By Alex De Vore
Santa Fe's movie theater situation is straight bumpin'. And no, we're not talking about catching just some mainstream flick in a faceless multiplex, but the venues run by dedicated film buffs for whom the cinema is not merely some throwaway weekend activity, but rather an artistic lifeblood. Of course, this isn't to say you can't still catch those big-name studio films should you choose, just that we've got some pretty incredible art house options for the size of this town.
Jean Cocteau Cinema
418 Montezuma Ave., 466-5528, jeancocteaucinema.com
George RR Martin, who we believe may write stories of some kind, famously revived this indie theater a few years back. But with the recent addition of the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival's co-founders, siblings Liesette and Jacques Paisner, as programming managers, the Jean Cocteau Cinema is poised to become better than ever. The Paisners want Santa Fe to be a film destination right behind New York City. Jacques says he wants to highlight Santa Fe as "the city to open a movie." The siblings have obviously forged invaluable relationships through the Independent Film Festival, but they've also got ideas beyond simple screenings. "I think we're going to see it really become a common center with all the comedy shows, magicians, art shows and authors speaking," Liesette points out. Don't worry, you'll still be able to see critically-acclaimed foreign films and late-night-type zombie movies and horror films. But you might have more company. "We think people are going to come to the Railyard or get off that train and realize they're in a special area, an artistic area," Jacques says.
Violet Crown Cinema
1606 Alcaldesa St., 216-5678, santafe.violetcrown.com
Just across the Railyard lies the new-ish Violet Crown Cinema, a glorious testament to why the hell shouldn't we drink beers at the movies?! and a hybrid project combining big-name films, special events, one-off screeners and more. VC blew into town and quickly became a local fave for just about anyone who enjoys the cinema, but also a mecca for those who live someplace between loving the works of David Lean while also totally wanting a pepperoni pizza. "The fun part is that we have this half-and-half split," general manager Peter Grendle says. "The kind of programming where we can get crowds in for Lego Batman who maybe haven't been exposed to artsier films." This has included series like Essential Cinema, an ongoing event that included classics like Dr. Zhivago and The Searchers. With founders from Austin, Texas—where the VC is a tad more arts-leaning—Santa Fe's version was the first to dabble with more mainstream films according to Grendle, but he and his team have the go-ahead to continue programming in creative ways. "What I'm building toward now with a couple of the Austin folks is an auteur series," he says, "where we'll have three of four films from the same filmmaker, like [Pedro] Almodóvar, and the idea, in theory, is there's a bigger movie you know from a director and then some of their more obscure titles. … So you have this multiplex theater playing big stuff, but across the hall you've got Almodóvar."
Center for Contemporary Arts Cinematheque
1050 Old Pecos Trail, 982-1338, ccasantafe.org/cinematheque
Along the Old Pecos Trail you'll find the CCA and its small yet dedicated theater run by the inimitable Jason Silverman, a film buff and producer of last year's celebrated director documentary, Sembene! on—you guessed it—African director Ousmane Sembene. In practically everything Silverman does, one will find artistic value, whether it's foreign horror in the shape of The Babadook, documentaries like Ron Howard's Eight Days a Week, working with local schools to educate students about the social and cultural power of film or even just screening award-winning mega-hits like Moonlight (which, by the way, the CCA had for weeks before the country went nuts for it). "For me, the cinema can be central in providing counter-narratives to the profit-driven mass media," Cinematheque director Jason Silverman tells SFR. "The CCA is the only nonprofit movie space in town, and we make our programming decisions based on fulfilling our mission, not our pockets, and our mission is to bring Santa Fe together for stories that are meaningful, rich, connective, educational and inspiring." Woah. So, you should probably go!
The Screen
Santa Fe University of Art and Design, 1600 St Michael's Drive., 473-6494, thescreensf.com
Meanwhile, on the SFUAD campus lies another gorgeous community asset—The Screen, one of the largest screens in town and an ongoing reminder that colleges know how to party. Foreign films, animation, award-winning masterpieces, musicals and more illustrate a commitment to quality and also variety, but what's most excellent is that it's not just open to students. In years past, we've sung along with Yellow Submarine and learned of the magic of Totoro—who even knows what's next?
