was being reconstructed in 2009–2010, which made the neighbourhood temporarily less attractive for visitors. The average number of visitors to Scala in 2010 was 37 and the total number per year was 27,713. On 21 June 2011, the Brno city council approved a change in the deed of foundation of the cinema operator, the Brno Cultural Centre. It changed its name to "Turistické informační centrum" (Tourist Information Centre) and accordingly, the main focus of its activities shifted from culture towards tourism and marketing. While the Art cinema was modernised and digitalised, the city decided to close Scala down. On 5 October, the Brno city council agreed to end the cinema operation by 31 December 2011. The last screening for the public, showing a Canadian co-production film Mr. Nobody, took place on 21 December 2011, and the last screening for schoolchildren took place the next morning. University Cinema Scala (2013–) The academic staff of the Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture, Faculty of Arts at Masaryk University protested against the decision to close the cinema and started a petition to keep the cinema in operation. Before releasing a tender, the city of Brno offered to lease the cinema to the Masaryk University for the symbolic yearly rent of one Czech crown and the university expressed an interest in this offer. In March 2012, the university confirmed that it was interested in renting the cinema and announced that it had a partner for the cinema operation. After further negotiations, the Brno city council approved the main points of the contract draft on 27 March 2013 and on 17 April it approved a 30-year lease of the cinema for 1.8 million crowns (€66,600 as of April 2016) a year. The basic refurbishing of the cinema before its reopening was finished by the end of September 2013. The cost of the refurbishing and subsequent digitalisation of the projection equipment was 12 million crowns. The repairs were paid for by the city of Brno, which then received the money back from the university in the form of rent. The university partnered with Aeropolis, a cinema operator that had already had some experience with running independent cinemas in Prague and Hradec Králové and was charged with ensuring year-round film screenings. Moreover, the university began to use the cinema for academic purposes as a lecture and conference hall and space for graduation and matriculation ceremonies. The