Introducing Inside the Arthouse
During the time that Greg Laemmle and I were working on ONLY IN THEATERS, the primary focus was the Laemmle family. A third-generation business, with a storied history facing an epic decision. And this was before the pandemic rained down. An American story about a multi-generational business was the foreground. The background was the business itself, an arthouse theater chain with an incredible Hollywood story, and decades of commitment to filmmakers, filmmaking, and the audiences that loved them.
Greg and I spent quite a bit of time together during the two years of filming him and his family. Then, more time, after the film was completed— with our many-city-tour, and over a hundred dates in theaters around the country and internationally, over yet another year. The film’s life cycle “in theaters” then came to its natural end, as we moved into our ancillary distribution and one remarkable thing was left behind.
Greg and I still liked one another.
With that in mind, I came to him with a new idea. How about a podcast focused on the films that we love, the ones that play at his theaters and in arthouses around the country? Sensitive to the challenges that independent filmmakers face with their smaller ad budgets, I proposed an arthouse podcast that promoted the films that were opening in theaters around the country. Films that this family had been promoting for the past half century, or more.
And, it’s good to have friends.
Thomas Cassetta, producer, sound mixer and designer for ONLY IN THEATERS, had been recently busy working on the very successful podcast FLAGRENT, along with a soon-to-be new friend, Miles McCreery. They knew podcasts in a way that I didn’t. They liked our idea and agreed to work with us over several months developing an approach to this show. We wanted to make a video-podcast, one that had high production values. We wanted to film this in person, at a Laemmle theater (the 100-year-old Laemmle Royal Theatre), and to have maximum flexibility to watch clips on a screen, talk with filmmakers remotely (or in person), and give a dynamic visual environment that subliminally said, “Go see a movie in a theater!”
ONLY IN THEATERS ends with a singular question, “Will the audiences come back?” We have seen that they have, but we have also seen that arthouse theaters, ones that focus on smaller films, continue to face challenges. The inspiration for this podcast came directly from the making of this movie. A passion for movies in theaters, and a desire to want to remind people that that’s where all the cool kids are. The smartest, most interesting ideas are happening in Arthouses, even as mainstream Hollywood continues to struggle with its identity.
While this website is dedicated to news and information about ONLY IN THEATERS, the core message of our film is about seeing movies in theaters. So, with that, we are going to add to the mix, change things up a little, and discuss this new podcast, INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, here— born of our collaboration, our aim is to highlight other new films– independent, foreign and documentary films that are playing in these wonderful arthouses around the country (like Laemmle but not exclusively). In an effort to coax, cajole and remind people that these theaters, all of them, are treasures and need to be embraced— not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s where all the action is really happening— right now, in your neighborhood art house theater cross town.
Hope you will consider joining us to hear more about it. I think you will discover what I have discovered (and what Greg Laemmle has known for years)— it’s really astoundingly exciting what’s going on out there.
Come find out on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE.
