Having spent eight years in movie theaters, building series, producing events and festivals, and building out a microcinema in Chicago, I have learned how important the need for a real-world space is to keep cinema communal. The need for physical community is fundamentally baked into the foundation of our artform. A film unwatched is only half complete. 

 

    After losing our footing from Covid, the filmmaking community has struggled to return to its communal roots. Streaming and other technologies make it easier to keep us at home, which is fine. Our current reality must exist in a hybrid, there’s no reason to fight this objective truth. Though we feel most comfortable at home, enough of us yearn for a clubhouse. A tangible area (with roof and lock) to share a common interest, share personal art and experience, and get away from the home every once and a while. We may want to stay at home, but we love the option to go out.