As streaming platforms dominate the modern entertainment world, recent headlines about the current standing of theatrical exhibition, or the public screening of films in movie theaters, have been bleak. However, independent theaters across the country are quietly witnessing a rebirth. The Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) will host a conversation this Saturday surrounding this transformation.
The panel will feature filmmakers, exhibitors, distributors, historians, and cultural advocates to explore how independent movie theaters and filmmakers are adapting through inventive programming, community-driven events, and new technologies and hybrid release models.
The panelists include filmmakers Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) and Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Land of the Lost), Executive Director of Vidiots Foundation Maggie Mackay, Founding Partner of the Fithian Group Jackie Brenneman, and UCSB professor Ross Melnick.
In an interview with Melnick, the Interim Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center, he shared that the focus of the conversation will be on independent theaters. “Many [of them], especially art house theaters and repertory theaters,” he said, “are constantly evaluating their audience’s tastes and desires and booking/curating films that are distinct from the pressures of commercial multiplexes. We will be examining the work of independent theaters — how they book films, how they market them, how they retain audiences, how they cultivate new moviegoers — and what is working now and into the future.”
The conversation also speaks directly to the UCSB and Santa Barbara cinephile community. “Movie theaters, particularly independently operated ones, curate experiences that streaming alone can’t replicate,” said Assistant Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center Miguel Penabella. “Theatrical spaces like the Carsey-Wolf Center offer the opportunity for collective viewing and a shared emotional and intellectual experience, which can often transform how a film is understood and remembered.”
Melnick added, “this conversation emphasizes the importance of thinking about context and not just content. In other words, where you see media can have a tremendous impact on how you experience it and engage with its meaning and memory.”
Filmmakers Reitman and Silberling are the new co-owners, alongside 30 other key filmmakers, of the historic Village Theatre in Los Angeles’s Westwood Village. “We look forward to hearing about their plans for the theater, why they purchased it, and what the importance of exhibition is for them as moviemakers and moviegoers,” Melnick shared.
Melnick also emphasized the importance of theatrical exhibition to both the art and business of filmmaking. “For those who love movies and moviegoing,” he said, “the movie theater is a hallowed space for viewing.” He noted that many filmmakers picture their films initially unfolding on a large screen before an audience. He went on to say that the first viewing is part of a larger distribution ecosystem that influences revenue streams and contractual agreements. “The confusion that distributors have created for audiences by releasing films day-and-date online and in theaters, shortening windows, and cutting off distribution to theaters beyond two weeks has damaged the importance of theatrical moviegoing and, many argue, the overall film business,” Melnick explained.
This event is part of Carsey-Wolf Center’s “Connectivity” feature series. “Our yearlong feature theme is ‘Connectivity’ because we wanted to highlight that sense of belonging, not to just passively consume media, but to actively participate in a shared cultural practice under one roof,” said Penabella.
The free-to-attend panel, followed by a reception, will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at Pollock Theater on UCSB’s campus. For additional information and to reserve tickets, click here.
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