I’ll admit, spending the better part of two weeks at Atlanta’s Plaza Theatre last year for the Atlanta Film Festival has made me appreciate its value more. I don’t frequent it as much as I should, for a variety of reasons, but it is an iconic part of Atlanta’s film industry, and one I feel more grateful for than ever.
I believe I first went to the Plaza when I was a student at Georgia State. At the time, it was one of three Lefont-owned theatres, and they were where a good portion of my independent movie watching at that time came from. At the Plaza, I watched “Swingers”, “Big Night”, “Pi”, “Happiness” and “Memento” in the five years I went to Georgia State. I feel like there were more, but a lot of my indie theatrical viewings were spread between the three Lefonts, the GSU University screening room, at the Tara, the other great movie theatre in Atlanta, now operated by Regal.
After that five-year window, when I started working for a chain theatre that afforded me free movies, and as I was living in the suburbs, I didn’t frequent the Plaza that much. Up until the 2019 Atlanta Film Festival, I believe my main times going there were to watch David Lynch’s “INLAND EMPIRE”; to join my friend Jeffrey Butzer to see Crispin Glover present “What is It?”, where I got to meet the actor; and finally, a few years ago to see an October repertory screening of “The Shining”. And, last June, I took in one of their anniversary screenings of “The Crow”, my first time seeing the film in theatres since 1994.
Last week, like many theatres (including the one I have worked at for over 18 years), the Plaza Theatre closed its doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike a lot of those theatres, the longer the closure occurs, the harder it will be for the Plaza to re-open. The Plaza is the last, independently-owned and run theatre in Atlanta, and also one of the few that still runs repertory screenings in addition to newer films. It relies on donations, in addition to ticket sales and concessions, to survive, and- now more than ever- it needs outside help in order to continue to operate, because, with no movies showings, its financial chances are bleak. And that breaks my heart. I hope that, when it re-opens, it will see a surge. I hope that the desire to watch new movies in theatres, to have that communal experience we are deprived of right now, extends to independent cinema, and watching older films in theatres. I know I will plan on doing my part, especially since, this was the year I was finally going to break my cinematic cherry on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, and only one theatre in Atlanta does midnight shows of it. And I’m excited to return this year for the Atlanta Film Festival, whenever it is rescheduled for.
So, how can people help now? There is a GoFundMe page active for donations, and you can also buy vouchers for when they re-open at the theatre’s main page, or become a member of the Plaza Theatre Foundation.
There’s also another way, though, and it’s kind of inspired. To help independent theatres such as the Plaza, Kino Lorber has set up “Virtual Screening Rooms” for the acclaimed genre film, “Bacurau”, wherein you can buy a 5-day rental of the film, and the proceeds of said rental will go to the theatre of your choice. I have embedded the trailer for “Bacurau” below; the link for the Plaza’s virtual screening room is here. I cannot wait to do my part, because this movie looks like a lot of fun.
This crisis will pass, and movie theatres will open again. When they do, I hope the Plaza finds the audiences, and appreciation, it deserves. I will do my part to see that it does.
Thanks for listening,
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
