Theaters to Band Together to Combat Trump's Policies This April

On April 4, 2017, almost 90 art house movie theatres across the country in 79 cities and in 34 states, plus one location in Canada, will be participating collectively in a NATIONAL EVENT DAY screening of the 80's movie "1984" (www.imdb.com/title/tt0087803) starring John Hurt, who sadly died last month. This date was chosen because it's the day George Orwell's protagonist Winston Smith begins rebelling against his oppressive government by keeping a FORBIDDEN diary. These theaters owners also strongly believe in supporting the National Endowment for the Arts and see any attempt to scuttle that program as an attack on free speech and creative expression through entertainment. This event provides a chance for communities around the country to show their unity and have their voices heard.

In a joint statement on behalf of all of the theaters involved in this event: "Orwell's novel begins with the sentence, 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' Less than one month into the new presidential administration, theater owners collectively believe the clock is already striking thirteen. Orwell's portrait of a government that manufactures their own facts, demands total obedience, and demonizes foreign enemies, has never been timelier. The endeavor encourages theaters to take a stand for our most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that there are no such things as 'alternative facts.' By doing what they do best - showing a movie - the goal is that cinemas can initiate a much-needed community conversation at a time when the existence of facts, and basic human rights are under attack. Through nationwide participation and strength in numbers, these screenings are intended to galvanize people at the crossroads of cinema and community, and bring us together to foster communication and resistance against current efforts to undermine the most basic tenets of our society."

Participating theaters that charge admission will be donating a portion of the proceeds to local charities and organizations, or using the proceeds for the purposes of underwriting future educational and community-related programming.

Dylan Skolnick of the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY, and Adam Birnbaum of NOVA Theater Circuit, based in Stamford, CT, are spearheading efforts to enlist other theaters to join them. They can be reached for further statement at UnitedStateOfCinema@gmail.com.

For additional information about this event and a screening of the film in your area, please visit www.unitedstateofcinema.org. You can also find out more specific details on a venue by venue basis about special guest speakers and moderators, as well as charitable groups who will be participating and/or to which contributions will be made.

As of February 17th, the undersigned venues have already committed to this event (sorted by state):

Gold Town Theater	Juneau	AK
Capri Theatre	Montgomery	AL
Alamo Drafthouse Chandler	Chandler	AZ
Loft Cinema	Tucson	AZ
Balboa Theater	San Francisco	CA
The Cinefamily	Los Angeles	CA
El Rey Theater Alliance	Chico	CA
Frida Cinema	Santa Ana	CA
Lark Theater	Larkspur	CA
Palm Cinema	San Luis Obispo	CA
State Theatre	Modesto	CA
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts	San Francisco	CA
UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum	Los Angeles	CA
International Film Series	Boulder	CO
Avon Theatre Film Center	Stamford	CT
Yale Film Colloquium	New Haven	CT
All Saints Cinema	Tallahassee	FL
Coral Gables Art Cinema	Coral Gables	FL
Movies of Lake Worth	Lake Worth	FL
O Cinema Wynwood	Miami	FL
Stonzek Theatre of the Lake Worth Playhouse	Lake Worth	FL
Sun-Ray Cinema	Jacksonville	FL
Ciné	Athens	GA
Doris Duke Theatre / Honolulu Museum of Art	Honolulu	HI
FilmScene	Iowa City	IA
Wilmette Theatre	Wilmette	IL
Art Theatre	Hobart	IN
Cicada Cinema	Bloomington	IN
Cinema Center	Ft. Wayne	IN
Beacon Cinema	Pittsfield	MA
Images Cinema	Williamstown	MA
Triplex Cinema	Great Barrington	MA
Old Greenbelt Theatre	Greenbelt	MD
Railroad Square Cinema	Waterville	ME
Cinema Detroit	Detroit	MI
Vickers Theatre	Three Oaks	MI
Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul's St. Anthony Main Theatre	Minneapolis	MN
Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet	Kansas City	MO
Cinema St. Louis (in partnership with the St. Louis Public Library)	St. Louis	MO
Art House Cinema & Pub	Billings	MT
Fine Arts Theatre	Asheville	NC
Rialto Theater	Raleigh	NC
Putnam Screening Room	Keene	NH
Guild Cinema	Albuquerque	NM
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn	Brooklyn	NY
Anthology Film Archives	New York	NY
Cinema Arts Centre	Huntington	NY
Cinemapolis	Ithaca	NY
Film Society of Lincoln Center	New York	NY
GE Theatre at Proctors	Schenectady	NY
IFC Center	New York	NY
Jacob Burns Film Center	Pleasantville	NY
Little Theatre	Rochester	NY
Nitehawk Cinema	Brooklyn	NY
Picture House Regional Film Center	Pelham	NY
The Moviehouse	Millerton	NY
Upstate Films	Rheinbeck	NY
Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College	Saratoga Springs	NY
Athena Cinema	Athens	OH
Little Art Theater	Yellow Springs	OH
Circle Cinema	Tulsa	OK
The Royal	Toronto, ON	ON
Bijou Art Cinemas	Eugene	OR
Cinema 21 Theatre	Portland	OR
City Lights Cinemas	Florence	OR
Clinton Street Theater*	Portland	OR
Colonial Theatre	Phoenixville	PA
Hollywood Theater	Pittsburgh	PA
Midtown Cinema	Harrisburg	PA
Pittsburgh Filmmakers	Pittsburgh	PA
Row House Cinema	Pittsburgh	PA
SMALL STAR Art House	York	PA
Cable Car Cinema	Providence	RI
Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center	Newport	RI
The Nickelodeon Theatre	Columbia	SC
Cinema Falls	Sioux Falls	SD
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Mason Park	Katy	TX
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Montecillo	El Paso	TX
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz	Austin	TX
Texas Theatre	Dallas	TX
Park City Film Series	Park City	UT
Salt Lake Film Society - Tower Theater	Salt Lake City	UT
Byrd Theatre	Richmond	VA
Grand Cinema	Tacoma	WA
Pickford Film Center	Bellingham	WA
Seattle International Film Festival	Seattle	WA

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