By Elizabeth Baier

Minnesota Public Radio

HARMONY — Minnesota movie theater owners are confronting a digital dilemma sweeping the industry nationwide: The movie industry plans to switch to all-digital technology by 2013, rendering traditional 35 millimeter film prints obsolete.

That leap to state-of-the-art projection may please audiences, but upgrading to digital projectors is expensive and the switch might force small movie theaters, including many in Minnesota, to close their doors for good.

The JEM Theater in Harmony is caught square in the middle of the squeeze. It’s a bustling place that can seat one fifth of the residents of the sleepy little town near the Iowa border. Inside, a sort of modern-day town square played out on a recent Friday evening. While some locals caught up on the week’s news, others brought their own buckets for popcorn. Admission is $4 and candy is never more than a dollar.

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