In today’s streaming era, indie films face an uphill battle. Independent distributors and arthouse cinemas are struggling as major studios focus on franchises, smaller distributors reduce upfront spending, and foreign-film financiers become more risk-averse. In the Hudson Valley, a group of local film enthusiasts aims to address these issues. Recently founded by Brian Whitney, the Kingston Film Foundation brings second-run, arthouse, and classic films to Kingston through pop-up screenings.
Whitney, a film enthusiast from New Jersey, broke into film programming after the pandemic as the film programmer at Bardavon and UPAC. There, he learned how to select lesser-known and obscure films for the big screen. “Some of these movies are available on streaming services, but there’s a difference between watching them at home on a tv or computer versus watching them with a big group of people,” notes Whitney.
Whitney planted the seeds for the foundation in 2022 when he started organizing second-run, arthouse cinema screenings at different Kingston venues, including the Headstone Gallery, Monument Gallery, and the Old Dutch Church. It grew organically from there. “A group of people came to the first screening, kept coming, and we slowly became friends,” says Whitney. “In the second half of 2023, a few of those friends who were regulars proposed forming a larger organization to keep the screenings going. It was at the beginning of this year that we figured out what we’d do and what we’d call it.” The current board comprises seven Kingston residents: Brian and Lauren Whitney, Skyler Balbus, Kyle Black, Greg Mills, Steven Swarbrick, and Rebecca van Laer.
The Foundations’s earlier screenings include Tampopo, a Japanese film portraying a woman’s quest to open a ramen shop in the style of an American Western, and House, a ‘70s Japanese comedy-horror Technicolor film infused with whimsical and dreamlike elements, inspired by the director’s discussions with his eight-year-old daughter.
They’ve also had special events to accompany the films, such as a showing of Godzilla with a live score by His Moriarty, a music duo composed of Michael and Dominic Nicosia. Before the film, Vinny Granata of the Definitely Human Theatre performed a one-person show titled “My Love Letter To Godzilla,” sharing his personal experiences with the franchise. “There are interesting ways that other theaters have pioneered to spice up presentation,” says Whitney. “We want to make it not just a movie playing in a room but to flesh out the whole experience.”
Now, under the Kingston Film Foundation name, the group is ready to kick off “Movies About Movies,” a free pop-up screening series on select Saturdays in March at the Headstone Gallery. The series will feature three films: Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt (on March 2), Robert Altman’s The Player (on March 16), and Spike Jonze’s Adaptation (on March 30).
Each film is, in some way, directly or indirectly about film and filmmaking. “We thought a series of meta movies makes sense for movie lovers,” says Whitney. “We all really enjoy adventurous cinema. It may not always stick to the landing, but it tries to be big and bold. That kind of thing is really attractive to us in terms of programming.”
Ultimately, the group’s long term goal is to find a permanent home for a repertory cinema in Kingston. “Kingston has a new population of adults aged 30 to 45, who have largely relocated from bigger cities with repertory options,” says Whitney. “I think a lot of those people like to go to places like Nitehawk or the Alamo Drafthouse. It’s a fun way to spend a night out, and there’s a social component combined with the movie experience that is really nice.”
“The big thing is finding the right space,” says Whitney. “A significant consideration is having high ceilings—enough to accommodate a proper-sized projector and screen. That can be tricky. We want a space that’s really technically capable of showing a wide variety of stuff. We’ve got plans for a 35mm projector to show actual film, as well as digital presentations. Being that we’re so new, our plan is to do 10 popup screenings over the next year—which we may go over. That’ll help us find our feet and figure out what we need for our permanent space.”
Still, hosting screenings can be difficult with a team of only seven people, where not everyone is always available. Volunteers are key to our foundation’s success, helping with tasks like putting up flyers, setting up equipment, and running the snack stand.
Despite the difficulties, Whitney is hopeful that the grassroots approach will work. “In this world of niche cinema, the audience isn’t as large, but the people into it are very devoted and willing to make this thing happen,” says Whitney. “All the responses I’ve gotten for this project have been uniformly positive. It’s something that people really want.”
