Art House Theater Day is a Nationwide Celebration of Film Culture and the Cinematic Experience
Two Rhode Island theaters, Jane Pickens Theater (Newport) and Cable Car Cinema (Providence), will join more than 160 theaters in participating in the inaugural Art House Theater Day on Saturday, September 24th.
The Art House Convergence, an international consortium of independent, community-based, mission-driven movie theaters, announced Art House Theater Day back in June, a nationwide celebration of the cultural and community growth that art house theaters promote.
“In an age where media has become more digital than tangible, more solitary than social, art house theaters remain physical spaces where film lovers can congregate and connect with each other around intrepid, creative filmmaking. Art houses nurture an ecosystem of adventurous audiences and independent productions, and function as economic drivers in their localities,” the release said.
A menu of exclusive programming options will be offered to participating theaters, including sneak-peeks, major art house films, and repertory re-releases.
“Art House Theater Day is a chance to show film-lovers that their local theaters are part of a larger cultural movement. These cinemas are not passive, insular venues––they are passion-driven institutions that collaborate with distributors, filmmakers, and each other to deepen film appreciation and to increase the diversity and artistic integrity of what you see on the big screen,” said Art House Theater Day cofounder Gabriel Chicoine.
Jane Pickens Theater will screen the following on Art House Theater Day;
1 p.m. – Harry & The Snowman
2:45 p.m. – David Bowie Is
7 p.m. – Captain Fantastic
9:30 p.m. – Danny Says
For more information about each film and tickets, visit www.janepickens.com.
Cable Car Cinema will screen the following on Art House Theater Day;
5 p.m. – Time Bandits
7:15 p.m. – Danny Says
9:30 p.m. – Phantasm
For more information about each film and tickets, visit www.cablecarcinema.com.
Participating Art House Theater Day cinemas will exclusively be able to screen the documentary DANNY SAYS from Magnolia Pictures, a week before its theatrical release on Sept. 30. DANNY SAYS, directed by Brendan Toller, is a documentary on the life and times of Danny Fields, who since the 1960’s has played a pivotal role in the music and culture of the late 20th century. Fields worked with legendary artists like the Doors, Cream, Lou Reed, Nico, and Judy Collins, and managed groundbreaking acts like the Stooges, the MC5 and the Ramones. Magnolia Pictures is excited to be a part of the first Art House Theater Day.
“We’ve attended and supported the Art House Convergence for years, and offering these special screenings of DANNY SAYS for AHTD is a great way to step up our partnership with them. We’ve long valued our relationships with independent theaters – we wouldn’t be here without them – and I’m personally very pleased to be working on this program,” said Neal Block, Magnolia’s Head of Distribution.
Many of today’s most beloved and most successful talents established themselves in independent and art house films. Just a small sample include directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Kathryn Bigelow, Spike Lee, Darren Aronofsky, Jane Campion, Richard Linklater, the Coen brothers, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, and Steve McQueen, and stars such as Jennifer Lawrence, Tilda Swinton, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper, Tom Hardy, and innumerable others. Showcasing an incredible diversity of original filmmaking, art houses are the beating heart of the cinema community.
Cofounders Gabriel Chicoine of Amherst Cinema (Amherst, MA) and Lawren Desai of a/perture cinema (Winston-Salem, NC) were inspired by the success of Record Store Day and its commitment to promoting independent record shops. They developed this event as a celebration of art house theaters and films, and the filmmakers, patrons, projectionists, and staff dedicated to providing extraordinary cinematic experiences.
For more information on Art House Theater Day, visit www.arthousetheaterday.org.