Tuesday, September 1, 2009 9:40 PM CDT
Art House Cinema planned at Mattoon Public Library
By Ryan A. Franklin
In Mattoon Public Library’s endeavor to offer a variety of programs for adults, we are about to launch our Art House Cinema.
There is a fantastic theater here in town that shows the best new releases, hot movies and funny kids shows. I was happy to have a theater close to see “Transformers,” “Star Trek,” the new “Terminator”, “Harry Potter” 6, and so many more that I cannot even remember until someone starts taking about it.
Movies are a favorite pastime of mine. Once upon a time I even worked for the old Time and Cinema 3 before Showplace 10 was built.
Lacking in town is someplace to see film festival-style movies, both standard length, and shorts. We want to bridge that gap.
Sometimes film festival titles are never heard from again, but other times they blow up big and become household stories. Years ago a small $5 million-film, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” became the highest grossing independent film ever (at that time). What about “The Blair Witch Project” or “The Passion of the Christ”?
And who can forget last year’s sleeper “Slumdog Millionaire.” That movie was huge. It won eight Oscars! And to believe it almost went straight to DVD.
Through a service called Film Movement, the Mattoon Public Library will showcase some of the best in independent, foreign and short films. Each month on the first Saturday at 5:30 p.m., the second floor of the library will be turned into our version of a theater.
The first movie is titled “Somers Town,” directed by Shane Meadows. This coming-of-age tale was a favorite at the 2008 Tribeca film festival. It won best actor, and at the Edinburgh film festival it won best new British feature.
Marek and his father are Polish immigrants who live in Somers Town in between train stations Euston and King’s Cross. Tomo is a runaway from Nottingham.
These two develop an unlikely friendship while working odd jobs for a neighbor, and falling in love with the same French waitress. This mostly black-and-white film is mainly in English, but does have subtitles for the scenes where Polish is the spoken language. It runs about 70 minutes.
Pre-packaged concessions will be available for a small fee. And a discussion of the movie will take place afterward for anyone who would like to participate.
About one month after these movies air at our Art House Cinema they will be available for patrons to check out and watch at home.
On a completely different note I would like to take this opportunity to wish happy retirement to Nancy Henry. After 20 years at the Mattoon Public Library Nancy has decided to take a well-deserved break and enter retirement.
Throughout the years she has run the children’s department, overseen the local history department, and been an overall fountain of information. It was a virtual certainty that if no one else could find the item or the information, Nancy would have the answer, or at least the treasure map that led to it.
She will be well missed by staff and patrons alike. Her official retirement date is Oct. 1.
The library will host a card shower and a small retirement reception. Cards can be sent to Nancy Henry, c/o Mattoon Public Library, P.O. Box 809, Mattoon, IL 61938. More information on the reception will be posted on our Web site and in the library.
Ryan A. Franklin is the director at the Mattoon Public Library.
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