Thursday, July 17, 2008

Maysles Cinema Is Open!

For those of you in the New York area...a new not-for-profit cinema has opened in Harlem at the Maysles Institute (yes...that Maysles). I went there tonight for a (DVD) screening of Jean Vigo's first short film A Propos De Nice and Chantal Akerman's News From Home (recently released in Europe with English subtitles for the very first time...I might have to write about the film in the near future...) It's been open for a couple weeks, but it seems a bit under the radar so I thought I'd alert everyone (as you should all be interested!)

Although all the Maysles Cinema has at the moment is digital projection, it's a very small, intimate space and really feels like you are just getting together in someone's basement to watch films...and I mean that in a good way. There are only about 30 seats total. There was a rug with some big ole pillows on the floor for people who want to do that as well. With 16mm projection coming, any serious film fan in the New York area will be well suited to keep on top of their programming. I had a lovely time there meeting several people tonight, and hope that those of you in New York will go out and support this new cinema some point in the near future.

Here is a link to their site where you can find lots of information on the Maysles Institute, as well as a screening schedule for the cinema and basically anything else you would want.

2 comments:

Ed Howard said...

I can't imagine going to a theater just to see a DVD projected, but maybe that's just me. I do like both those films, though (and have both on DVD anyway), and the Akerman especially is a total masterpiece. I wrote about it myself earlier this year. The final shot of the film, with the boat sloooooowly pulling away from a New York that is increasingly shrouded with fog and blurred by distance, is just jaw-dropping in its quiet beauty.

James Hansen said...

Well, it is just a "suggested donation" so I guess you don't have to pay since it is a DVD. And they said that there are no prints of NEWS FROM HOME available, so...yeah... I guess it is more about supporting the Maysles Institute and seeing some rare(er) DVDs if anything. I almost went to the Rubin Museum to see SOLARIS earlier this year and found out it was a DVD and was pissed about that. The people behind it come into play for me.

I have the Akerman on DVD but without the English subs, so I'm glad I got to see it with. It's really excellent. I may still prefer D'EST, but it's like choosing which piece of gold you want.