Barring an acquisitions deal – rare, especially for low-budget independent films – many people had little idea how to get their film seen theatrically. This issue of distribution we think is easily resolved by taking control of your theatrical release, yourself. How, you ask? It can be done – simply – by contacting small film organizations or theaters and asking to have your film screened. Sometimes you can even arrange a revenue split at the box office- like we do for Cinema Speakeasy.
We’ve compiled a quick list of groups worldwide that curate and/or host ongoing four-wall independent film screenings, above and beyond Cinema Speakeasy:
Europe: England
- The Aubin Cinema (London, UK): http://www.aubincinema.com/
- Secret Cinema (London, UK): http://www.secretcinema.org/
- Portobello Pop Up Cinema (London, UK): http://www.portobellopopup.com/
- Side Cinema (Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK): http://www.amber-online.com/sections/side-cinema
Europe: Germany
- b-ware! ladenkino (Berlin, Germany): email only, at b-wareladenkino3@gmx.de
- Mind Pirates (Berlin, Germany): http://www.mindpirates. org
- Basso (Berlin, Germany): http://www.basso-berlin.de/
- Sputnik Kino (Berlin, Germany): http://www.sputnik-kino.com
- Eiszeit Kino (Berlin, Germany): http://www.eiszeitkino.de/web/
- Roderich (Berlin, Germany): http://roderich-berlin.blogspot.com
United States: West
- Cinefist (Los Angeles, CA): http://www.cinefist.com/
- Film Courage (Los Angeles, CA): http://www.filmcourage.com/
- Downtown Independent Theater (Los Angeles, CA): http://www.downtownindependent.com/
- Echo Park Film Center’s Microcinema (Los Angeles, CA): http://www.echoparkfilmcenter.org/cinema/cinema.html
- New Filmmakers LA (Los Angeles, CA): http://newfilmmakersla.com/
- Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax (Los Angeles, CA): http://www.cinefamily.org/
- Burke Roberts’ Engine Theatre (Los Angeles, CA): http://www.theenginetheater.com/
- Dolores Park Movie Night (San Francisco, CA): http://www.doloresparkmovie.org/faq.html
- NorthWest Film Society (Portland, OR.): http://www.nwfilm.org/
- Living Room Theatres (Portland, OR.): http://www.livingroomtheaters.com/
- Northwest Film Forum, (Seattle, WA.): http://www.nwfilmforum.org/
- Boise MicroCinema (Boise, ID.): http://www.boisemicrocinema.com/
- Denver Film Society (Denver, CO): http://www.denverfilm.org
- The Filling Station (Albuquerque, NM): http://www.fillingstationabq.com/
- Mesilla Valley Film Society (Mesilla, NM): http://mesillavalleyfilm.org/
United States: Midwest & South
- MusicBox Theatre (Chicago, IL): http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/
- Siskel Film Center (Chicago, IL): http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/
- The Nightingale Theatre (Chicago, IL): http://nightingaletheatre.org/
- White Light Cinema (Chicago, IL): http://www.whitelightcinema.com/
- Milwaukee Independent Film Society (Milwaukee, WI): http://festival.milwaukeeindependentfilmsociety.org/
- Des Moines Social Club (Des Moines, IA): http://www.desmoinessocialclub.org
- Speakeasy Cinema (Louisville, KY): http://www.louisvillespeakeasy.com/
- Open Sceen Nights at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (Austin, TX): http://www.originalalamo.com/
- Aurora Picture Show (Houston, TX): http://aurorapictureshow.org/
- 14 Pews (Houston, TX): http://14pews.org/
- O-Cinema (Miami, FL): http://www.o-cinema.org/
- The Enzian Theatre (Orlando, FL): http://www.enzian.org/
- Cinefest Theatre (Atlanta, GA): http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft/
United States: Northeast
- Slamdance East Coast (New York, NY- Dir. Paul Rachman): http://www.slamdance.com
- Astoria Indies (Queens, NY): http://www.astoriaindies.com/
- Rooftop Films (New York, NY): http://www.rooftopfilms.com/
- New Filmmakers (New York, NY): http://www.newfilmmakers.com/
- Angelika Film Center (New York, NY): http://angelikafilmcenter.com/
- BAM (New York, NY): http://www.bam.org/
- Rosendale Theatre (Rosendale, NY): http://www.rosendaletheatre.org
- Rehoboth Beach Film Society (Delaware): http://www.rehobothfilm.com/
- Indies for Indies (Pittsburgh, PA): http://indiesforindies.com/
- The Annapolis Pretentious Film Society (Annapolis, MD): http://www.pretentiousfilm.com/
- The Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston, MA): http://www.icaboston.org
- ImprovBoston (Cambridge, MA): http://www.improvboston.com
- The Brattle Theatre (Cambridge, MA): http://www.brattlefilm.org
- The Coolidge Corner Theatre (Boston, MA): http://www.coolidge.org/
- Somerville Theatre (Somerville, MA.): http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com/
- Fete Films (Jersey City, NJ.): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=156269951054711
- The ShadowBox (Roanoke, VA.): http://www.theshadowboxcinema.com/
Worldwide: Other
- Speakeasy Cinema (Melbourne, Australia): http://www.speakeasycinema.com.au/
- Don’t You Have Docs? (Melbourne, Australia): http://www.dontyouhavedocs.com
- 1Up Microcinema (Perth, Australia): http://www.insertcoins.com.au/
- Open Cinema (Victoria, BC, Canada): http://www.opencinema.ca/
- Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (Calgary, Canada): http://csif.org/csif/
- Cine Arte Alameda (Santiago, Chile): http://www.centroartealameda.cl/cine.html
There are so many more– will keep adding them as they come up, or throw them in the comments as a suggestion.
Filed under: Announcements, art house film, berlin, curation, DIY Distribution, film curation, independent film, independent film screening resource, london, microcinema, slamdance, theatrical distribution
