Over-the-Rhine’s The Mini Microcinema is about to roll out their newest series, which will celebrate a different film’s anniversary each month. But the endeavor also marks The Mini’s first set of ticketed screenings since opening in 2015.
The majority of the works screened, aside from the series of 12 ticketed films, will still be free — with a $5 suggested donation at the door.
The 35-seat theater was founded, in part, to address the city’s need for a nonprofit that considers film a serious art form. Last year, they screened over 120 films and saw more than 3,000 people walk through their doors.
“We want to remain free and accessible to all and want to continue offering a variety of programming while also paying all of our filmmakers, artists and distributors that we show,” says cinema founder C. Jacqueline Wood.
In order to challenge the economic system of cinema, they have to get funds from non-traditional means. In the past, that has been from grants, donations and a membership program, the latter of which was introduced last year.
“But the more screenings we do, the more it costs, and we want The Mini to continue at that pace,” Wood says.
Each film in the anniversary series will cost $25; along with the screening itself, snacks and drinks are included in the price of admission. The ultimate goal is to raise about $5,000 toward their overall operating budget.
Steven Soderbergh’s thriller Sex, Lies, and Videotape — released 30 years ago — will kick things off on Jan. 27. Bartender Liz Wolf of OTR’s Please will serve up themed cocktails, popcorn will be up for grabs and patrons can buy limited-edition commemorative posters made by local artists.
Most of the films slated to screen for the series are relatively well-known, unlike The Mini’s usual underground, experimental line-ups. Of this, Wood says they wanted to try something outside of their normal programming.
“We have a very small programming committee of people that help run The Mini, they’re all volunteers,” she says. “We battled for months over this list really trying to pick an interesting representation of genres, different time periods.”
Other films to be screened include Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest on Feb. 17; Hal Ashby’s Being There on March 24; Howard Hawks’ Rio Bravo on April 28; and Ridley Scott’s Alien on May 19.
Bob Fosse’s All that Jazz will show a week prior to the Cincinnati PRIDE festival on June 15. Catch François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows July 21 and usher kids back to the classroom Aug. 11 with Rock n’ Roll High School, co-directed by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante. Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai hits the cinema Sept. 22 and things get spooky with William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler Oct. 27. The year is rounded out by Wes Anderson’s wonderfully whimsical Fantastic Mr. Fox on Nov. 10 and the oldest film of the series, The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed and celebrating its 70th anniversary, on Dec. 15.
“What I love about this model that I came up with is that every year the 12 films for the fundraiser will change,” Wood says. “Next year obviously will be 2020. Films will be having their big decade anniversaries in 2020; it’s kind of fun to think about that as a model to structure the series.”
All in all, the series will allow The Mini to showcase timeless films that still resonate with audiences today — despite being released 10, 20, 30 years ago or beyond.
This year, The Mini also welcomes another installment: The Mini Mini Series. Each month, a curated batch of films will center around a different theme. January honed in on films by Midwesterners and next month will focus on the “Female Frame.” Other topics include generations, sports and athleticism, labor and politics, LGBTQ and international horror. All of the screenings are free with a $5 suggested donation.
“There’s lots of different people in this city that want to see different kinds of work,” Wood says of the series. “We’re happy to meet that need, but we also understand that sometimes it’s hard to grasp onto certain themes.”
Shown in a “thematic thread” each month, Wood hopes the series will draw in a wide-range of tastes and interests.
For more info on The Mini Microcinema (1329 Main St., Over-the-Rhine) and to reserve tickets visit mini-cinema.org.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2019.
