade ago. And Brunswick’s a quick trip up 295 for Portlanders looking to remember the unique joys of a night out at a movie theater run by people who love the experience as much as they do.