I Exhibited Films For A Year. I Lost Money, but I Think I Made My Point

If there is hope, it lies in the micro-cinemas. I first learned aboutmicro-cinema from a theater management class I took when getting myminor in film at the University of Arizona. U of A is a party school, Icould not have gotten into a better school even if I knew how to partybetter. They have a decent English department and they offer the optionof studying film as a minor. We’re approaching a time in history wherewe are debating the usefulness of a college education. If you do decide topursue a degree, look into ways to get the education you want. I feel likeU of A trained me for the things I wanted to do. No one has ever askedto see the paper, or see my GPA.I love the idea of having a small screen through which I can pushmy own taste and agenda. Like a personal radio station. The romanceof micro-cinema was further instilled in me when I read the book A Yearat the Movies: One Man’s Filmgoing Odyssey by Mystery Science Theater’sKevin Murphy. Murphy talks about film exhibition in a lot of contexts.This book really speaks to the experience of going to the movies. I’d loveto have a theater that doesn’t have to produce much. One where I couldgo wild with the programming. But the problem with that is alcohol.Alcohol makes the world go ’round. You gotta sell alcohol to make thatbusiness model work. Every single person I speak to eventually remindsme of alcohol. I get it. But I have, nor have I ever, had any desire to run abar. Maybe that’s why I chose The Lamplighter. They sell alcohol. I hopealcohol will be a draw.