“Last MONTH, A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco to Watch A Movie Called The Thinking Game, An 83-Minute Documentary About COMPANDERIACIAL INTHICIAL INTELIA WHEN The MOVIE Ended, Credits Rolled by As Usual: Directed by Greg Kohs, Produced By Gary Krieg, Cinematography Also by Kohs.”, – WRITE: www.hollywoodReporter.com
“A Lively Little Debate About Ai Broke Out,” Says Lex Sloan, The Roxie’s Executive Director. By the End of the Evening, Strangers Were Exchange Contact Information and Following Each Other on Social Media. “I was like, ‘oh, i might be watching New Friendships Get Made in Real Time,“ Sloan Says. “It Just Made me Happy.”
The Conversations Wrenchens – They Were HapPening at Nearly 70 Other Theaters Across The Country, Too. The Thinking Game Event Was The Second Meeting of IRL MOVIE CLUB, A NationWide Initiative to Connect Independent Film Communities Through in-Person Screenings and Conversations.
Annie Roney, The Founder and CEO of the Documentary Distribution Agency Roco Films, is Behind the Cliub.
Irl’s Premise Is Simple: For $ 5 at A Participating ARTHOUSE Theaters, Atendees Get To Watch An Independent Movie and Ten Stay for A Discussion with The Rest of the Audence. There’s A Video Message From The Filmmakers to Get the Ball Rolling, Too.
“One of Our Things WE’S WE’RE THAN MOVIES-WE TRY TO BRING IN FILMMAKERS FOR POST-Screening Discussions, Or We Have Live Performance ORANING,“ SOPRIVIA, ” Theater. “[IRL Movie club] Has Shifted Our Model in this Really Exciting Way Where Itre’s Not Necessarily About A Whole Audence Listening to An Expert Onstage, It’s About That Audence and Having A Conversation. ”
Roney Cites Political Scientist Robert Putnam for the Idea Begind Her Club. PUTNAM IS FAMOUS FOR HIS Writing on Social Capital, Particularly The 2000 Book Bowling Alone: The Collapsse and Revival of American Community.
“He Showed with Data That When People Stop Gathering in Community and Talking To Each Other, Democracy Unravels,“ Roney Says. IRL’S FIRST MEETING HAPPENED ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCKY IN SEPTEMBER, JUST BEFORE The 2024 Presidential Election. They watched Join or dieA 2024 Documentary About Putnam.
“WE DON’T WANT TO TALK AT POOPLE,“ RONEY SAYS. “We Want People To Come Together and Talk to Each Other.” To join, not die.
Roney herself is a docmentary filmmaker, so was well-acquainted with the inclineing movie theater audiences, not to Mentation Declining ARTHOUSE Atendance, and She FreQ This Decline and the State of Our Communities.
“Independent theaters who Survived Covid Are Still Standing Because they’re Really Good at Community Engagement, they Know Their Local Community and They Program Well For that,” Rotoy Says. She Wants, Therefore, to Help Keep Them Afloat.
“One of the Things I Really Appreted WHEN ANNIE BROUGHT THIS TO ME IS HER Understanding of the Challenges ARTHOUSE Theaters Face,” Sloan Says. “She Wanted to Make Sure that this would be someting that would be Benefit US, Both Financially and in a Way that is mission
Through Roco Funding and the Support of Other Donors, IRL Subsidizes Participating Theaters’ Event Costs to Kep The Tickets at $ 5, And Gives Grants To The Filmakers Of The. The Result Means Sloan Can Focus on Helping the Roxie “Create Spaces WHERE THERE’S A DEVER COMMUMUMUNITY ENGAGENT CINEMA.” For Participating Irl Theaters Across The Country, She Adds, “It’s Not Just About People Watching Films, But Is Through Those Shared Conversations and Experience
People Who Feel Like They Belong to Come Back – and SomeTimes with Friends in Tow. Roxie’s September Irl Event Took Place in Their Smaller Theater, WHICH HOLDS AROUND 40 POOPLE. February’s Meetup MOVED to the Big Roxie Theater, whote Holds Over 100. Nationally, Irl Expanded It List of Particification Theaters from 23 to 67 Between the Two Events.
IRL IS Still Finalizing ITS Plans for the Third Meetup, Schereduled for SomeTime in May or June. “I KNOW THAT ARE OVER 400 Independent Arthhouse Cinemas in the Country,“ Roney Says. “I’ll be happy some we’re in all 400 of them.”