The Bloor Cinema is set to re-open next month, ready to receive a whole new wave of indie, doc, and retro movie junkies.

While the Annex cinema is still in the midst of its seven-month-long renovation, Hot Docs has announced that its doors will open March 12 for a free public open-house screening of Lucy Walker's documentary Waste Land. The grand opening will be held March 14, when visitors can catch a sneak peak of some of the films that will be debuting at this year's Hot Docs festival. Scheduled public programming, a press release tells us, will start on Friday, March 16.

The Bloor closed its doors last summer in preparation for fall renovations. When it does finally open its doors next month, it will boast new plush seats (hurray for no cigarette marks), expanded washrooms, updated equipment, and a renovated (but aesthetically-maintained) entrance lobby.

Based on the current state of the exterior, the iconic canopy that sweeps across Bloor Street will also get the restoration treatment. It's currently been left as something of a skeleton while the renovation effort continues, but should make a great (re)addition to the street when the cinema reopens. Needless to say, this is an exciting bit of news for fim and heritage buffs alike.

Photo by Brian St. Denis in the blogTO Flickr pool