ArcLight Cinemas and Slamdance announce today the 2017 lineup of the Slamdance Cinema Club. Now in its third year, Slamdance Cinema Club is designed to bring independent films from the festival circuit to mass audiences at ArcLight theaters in cities that are closely connected to the filmmaking industry. Beginning in March, ArcLight Hollywood and ArcLight Chicago will show two films each month from the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival that took place January 20-26 in Park City, UT. Each Hollywood screening and select Chicago screenings will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A that dives into the background and thematic elements of each film.
Started in 2015 as a partnership between ArcLight and Slamdance, the Slamdance Cinema Club film series offers diverse viewing experiences and provides moviegoers with the opportunity to see acclaimed narrative and documentary features that were recently premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival.
"ArcLight is dedicated to giving each moviegoer a unique theater experience, and this film series is the perfect way to provide our viewers with a comprehensive look at the diversity and craftsmanship of independent filmmaking," said ArcLight Cinemas Executive Vice President, Cinema Programming Gretchen McCourt.
The 2017 Slamdance Cinema Club series was launched on January 31st at ArcLight Hollywood with a screening of "What Lies Upstream," a documentary exposé on the failed regulatory framework that creates an unprecedented loss of clean water for over 300,000 Americans. The films being shown beginning March 12th include "Strad Style," "Kate Can't Swim," "On The Sly: In Search of the Family Stone," "Cortez," "You Never Had It: An Evening with Bukowski," "After Adderall," "Automatic at Sea," and "Neighborhood Food Drive."
Kicking off the first Q&As at ArcLight Hollywood will be a discussion with "Strad Style" Director Stefan Avalos and Daniel Houck on March 12th, and a conversation with "Kate Can't Swim" Director Josh Helman and Producer/Writer Jennifer Allcott on March 13th. The first Q&A in Chicago will be on March 29th after the screening of "Strad Style," with actor Daniel Houck, moderated by Bryan Wendorf, Programmer & Artistic Director, Chicago Underground Film Festival.
"We're thrilled to continue to share the incredible work of the film festival's independent filmmakers with larger audiences in both Los Angeles and Chicago," said Slamdance President & Co-Founder, Peter Baxter.
To reserve seats and learn more about each film, visit: www.arclightcinemas.com/news/ArcLight-Presents-Slamdance-Cinema-Club. Also check the website for updates on a schedule of Chicago Q&A discussions with the filmmakers and special guests.
Upcoming dates for ArcLight Presents Slamdance Cinema Club at ArcLight Hollywood and Chicago are as follows:
Strad Style
March 12: ArcLight Hollywood
March 29: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: A rural Ohio eccentric with an obsession for 'Stradivari' convinces a famous European concert violinist that he can make a copy of one of the most famous and valuable violins in the world. Fighting time, poverty, and most of all – himself – Danny Houck puts everything on the line for one shot at glory. Directed by Stefan Avalos, starring Daniel Houck, Razvan Stoica, David Campbell, Rodger Stearns, and Mary Houck.
Kate Can't Swim
March 13: ArcLight Hollywood
March 30: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis:
Kate (Celeste Arias) is almost thirty, almost engaged, almost settled in her career as a writer—but is deeply dissatisfied. When Kate's best friend Em (Jennifer Allcott) returns from Paris with a surprising new lover in tow (Josh Helman), Kate and her boyfriend Pete (Grayson DeJesus) spend a weekend in upstate New York with the new couple. As Kate struggles with her suspicions about Em's new lover, dormant feelings about her own life arise, forcing her to decide whether to stay on her current life path or to burn it down and forge a new one. Co-directed by Josh Helman and Evan Jonigkeit, starring Celeste Arias, Jennifer Allcott, Grayson DeJesus, and Josh Helman.
On The Sly: In Search of the Family Stone
April 9: ArcLight Hollywood
April 19: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: Michael Rubenstone, a first-time filmmaker and a Sly and the Family Stone super- fan, sets out to find the band's leader, the reclusive funk legend, Sly Stone. In doing so, he manages to make one of the most comprehensive documentaries on the band to date, while also bringing Sly out of hiding for the first time since his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1993. Part road movie, part rock doc, ON THE SLY: IN SEARCH OF THE FAMILY STONE follows Michael Over the course of 12 years as he travels across the country, meets an eclectic cast of characters, unearths the true story of the band and chronicles how a musical icon fell from grace. Through detailed interviews with friends, family, former band members, managers and music industry titans we learn about the complexity of Sly Stone. Directed by Michael Rubenstone, starring Michael Rubenstone, Cornel West, Bobby Womack, Clive Davis, Dick Cavett, Paul Shaffer, David Kapralik, and Freddy Stone.
Cortez
April 10: ArcLight Hollywood
April 20: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: After a canceled tour, flailing musician Jesse Lirette seeks out an old flame in a small town in Northern New Mexico. When an arrogant attempt at inserting himself into her family fails, he must confront the mistakes of his past on his own. Directed by Cheryl Nichols, starring Arron Shiver, Cheryl Nichols, Drago Sumonja, Jackson Shiver, and Judith Ivey.
You Never Had It: An Evening with Bukowski
May 15: ArcLight Hollywood
May 24: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: A night of drinking and talking about sex, literature, childhood and humanity with the irreverent writer poet Charles Bukowski in his California house in 1981. A story of tapes lost, found and brought back to life. Directed by Matteo Borgardt, starring Charles Bukowski, Linda Lee Beighle, and Silvia Bizio.
After Adderall
May 16: ArcLight Hollywood
May 25: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: In 2010 James Franco optioned the rights to Stephan Elliot's memoir, The Adderall Diaries. In 2015 The Adderall Diaries starring James Franco and Ed Harris premiered at the TriBeca Film Festival. This is a movie about James Franco making a movie about Stephan Elliot. Directed by Stephen Elliott, starring Stephen Elliott, Mickaela Tombrock, Bill Heck, Michael C. Hall, Lili Taylor, and James Urbaniak.
Automatic at Sea
June 11: ArcLight Hollywood
June 21: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: Eve, a young Swedish traveler, finds herself stranded on a private island with Peter, a wealthy heir whom she hardly knows. While waiting for other guests to arrive, Eve becomes trapped in an unstable reality punctuated by feverish visions, dimensional shifting and secret pizza. How can she escape if she's not even sure she's there? Directed by Matthew Lessner, starring David Henry Gerson, Livia Hiselius, and Breeda Wool.
Neighborhood Food Drive
June 12: ArcLight Hollywood
June 22: ArcLight Chicago
Synopsis: Convinced that hosting a lavish charity fundraiser will improve the public image of their unpopular restaurant, two women hire an intern to help them plan and execute a neighborhood food drive. Despite their somewhat good intentions, the team quickly succumbs to petulance and laziness. They make repeat attempts—trying to maintain positive attitudes—but cosmic maladies cripple their efforts and they soon find themselves doomed. Directed by Jerzy Rose, starring Lyra Hill, Bruce Bundy, Ruby McCollister, Marcos Barnes, and Ted Tremper.
