The Arkansas Cinema Society: coming soon to The Ritz near you
When the Little Rock Film Festival ceased operation in 2015, Kathryn Tucker knew that she had to do something to preserve the love of film in central Arkansas. Considering that she was a successful film producer already and she happened to have gone to school with one of the most talented directors currently in the business, Tucker immediately began taking steps toward fanning the flame of movies in and around Little Rock.
“Jeff and I were acquaintances in high school,” Tucker said. “We met for a drink and thought it was a shame that the festival closed.”
Jeff Nichols, born in Little Rock in 1978, has directed such films as “Mud” starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, and “Midnight Special” starring Adam Driver, Michael Shannon, and Kirsten Dunst. Considering that several of his films were shot in his home state, it didn’t take long for the two to come up with a solution to Arkansas’ film drought.
Starting in 1985, Richard Linklater’s Austin Film Society set a benchmark for areas of film celebration outside of Los Angeles or New York. By featuring a board of directors that includes Robert Rodriguez and an advisory board with names like Quentin Tarantino and Mike Judge, the Austin Film Society was a goal to work toward.
“(Jeff) had a really great experience in Austin with the Austin Film Society,” Tucker said. “They’ve had tremendous support from the City of Austin, but they kind of have a holistic approach.”
Tucker, who has produced such films as “The Station Agent” and acted in movies like “Happy Accidents,” has experience in the film business. “I had moved back from L.A. and I noticed that a lot of interesting stuff was happening in Arkansas, but no one was connected,” Tucker said of the film industry in the Natural State.
By coming together with Jeff Nichols and people like Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, the group was able to erect the Arkansas Cinema Society. “All of our board members were instrumental,” Tucker said. Through their board, ACS has hosted such names as Will Forte and “Pete the Dragon” director David Lowery in film Q&A’s that are open to the public for a small price.
“I have a really connected and generous board of directors,” Tucker said. “It’s all about who asks. When you’re cold calling, it just doesn’t stick. Jeff will call up Adam Driver and ask him to come down for the weekend, he’ll just be like ‘sure.’”
While the Arkansas Cinema Society may be just as well connected as anyone else, they still faced difficulty in the COVID-19 pandemic. “Luckily financially it’s been okay,” Tucker said. “But most of our mission is connecting to filmmakers, it’s just really hard to do this virtually.”
The in-person connection is certainly missed, but Tucker and company have been able to persevere. “When COVID hit, we ended five events and scheduled fifteen virtual ones,” she said.
The Arkansas Cinema Society may be all virtual at the moment...
but the focus on connection and networking is still at the forefront. “We miss connecting with people in person,” Tucker said. “With Filmland, it’s about connecting. It’s about finding collaborators, finding the people you need to get a leg up.”
The many virtual events that the Arkansas Cinema Society hosted during the pandemic turned out to be at once ingenious, successful, and enlightening. “Last year we did the drive in,” she said, “which was very cool. If you look at it on the bright side, it’s a good way to screen cutting edge films where you might not have in the past.”
While there is plenty of film love to be found in Arkansas, Tucker understands that the world of movies might be inaccessible to the more rural communities. “That’s one of the reasons it’s the Arkansas Cinema Society and not the Little Rock Cinema Society,” she explained. “We are here as a resource for the film society (in Arkansas). If you don’t know what to do, that’s what we’re here for. We want to be a resource for those that don’t have resources.”
The ACS is here to help, but those in need have to reach out to be reached themselves. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to show up for those events,” Tucker said.
The Arkansas Cinema Society offers memberships starting at $50 which includes discounts to future events and access to every Q&A the Society has done so far. “There’s so much information there,” Tucker said.
The Arkansas Cinema Society plans to do more regional events as well instead of hosting only in Little Rock. Tucker even inquired about Malvern, saying, “you guys have a theatre there, right? We’d love to come do an event there.”
Dr. Steve Rook, Chancellor of ASU Three Rivers, has been involved in much of the restoration of the Ritz Theatre in Downtown Malvern. “That’s the first I’ve heard about it,” Dr. Rook said of the prospect of working with the ACS. “I’d be thrilled to talk to them and see what we could do.”
After ASU Three Rivers purchased the Ritz, Rook and others realized that the theatre would be eligible for countless grant opportunities because of its location in the Malvern Commercial Historic District and because ASU Three Rivers is a State Institution.
The last time a movie was shown at the weathered theatre was in December of 2018. Developments on the location have been coming fast, however.
“The outside of it has already been fairly completed, except for the marquee,” Dr. Rook explained. “We received a phase one grant from ANCRC last year, and that did the outside.”
This grant was able to provide a new roof, seal the mortar on the outside of the building, recess the entrance like it was originally, and re-tile the outside. The phase two grant that the college just received for the Ritz will be for demoing the inside, opening up the balcony, taking down the divider wall, putting in new HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and security systems.
“We will present phase three to ANCRC next year for possible continued funding,” Dr. Rook said. The final phase would include funding for the stages, screens, and audio/visual components of the theatre.
While the Ritz still has a way to go in terms of completion, the prospect of a relationship between the Arkansas Cinema Society and the City of Malvern is a tantalizing one. For more information on the Arkansas Cinema Society, visit their website at arkansascinemasociety.org.