The Blue Note shows local film
Kindred Moon Productions screened 'Evil's Alter' at the venue on Monday.
Published Sept. 12, 2006
Buried deep under The Blue Note's present-day legacy of bringing Columbia prominent live shows is a past enriched in film. Originally opened as a vaudeville theater in 1927 called The Varsity Theatre, films have projected within its walls well before the likes of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony performed songs such as "Tha Crossroads" on stage.
Today, The Blue Note still celebrates that cinematic history while giving the chance for local film producers to screen their films in a local venue.
"(Showing films) wasn't really our decision," booking manager Peter McDevitt said. "The building was a movie theater at one point in the past, and so it seems natural to be able to show some films."
This is good news for local film production companies like Kindred Moon Productions, which screened its horror film "Evil's Alter" on Monday. Movie-maker Michael McDonald said the exposure at The Blue Note is an attempt to appeal to new audiences.
"We're trying every aspect to get ourselves out there," McDonald said. "Find more sponsors, meet new people, new fans."
Part of the attempt to gain recognition is to find bigger venues such as The Blue Note, the biggest of four venues planned for the movie's premiere. McDonald said he hopes The Blue Note will help the film production grow.
"We've maintained a solid local fan base of about 300-400 people," McDonald said. "There's a big buzz in town. We're going to hopefully get bigger."
Members of Kindred Moon Productions estimated that The Blue Note will grab up to 800 local fans, and it is exploring different ways to attract people including using musical acts such as Arsenic Dream and DJ P-Caso to draw attention.
Showing films at The Blue Note is not new; the venue has shown movies before on an infrequent basis — most recently for the True/False Festival in February. The True/False Festival attracts a variety of independent films from the Sundance Film Festival to the Toronto Film Festival.
"They have used us as a venue in the past, and we intend to work with the festival organizers for years to come," McDevitt said.
The Blue Note is listed as a venue site for the fourth edition of the True/False Festival on the event's official Web site. Dates slated for the event are March 1-4.