Slab Cinema’s new indoor spot to screen indie flicks, exhibit artwork
Slab Cinema is moving indoors.
Rick and Angela Martinez’s roving film series, which has presented outdoor screenings of all sorts of movies for 17 years, is opening Slab Cinema Arthouse this weekend. The new venue in the Blue Star Arts Complex will show movies, host art exhibitions and operate as an event space.
“The space is very dynamic and able to do a lot of different things,” Angela Martinez said. “On First Friday, we weren’t open yet, but after we got our (certificate of occupancy), we had four bands and all kinds of films rolling. So the way we have the space set up, it’s not like a dedicated theater — it’s whatever it needs to be at the time.”
Fans of watching movies in the great outdoors needn’t fret: Slab Cinema will continue its outdoor screenings, too. Upcoming films include “The Little Mermaid” on Sept. 4 and a 50th anniversary presentation of “West Side Story” on Sept. 18. Both are part of an ongoing series at Mission Marquee Plaza.
The new venture, dubbed Slab Cinema Arthouse, is located at 134 Blue Star. It officially opens this weekend with showings of “Sunset Boulevard” at 8 p.m. today and “Mulholland Drive” at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $10 at slabcinemaarthouse.com.
Film fans who want to check it out should take note that Slab Cinema Arthouse is a small space, and occupancy is going to be limited to one-third, which is fewer than 20 people, for the time being because of the pandemic. So advance purchases are a good idea. Masks are strongly recommended, too.
The plan is to screen a range of films, including older movies, indies and works made by San Antonio filmmakers.
Upcoming offerings include “8½,” “Sullivan’s Travels,” “The Player,” “Inglorious Basterds,” “Tinsel: The Lost Film About Hollywood” and “Sherlock Jr.”
On the gallery side of things, the space will open “In Tempore” with receptions at 5 p.m. Thursday
and 6 p.m. Sept. 3. The exhibit, which is part of Fotoseptiembre, will feature images by Dale Johnson, Angela Martinez, Wiley Martinez and others. It will be up through Sept. 25.
Slab Cinema launched in 2004, when the Martinezes were invited
to screen a movie on a slab near La Tuna, according to a history on the series’ website. They had been doing events in the parking lot of their video shop Planet of the Tapes.
Having an indoor space has been a long-term goal. It started
taking shape as a more imminent goal after Angela Martinez pulled together an exhibit in honor of arts booster Mike Casey’s 80th birthday in June in the former home of Fl!ght Gallery.
“As soon as they gave me the keys, I never wanted to give them
back,” she said. “We had always said that if we could ever have the perfect space to open a theater, we would.”
And now they have.