The management of the Liberty Theatre is to change in the coming months, its union owner revealed yesterday.

The Bermuda Industrial Union is understood to be about to enter a lease arrangement which will hand over management for the popular Hamilton movie theatre to long-time member and union treasurer Cecil Durham.

Yesterday Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) president Derrick Burgess dispelled reports that Liberty ? which is housed in the union's headquarters on Union Square ? might be on the selling block, but he did reveal the BIU has nearly concluded talks to hand over management to a union member.

"We are not selling anything, I can tell you right now. We had been approached by a union member with a proposal to take over the theatre. We've just about agreed to the terms ...for the running of the theatre by a union member," he said.

Yesterday Cecil Durham's son, Brian Durham, confirmed his father was the one in negotiations with Liberty.

"We will be taking over the management; we are basically leasing the theatre," he said, adding that that included running of Liberty's concession stand.

Mr. Durham said the theatre would be closed for about two weeks in May for renovations, and hopes were to have Liberty re-opened in time for the new Star Wars movie: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith, due to be released by Twentieth Century Fox on May 19.

Cecil Durham is the owner of Durham Accounting and Management Services.