Not too long, perhaps 25 or 30 years ago, downtown Augusta was a movie mecca. A short stroll could find films screening at the massive Miller, slightly smaller Imperial and, if your cinematic tastes ran that way, the adult Capri.

The era of the multiplex, however, had it in for downtown film screenings. The big houses found their audiences dwindling, thanks to the Whitman's Sampler approach taken by the multiscreen establishments that sprang up at the edges of not just Augusta, but every town in America. It didn't take long before downtown cinema was officially kaput.

Until now. Movies are making a comeback on and around Broad Street. Both the Imperial Theatre and the under-construction Le Chat Noir, on the corner of Eighth and Ellis streets, have plans to bring screens downtown.

First up will be the Imperial. This week, the theater announced it had reached an agreement with independent distributor Emerging Pictures to screen first-run indie films. The programming will start at 8 p.m. Tuesday with The Puffy Chair, a seriocomic road movie. It is the first in a 14-film series called Undiscovered Gems.

Lara Plocha, the executive director at the Imperial, said there will be a first-run film shown every week during the summer, and at least one film will be shown each month during the Imperial's more active fall and winter season. She said the venue's popular classic, cult and Southern Fried Flicks Film Festival also will continue.

At Le Chat Noir, sawdust is in the air and the place still has a little way to go before it's audience-ready. Still, Justin Anderson and Richard Justice, who, along with Krys Bailey, Doug Joyner and Mr. Anderson's wife, Carrie, are behind the Cat, said they plan for film to be an important part of their programming. Watch this space for more details.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.