Nonprofit cinemas are alive and well, and I should know. Two years ago, I replied via an open letter to Kara Swisher about an essay she had written for the New York Times. I don’t know if she wrote the title “Sorry, We Aren’t Going Back to the Movies,” but I found this whole notion especially galling. In response, I declared my love for the movies in general and independent art house theaters in particular.
To my fellow cinephiles and community organizers in Great Barrington and the Berkshires: The Triplex must be saved, so I thoroughly appreciate what “Save the Triplex” is doing to make this happen. Of course, it’s not just Chatham, Millerton, and Williamstown that have gone in this direction, either. To the east, the list includes The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline (1989); The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge (2001); Amherst Cinema (2006); The Martha’s Vineyard Film Center (2012); The Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly (2014); and, to an evolving extent, Cinema-Worcester, which is currently trying “to build notoriety and support for the concept.”
Indeed, Cinema-Worcester is just one of two movie houses in Massachusetts screening “Only in Theaters” this Friday. The other one is West Newton Cinema, a true neighborhood spot also now contemplating the nonprofit question as a matter of survival. More on this after the trailer:
Make no mistake: “Only in Theaters” is not about nonprofit movie theaters. To the contrary, it is about a family business and the future of cinema. It is also the exact kind of film I gravitate toward: documentaries that feature an individual or small group of people. I don’t know if Triplex owner Richard Stanley has seen it yet, but I imagine he can relate.
In any event, Save the Triplex’s value proposition holds homegrown appeal. And each and every independent theater reflects the local community. Nonprofit cinemas are alive and well because hometown pride plays a part, too. Of course, any space that supports the arts more broadly is a place I want to visit.
Back to West Newton, early 2014. I had reached out to David Bramante, the long-time owner of West Newton Cinema, about a film I very much wanted to see, but could not find. At the time, Gathr Films was relatively new. What began as “an event cinema company providing independent artists with a way to self-distribute their films” has since expanded. Still, it offered a marvelous opportunity for me to screen “Pretty Old” at West Newton Cinema. The best part? I got 71 other people to join me—including my mother!
Even before Gathr, I loved being a movie captain. To wit, Coolidge Corner Theatre supported my effort to screen Fort Worth filmmaker Tom Huckabee’s “Carried Away” in 2010. And though Tom died last year, he and his enthusiasm live on in my email archive.
Speaking of my email, there I was in 2009 telling everyone I knew why they should see “Four Seasons Lodge.” Not just because of this poster and not just because there is a Catskills connection. Maybe we do need more counterintuitive films about the Holocaust, I don’t know. We definitely need more nonprofit cinemas, no question.
While Save the Triplex is gearing up to do exactly that, the newly formed West Newton Cinema Foundation boldly proclaims, “The future is now! Save your cinema!” What I love about this website is how clear the fundraising timeline appears.
In conclusion, Save the Triplex would do well to study the success of the most recent nonprofit cinema in Massachusetts. I give you The Cape Cinema in Dennis, on Cape Cod. A mesmerizing website, an encyclopedic FAQs, a super blog, and that breathtaking painted ceiling. Did I mention there is also a full bar? And last but not least, the largest poster of “Cinema Paradiso” you’ve ever seen!
