Let's All Go to the Movies! is a feature-length documentary about the indie movie theater renaissance in America, a cri-de-coeur against efficiency, against shareholder capitalism, against “thinking machines”—and for community, creativity, and art for art’s sake.
The Journey
Filmmakers Steve Parkhurst and Oriana Schwindt were bummed when their first feature, indie horror Sight Unseen, got digital but not theatrical distribution. Our documentarian friend (and Sight Unseen executive producer) Brantley Palmer was concerned about the fate of his hometown indie theater. We joined forces to figure out whether moviegoing in America was on life support…
…only to find that—amidst all the news stories about theater chains closing, studios favoring streaming, audiences preferring their couches—all across America, independent theaters are thriving.
Their patrons come for movies they can’t see at the big chains, for more affordable tickets and concessions, for community. They hold events, propose to partners, get inspired to make their own films. This isn’t just a New York-Los Angeles phenomenon (though microcinemas and rep theaters are selling out plenty in those cities). No, in places as small as Bantam, CT (pop. 720) and Lehighton, PA, hundreds of people are showing up to watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 or exchange rare VHS tapes at a drive-in.
So, enough with the doom. This doc is a joyful celebration of America’s indie theater renaissance, talking to theater owners, film enthusiasts, and filmmakers. As independent filmmakers ourselves, we want to shine a light on how these theaters run, how they’re fostering communities both old and new, and, selfishly, how the hell anyone gets a movie into theaters these days.
Why We Need Your Help
The good news is that we’ve already filmed with six theaters and conducted over 40 on-camera interviews, from New York to Los Angeles and the Pacific Northwest. Your donation goes to fund our travel to theaters in Texas, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Connecticut, and Maine—and potentially elsewhere—as well as post-production work like sound mixing and color grading.
Normally, there are a plethora of grants for documentaries like ours, but with the current state of arts funding… Well, that’s not the case. So, if you love movies, and you love the feeling of stepping out of a theater into the lobby and spontaneously having a conversation with a stranger about the film you just saw, we’d love your support.
Any donation you make to this project will be tax deductible and we'd be eternally grateful for your support.