The “theater with the couches,” as Cable Car Cinema is affectionately referred to, has been a fixture in the community art scene in Providence for 40 years. Its future didn’t look quite as bright in 2008, however, when the venue came close to shutting its doors for good.

Enter Daniel Kamil and his wife, Emily Steffian, who decided they would buy the single-room arthouse theater and turn its fortunes around. “Cable Car is a community icon, and many believe it’s important for the cultural life of the city. Losing it, we thought, would be a real shame,” Kamil says, “We thought we could save it and also continue the rich tradition of programming that had already been there.” The couple had owned another theater in Westerly, Rhode Island, which they sold in 2006.

Cable Car Cinema owners Daniel Kamil and Emily Steffian

Cable Car continues to showcase independent movies, even if that definition has evolved over the years. Cable Car has also survived the industry’s switch to digital projection, a move that sank many other small movie houses.

Community is central to Cable Car’s mission. Through the Providence Center for Media Culture, a non-profit associated with the theatre, Cable Car educates the community using film. School outreach and community discussions are all par for the course. Cable Car hosted screenings of the popular I Am Not Your Negro documentary at area schools, and regularly hosts panel events on critical issues of the day. A recent Civics and Politics film series, for example, discussed freedom of information in addition to other relevant topics. “These are particular programs that we do host to align with our mission of being an integral part of the community,” Kamil says. “It’s not about ticket sales.”

Cable Car was recognized for its role in valuing the role of art in the community as part of the Sundance Institute’s Art House project. Cable Car’s couch seating and small cafe, where moviegoers can even get a glass of wine, are added quirky draws, but Kamil knows he has to move beyond the single room screenings to be viable in the long run. “There aren’t many single screen art house independent theaters doing what they do anymore because the economics of it are incredibly difficult,” he says. “We are trying to figure out how to broaden our offerings.”

Kamil is delighted by Providence’s response to Cable Car and its offerings. The opening weekend of I Am Not Your Negro received such an enthusiastic response from patrons that the venue ranked sixth best in the country, competing against larger theaters. “That we were able to rank that highly speaks to the intellectual curiosity of the community,” Kamil says, “there’s an intellectual engagement here in Providence that recognizes what we do.”

Daniel Kamil–owner Cable Car Cinema
Providence, Rhode Island
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Photos courtesy Cable Car Cinema

The post Arthouse Sensibilities appeared first on Take Magazine.

With dozens of independently owned and operated movie theaters across New England, no one ever needs to go to the soulless multiplex. Our local theaters have character and a long history that’s unmatched by any Rave Cinemas affiliate. The independent owners care more about lending a sense of occasion to a movie-going experience than just maximizing profit and operating as a personal liaison to the big film studios. Many of these New England independent movie theaters screen classic or important contemporary films, as well as offer exclusive screenings of foreign films and book lectures by notable academics to supplement their on-screen content.

In other words, they’re not just cinemas. They’re galleries or mixed-use performance spaces, and are housed in converted mill buildings or an old town hall. These cinematic spaces are as elastic and diverse as the medium, moving over time from exclusively showing silent films in the early 20th century, to now showcasing local artists, programming performances from world-renowned acts, and screening films using the highest quality digital means imagined.

This summer, when you’re deciding where to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Alien Covenant, or some hard-to-watch-but-strangely-rewarding independent film, use this list of independently owned cinemas in the region to find the one closest to you.

New Hampshire Independent Movie Theaters

The Colonial Theater
2050 Main St.
Bethlehem, New Hampshire

The Colonial is a great example of the New England cinema that’s more than a cinema. Moviegoers can catch a current foreign or American-made independent feature, or catch a diverse lineup of live performers. Become a member for exclusive updates about their upcoming performances including Aimee Mann and Kat Wright.

The Wilton Town Hall Theater
40 Main St.
Wilton, New Hampshire

Perhaps the oldest building on the list, this theater has a long history of film and live performance. Once a space for traveling vaudeville acts and at one time the only place in town to see WWII newsreels, the Wilton Town Hall Theater now offers two rooms for screenings of contemporary blockbusters and independent features.

Maine Independent Movie Theaters

Railroad Square Cinema
17 Railroad Sq.
Waterville, Maine

In addition to claiming to have “the best popcorn in the known universe”, this cinema offers its members and regular Mainers several independent features running each day in addition to one-off screenings of must-see films from all over the world.

Movies at The Museum
Portland Museum of Art
7 Congress Sq.
Portland, Maine

Movies at The Museum shows more than just educational films paired with lectures. The cinema operates as a fully sussed movie house with very strong supplemental content, events and series with the support of the Portland Museum of Art.

Connecticut Independent Movie Theaters

Cinestudio
300 Summit St.
Hartford, Connecticut

Cinestudio has long been the place in Hartford to see all sorts of first-run blockbusters, independent films, classics, and foreign films. In addition to screenings, the 40+ year old theater at Trinity College offers various film fests and special events throughout the year.

Real Art Ways
56 Arbor St.
Hartford, Connecticut

Go for the movies, stay for the innovative fine art exhibitions, creative cocktail hours and performance art. Be sure to check RAW’s schedule throughout the year to catch the many special screenings and Oscar Nominated Short Film Fest.

Bantam Cinema
15 Bantam Lake Rd.
Bantam, Connecticut

As “Connecticut’s oldest continually operating movie theater,” Bantam Cinema has gone through a lot of changes since opening in 1927 as The Rivoli except for this one major one: it remains a reliable place to catch films of all kinds.

Massachusetts Independent Movie Theaters

The Brattle Theater
40 Brattle St.
Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Brattle Theater has the most extensive and diverse set of screenings on our list with exclusive Boston-area premieres, discussions with directors, and even a special screening series of David Lynch films leading up to Twin Peak‘s big return on May 21.

Amherst Cinema Arts Center
28 Amity St.
Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst Cinema has been an invaluable and enriching presence in the western Massachusetts film scene since re-opening its doors to the Amherst community in 2006. Be sure to head to Amherst Cinema for their Filmmaker Visits and the Science on Screen series.

Vermont Independent Movie Theaters

Latchis Cinema 
50 Main St.
Brattleboro, Vermont

Perhaps New England’s largest and most ornate location to catch a flick, Latchis Cinema offers four rooms to see everything from the next big blockbuster to that lengthy German comedy you keep hearing about. Want to make an evening of it? Stay at the Latchis Hotel.

Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center
60 Lake St.
Burlington, Vermont

Main Street Landing, the sustainable development organization located at Burlington’s shore, offers, “a free event open to the public on a first come first served basis.” Show up early to catch a screening of North by Northwest or Trainspotting. Now that’s diverse programming.

Rhode Island Independent Movie Theaters

Avon Cinema
260 Thayer St.
Providence, Rhode Island

Cable Car Cinema 
204 S Main St.
Providence, Rhode Island

Avon and Cable Car are less than 10 minutes from each other and offer stellar films, concessions, and exactly the kind of atmosphere you want with an indie cinema. So how do you choose between them? Can’t help you there, but either way you’ll avoid the mall.

Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center
49 Touro St.
Newport, Rhode Island

JPT boasts being the only spot in Newport to see a film, and uses this position to bring great programs, parties, and other film-oriented events to the city. Added bonus? JPT members can use their membership from Amherst Cinema and vice versa to capitalize on benefits from each theater.

Top photo The Colonial Theater in New Hampshire | Photo courtesy The Colonial Theater website

The post 13 New England Indie Movie Theaters Not to Miss appeared first on Take Magazine.