Never say never for the city’s oldest cinemas: Seattle International Film Festival announced on Saturday that it had taken over the lease for the Uptown Theater in Queen Anne, which was shut in November after 84 years of first-run features and artsy indie flicks. Former renter AMC had concluded the three-screen movie house no longer competed effectively in the marketplace, but SIFF sees it as essential to its redevelopment plans this fall.

Starting October 21, SIFF Cinema—the year-round programming arm of the festival—will leave its current location at McCaw Hall and start showing films at the Uptown; the same day, SIFF will officially open its new Film Center at Seattle Center, which will house administrative offices and a single-screen theater seating about 100. That’s three new screens and a dedicated home for SIFF, which had previously been the bleary-eyed basement dweller of McCaw while glitzy opera and ballet patrons dominated the upstairs. It’s a promising move, and yet another historic cinema with a new lease on life. (The Neptune Theatre in the U-District also has its grand reopening this fall.)

For tickets to upcoming screenings, visit siff.net.