Local Cinemas Turn Election Night Into Community Hubs — SkimNews
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- IndieWire spoke with 14 theater operators, programmers, filmmakers, educators and authors across 12 states about their November 3 election-night programming, finding repertory films, political discussion and community events across the calendar.
- Beverly Theater intentionally paired “Election” with “The Devils” and “The History of Concrete” on November 3, with creative director Kip Kelly saying the student-council satire might offer a more sophisticated election conversation than the spectacle outside.
- Maysles Documentary Center selected “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” for its usual news-watching evening and made the post-screening party intentional, with executive director Kazembe Balagun framing it around representation, power beyond the ballot box and fragmented communities.
- Gap Theatre chose Bresson’s “The Devil, Probably” for its election-night offering because it speaks to alienation and institutional powerlessness, with programmer Dan Santelli urging reflection rather than treating powerlessness as a reason for further inaction.
- Trylon has sold out every “The Devils” screening since the restoration was announced, with programmer John Moret saying the repertory film lets viewers recognize deeper truths from a different time and place.
- Coolidge Corner Theatre put “The Devils” on the same November 3 calendar as “Voting Counts: Elections in Film,” whose popularity required a second section; “Network” also screened on Election Eve.
- Hyperreal Film Club scheduled “Hardball” in Austin after a month of Halloween horror to provide tearful comfort and common ground, with organizer Blake Williams saying some LGBTQ friends in the local art scene were considering leaving the state because they felt unsafe.
Why it matters: For moviegoers in the 12 states covered, November 3 screenings provide concrete communal infrastructure: “Voting Counts” required a second section, every Trylon “The Devils” screening sold out, and Maysles intentionally organized a gathering, offering reflection and reassurance while programmers address alienation and safety fears.
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