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.

Western-Massachusetts-native-turned-fake-judge John Hodgman always says, “Specificity is the soul of narrative.” In other words, the more precise a story is, or the more unique the subject matter, the better. Through specificity of content and approach, artists can present audiences with unique characters, stories, and experiences.

The same logic applies to film festivals and the cinema they celebrate. In addition to the dozens of big film fests across the region, film junkies and industry folks alike have privileged access to niche New England film festivals in every state. Movie lovers can see everything from queer romance to cinema written, produced, starring, and directed by folks with hearing impairment. Some of these festivals are right around the corner, while others are still accepting submissions. All reveal subjects that are unique and satisfyingly specific.

AIP Film Festival
April 2 – April 8
Cinestudio
Hartford, CT

Hartford’s beautifully designed 1930s-era movie theater continues its yearly film fest for Francophiles, April in Paris, which goes beyond the French New Wave and into the realm of contemporary cinema. Prospective moviegoers have nine opportunities to see French films produced from 1982 to 2016, all of which examine the exceedingly relevant, “effects of crossing borders, from the political to the personal.”

Wicked Queer Film Festival
March 30 – April 9
Various venues
Boston, MA

Laverne Cox in Free CeCe! | Director Jac Gares, 2016

The 33rd incarnation of Boston’s film festival revealing and unpacking the queer experience through documentary, comedy, and drama will feature internationally renowned voices of the queer community and emerging artists alike. Queer film enthusiasts of all kinds have dozens of chances to see films across the city in a new neighborhood each night.

Maine Deaf Film Festival
April 28 – 29
University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME

The 15th annual Maine Deaf Film Festival is the longest-running and perhaps the only film festival of its type in the nation. Programmed and planned in collaboration with students and boasting content exclusively created by deaf folks across the region, MDFF skillfully solves some of the problems of underrepresentation of people with hearing impairments both in front of and behind the camera.

SENE Film Festival
April 25 – 29
Various venues
Rhode Island

With dozens of films ranging from experimental shorts to feature-length animated dramas, SENE provides attendees nearly endless opportunities to pick their vast or small corner of the world to explore. The Wednesday night screenings of experimental films and documentary features is both a can’t-miss evening and an excellent example of the range and specificity of topics explored throughout the festival.

New Hampshire Film Festival
October
Various venues
Portsmouth, NH

Still from All The President’s Heads | Director Adam Roffman, 2016

With the time for submissions still open, we can’t say for sure what niches the New Hampshire Film Festival will investigate. However, if last year’s programming is any indication, cinephiles will delve into some strange and specific topics. For example, All the President’s Heads, a film about a history devotee who saves two dozen, massive presidential busts from destruction after being displaced by the building of an Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

Independent Television Festival
October 11 – 17
Various Venues
Manchester, VT

Okay. . .this isn’t technically a “film festival.” However, was True Detective (the charcoal dark, riveting serialized HBO murder mystery disguised as a police procedural) a television show or more of a seven-and-a-half-hour movie split into manageable 54-minute chunks? As the line between prestige television and film blurs more each day, so will our categorizations for the sake of this list. Anyway, ITVFest still counts because it’s a moving image festival celebrating a niche part of a hulking industry, a section of the industry that often gets ignored in cinema as well; the independents.

Global Roots Film Festival
April 7 – 9
Contois Auditorium
Burlington, VT

Still from Ladies & Gentlemen… Mr. Leonard Cohen |
Directors Donald Brittain & Don Owen, 1965 | Presented by VT PBS and RETN

This niche film festival is brought to us by the Vermont International Film Foundation which also presents the yearly Vermont International Film Festival. The Global Roots Film Festival endeavors to bring Vermonters, “great films from the countries of many of the New American communities. . .to foster a greater understanding of our diverse cultures.” This year, Global Roots turns the lens towards contemporary films coming from Quebec.

Top image, still from Signature Move | Director Jennifer Reeder (2017)

The post 7 New England Niche Film Festivals You Can’t Miss appeared first on Take Magazine.