The growth of ‘microcinema’ in Silicon Valley
“Microcinema,” small gatherings of movie fans who get together to watch new independent films, is a growing trend in the movie world. But moviegoers in Silicon Valley have been ahead of that curve for more than 20 years.
Last Sunday, dozens of cinephiles made their way to 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose for the season-closing screening of Cinema Club Silicon Valley. For 22 years, members of the club have met monthly to watch a movie together, followed by a discussion that often involves the director, screenwriter or someone else involved in the production.
Amazingly, no one knows what they will see until the movie starts. The selections are curated by Bay Area filmmaker Alejandro Adams and film writer Sara Vizcarrondo, who have served as the club’s co-directors for the past couple of seasons. Keeping the movie title a mystery is part of the club’s tradition that sets the Cinema Club experience apart, Adams said.
When Cinema Club launched in 1997, the slate included indie darlings on the edge of the mainstream, like “Sling Blade” and “Citizen Ruth.” Today, members are more likely to see a film that can’t be seen elsewhere, though this season’s offerings included “Dark Money,” Kimberly Reed’s lauded and politically-charged documentary, and a double feature of Dennis Hop-
Last Movie” and “Along for the Ride,” a documentary on the making of Hopper’s “lost” film.
Microcinema is the new name for an old concept that included repertory theaters like the Stanford or arthouses like San Jose’s old Camera One and the Aquarius in Palo Alto. Movie watchers are increasingly offered two choices — the most mainstream of fare at huge multiplexes or staying at home with Netflix or Amazon Prime. What’s missing from both is the opportunity to see thoughtprovoking movies made for grown-ups in a theater filled with like-minded film lovers, which has led to the rise of pop-up cinemas, often held in temporary spaces.
San Jose resident Scott Strickland, who writes about movies at www.themoviegourmet.com, has been a Cinema Club member for 15 years and credits the club with introducing him to several movies he knows he wouldn’t have otherwise seen. “It’s like seeing 10 movies at a film festival — except it’s a manageable one per month instead of all at once,” he said in a recent blog post.
Cinema Club provided that for Silicon Valley audiences, though it had its own cliffhanger just a few years ago. Adams and Vizcarrondo taking over after the departure of longtime club director Tim Sika two seasons ago, just Cinema Club Silicon Valley co-director Alejandro Adams talks to the audience before the afternoon screening of “Styx” at 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose on Nov. 18.
before the club was forced on a nomadic search for a home. For years, the club held a morning screening at Camera 7 in Campbell and an afternoon screening at Camera 12 in downtown San Jose. Then Camera 12 closed, pushing both shows to Campbell. Then Camera 7 closed for its transformation into Pruneyard Cinemas. The club finally made its way to downtown San Jose’s 3Below Theaters, itself a reinvention of the Camera 3 Cinemas, a longtime haven for independent film.
Membership dipped with all the changes — which included losing elements like a pre-show snack potluck and trivia contests — but Adams says the club is back on stable footing.
Last Sunday, the club screened “Styx,” a German-made film about a doctor sailing alone in the Atlantic Ocean who gets caught up in the plight of refugees aboard an overcrowded fishing trawler off the coast of Africa. Afterward,
the audience had a question-and-answer session with cinematographer Benedict Neuenfels via an online connection projected on the theater’s screen.
Lloyd Russell, another longtime member, said not knowing the movie in advance enhances the experience for him, as do the post-show interviews and discussions.
“Whether it’s a documentary or work of fiction, every movie takes us to a place where most — all? — of us have never been,” he said. “They are forcing us to think. Imagine that! “
Adams said the Cinema Club crowd — which ranges from retirees to college students — is a very smart audience when it comes to movies, often asking questions that go beyond the surface and providing valuable feedback for filmmakers.
“Our events can be offthe-charts enriching at times, which makes the whole thing exponentially
more rewarding,” said Adams. Not every movie is to everyone’s liking, Adams concedes, but the audience knows they’re going to be challenged — and they challenge right back.
“We had an SJSU student activist who connected with the refugee subject matter of the film, and she and Sara talked passionately in the lobby for an hour after the screening,” he said. “We love that kind of engagement.”
Cinema Club has announced the 10 dates for its 2019 season, starting Jan. 20 and running through November, with full memberships priced at $160 and a three-film card available for $48 at www.sundaycinemaclub. com.
Meanwhile, Adams and Vizcarrondo are busy plotting out next year’s selections. Just don’t ask because they aren’t telling.