Madison, Conn.: film capital of the East?

The New Haven area just got a little artsier (no snide comments, please). Madison, a short drive away on I-95, is the newest home of the Key Sunday Cinema Club, which screens independent and foreign movies for its members a few weeks before their commercial releases.

The club started in Washington, D.C. and successfully spread to other major cities around the country. Movies are shown on seven Sunday mornings throughout the fall and are followed by moderated discussions and guest speakers—critics, academics, and "maybe even" an actor or director, according to the program's flyer.

Boston, San Francisco, Port-land...Madison? Andrew Minchener, the program's director of operations, admits that the choice seems odd considering the Cinema Club's more cosmopolitan locations. But according to Minchener, Arnold Gorlick, the director of Madison Art Cinemas, was extremely enthusiastic about the program. Furthermore, Madison has the three things the Club looks for in a host city: successful art film theaters, good facilities to host the club, and a good moderator.

The Club's moderator in Madison is Yale's own John MacKay, Director of Undergraduate Studies of Slavic languages and literature and an assistant professor of film studies. MacKay, scheduled to teach "Issues in Contemporary Film Theory" this spring, received the offer after a series of interviews conducted around the area. Other Yale faculty members will likely serve as guest speakers after screenings.

Few Yale students are likely to become members—if the Club was sounding too good to be true, that's probably because membership for the fall costs $98, not unreasonable for seven moderated, advance screenings with guest speakers, but more than most college students are likely to spend. Still, Madison Art Cinemas and the Cinema Club hope to draw a crowd, banking on the fact that the area has supported independent and foreign movies in the past.

Movie studios don't charge the Key Sunday Cinema Club for the prints of the films that are shown, but they certainly aren't participating out of a sense of generosity. The Club picks up most of the screening and publicity costs, so the studios—big players like Miramax as well as smaller, independent distributors—are aiming for free buzz through the early screenings. It is an attempt to create good word-of-mouth around little-known movies like Looking for Richard or Gods and Monsters—two films the Club has shown previously—that are likely to be critical hits, but not necessarily blockbusters. Dreamworks took that approach recently with American Beauty, which was well-received at Cinema Club screenings and went on to surprise almost everyone by becoming a blockbuster anyway.

One condition stipulated by the studios is that the movie titles not be announced in advance, so Club members never know what they're seeing before they get to the theater. The Club believes that their members "love the anticipation associated with not knowing," although a certain amount of trust is required. The Club's main selling point is the timing of the screenings. Tailored toward people who enjoy seeing films before almost anyone (even most critics), the Club cheerfully plays up this aspect of the membership.

The Madison Art Cinemas, like New Haven's York Square Cinema, shows many movies that might be deemed "mainstream independent." Now playing in Madison, for example, are Nurse Betty and Saving Grace, two movies that, while not big-budget studio films, aren't especially alternative either. It remains to be seen whether Madison can generate enough interest in independent movies to support the program. Signs are good so far—the Art Cinemas is expecting to sell out Club memberships in the near future. To make any money, according to Minchener, they're going to need to. Profit is their primary goal, of course, but the Cinema also seems driven to spread art-house gospel for its own sake, with flyers and organizers oozing with optimistic enthusiasm about the movies, the speakers, the moderator, the area, the crowds. "It's not a very profitable business," Minchener sighed. "But it's fun."

For more information about the Madison Art Cinemas, call 1-888-467-0404.

Graphic by Sarah England.

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