FilmScene in Iowa City celebrates one year anniversary

IOWA CITY — FilmScene's co-founders are projecting a banner first year for their not-for-profit art house cinema in downtown Iowa City.

The one-screen theater carved into a mixed-use building on the Ped Mall has raised more money, shown more movies and garnered more paid memberships than Director Andy Brodie and Associate Director Andrew Sherburne imagined when the doors opened full time Dec. 6, 2013.

'The response from the community been very strong — above what we initially forecast,' said Sherburne of Iowa City. 'That was a really good sign that people were hungry for the kind of programming we're offering, and we're excited to have movies downtown again. It's just a reflection that there's a lot of support for what we're doing here.'

FilmScene's mission remains to show first-run independent, documentary and foreign movies.

Iowa City had been without a full-time downtown cinema since the Campus 3 Theatres in Old Capitol Town Center closed in 2007.

'Film, by itself, is one of the most important art forms in America today. Television and theater films are absolutely essential for American culture,' said ardent supporter Larry Baker of Iowa City, who spent 18 years in the movie business in the South. Now an author who puts theater settings in his novels, he attends FilmScene screenings once a month or more — even seeing 'The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)' three times.

'Amazingly, in a college town like Iowa City, not to have something like FilmScene seemed just stunning to me,' Baker said. 'They filled the void that was there for a long time — a downtown theater in general (with) a specific kind of art films and independent films — the things that would not get to Iowa City ordinarily. It's just a very convenient location.'

Sherburne, a documentary filmmaker, and Brodie, a former director of the University of Iowa's Bijou Cinema, saw that hole in the downtown cultural scene. They founded FilmScene in 2011.

The fundraising total since has grown to more than $250,000.

Joe Tiefenthaler will come onboard Monday as the new executive director. His job will be to further development and fundraising efforts, and to help FilmScene move forward with original plans to create a second facility. Brodie will move into a programming director role to curate films and build community partnerships.

An additional two-screen cinema, part of a proposed downtown multiuse building, would allow FilmScreen to expand its movie offerings, educational programs and gathering spaces.

The current facility features state-of-the art audio/visual equipment and 65 seats, combining couches and cushions with 62 permanent seats salvaged from the former Hancher Auditorium. Concessions are available in a small lobby and include wine, beer and locally roasted coffee. A rooftop patio shared with the building's other tenants offers outdoor movie experiences during warm weather.

'We're learning how people do that or don't do that. We're getting feedback that will help us plan for the future, to give it some real-world experience.'

By the numbers

• WHAT: FilmScene's Scene 1 cinema
• STATUS: Not-for-profit
• LOCATION: 118 E. College St., Suite 101, downtown Iowa City
• SIZE: One-screen, 65 seats; 2,000 square feet includes lobby and theater; shared hallways, bathrooms, rooftop patio
• BUILDING OWNER: Mark Moen
• OCCUPANTS: Mixed-use with Velvet Coat women's clothing, Modus Engineering, Steven Vail Fine Arts-Project Room gallery
• EMPLOYEES: Going into 2015, 4.5 full-time equivalent; 6 to 12 part-time
• OPENED: Dec. 6, 2013
• SHOWTIMES: Posted at Icfilmscene.org
• FILMS: More than 150 screened so far
• DONATIONS: More than $25,000 cash and in-kind in 2013; crowdfunding: $91,000 from 731 donors