“We didn’t want it to go outside of the community,” Citron said. “A lot of people love this Theatre, and they came out for meetings and fundraisers, and we did it!”
The typical art-house fare of indie movies and Oscar bait is supplemented at the Rosendale Theatre with second-run mainstream blockbusters and live theater. “We try to educate ourselves about what our audience likes, and mix it up between Hollywood and indie,” Citron said.
For Citron, the joy of the theater experience goes beyond the programming. “I just love to see audiences enjoying themselves, and to see communities and people investing themselves in a place all together,” she said. “I like working communally to make something happen.”
Upstate Films in Rhinebeck was founded as an alternative to more mainstream theaters in 1972, when The Godfather was the highest-grossing film of the year. Steve Leiber, one of the original founders along with his business partner and wife DeDe Leiber, has been with Upstate Films as it established itself in Rhinebeck and branched out to a second venue in the former Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock in 2010. After 41 years in the business, Leiber described his job as “watching a lot of movies. When we came to Rhinebeck, the idea was that it’s a big world out there and people should be able to see it.”
Upstate Film’s mission involves balancing goals. “We’re attempting to put together programming that’s both entertaining but challenging, a little provocative, and shed some light on the world we live in,” said Leiber.
The emphasis on diversity has become even more relevant in recent years as the major studios have doubled down on a production slate of tentpole sequels and remakes. “They’re making movies that they can sell easily,” Leiber said. “Either they’re from a comic book or it’s the sequel of a sequel of a sequel because it’s branded, it’s easy to sell.”
Upstate Films relies on the same audience profile as the Downing Film Center and the Rosendale Theatre. “Our audience is comprised of people who, when they were young, developed a habit of going to the movie theaters,” he said, “and that means they’re old.”
Now that there are so many different ways to watch a movie, whether on your phone, your computer or video on demand, will the community spirit that keeps these small theaters afloat become a victim of the generation gap? Leiber believes that it won’t. “People like the idea of having a movie theater in their town,” he said. “Film is an art that is meant to be seen in a public setting. It’s not supposed to be seen on your phone. It’s a shared experience.”
Downing Film Center, 19 Front Street, Newburgh; tickets on sale 30-40 minutes before showtimes, $8.50 general admission, www.downingfilmcenter.com, (845) 561-3686.
Rosendale Theater, 408 Main Street Rosendale; full calendar & ticket prices at www.rosendaletheatre.org, (845) 658-8989.
Upstate Films, $8.50 general admission, 6415 Montgomery Street, Rhinebeck, (866) 345-6688; 132 Tinker Street, Woodstock, (845) 679-6608.
