A new space for movie lovers is coming to Kingston. Upstate Films, the nonprofit film organization with theaters in Rhinebeck and Saugerties, will soon add a third location in Midtown. The new venue, located at 591 Broadway in a former barbershop, will open to the public on Friday, September 19, following a series of invite-only screenings from September 16 through 18.
“We’re seeing it as a screening room, so it has the ability to be a lot of different things in the world of film and community gatherings,” says Paul Sturtz, co-executive director of Upstate Films. “So it’s a big open invitation to collaborate. We want it to be sort of connective tissue for a lot of the cool things that are happening in Midtown.”
The Kingston screening room is the result of a collaboration between Upstate Films, the Kingston Film Foundation, and building owner Morgan Coy, who originally cofounded Tubby’s with Cory Plump. Coy, who had long envisioned a theater in Midtown, helped connect the project with contractors, including electricians, plumbers, and HVAC specialists.
Programming will combine Upstate Films’ own selections with contributions from partners. On Wednesday nights, the Kingston Film Foundation will feature repertory and older films. Thursday evenings will spotlight programming in partnership with local nonprofits, including the Center for Creative Education, The D.R.A.W., People’s Place, Radio Kingston, and HUDSY, with around 15 groups involved in total. “We could likely do a weekly documentary series that might have a political bend to it,” Sturtz notes. “There’s a lot of interesting activist communities in Kingston that I think this would be a perfect space for.”
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For the opening week, Kingston Film Foundation plans to present All About My Mother by Pedro Almodovar, and on September 25, HUDSY is set to host a local filmmaker showcase. “I’m still working through the whole schedule, so it’s a little premature to lock in,” notes Sturtz.
The theater measures about 1,000 square feet and will seat fewer than 50 people. Projection will be from behind the screen, and the seating will be tiered for visibility. Brian Whitney of Kingston Film Foundation will manage the theater, supported by staff from Upstate’s other venues, many of whom live in Kingston.
The project has been financed through private donors, memberships—Upstate Films currently has about 1,300 members—and business partners who will advertise before screenings. Sturtz acknowledges the financial challenge. “Even when you’re filling up a smaller house, it’s not a tremendously lucrative business, even if you’re firing on all cylinders,” he says. “You sort of have to supplement your ticket revenue with some other sources. It’s definitely not a gimme in terms of making it a sustainable business, but we think it’s a valuable service to Midtown and to Kingston.”
Sturtz adds: “We just felt like the time was right, and Morgan and Cory were really excited about having it in the neighborhood and having it woven into the fabric of Midtown—which is more or less my favorite neighborhood in the Hudson Valley. I just think there’s an extraordinary amount of diversity in terms of businesses and people located there, and it’s going to be fun to be part of the neighborhood.”
