Iowa City FilmScene persists despite funding challenges

IOWA CITY — Casual moviegoers and die-hard “cinephiles” sometimes are at odds with one another. But one thing they can agree on: a good theater experience. And despite moments earlier this year which initially cast doubt on the future of FilmScene, Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema is holding strong.

This summer’s programming is intended to continue as planned, including typical showings as well as the return of its FilmScene in the Park series, which hosts movies periodically through the summer, outdoors at Chauncey Swan Park.

FilmScene’s uncertainty began earlier this year when The Chauncey in Iowa City — which houses the larger of FilmScene’s two Iowa City operations at 404 E. College St. — appeared to be headed for a sheriff’s sale through a foreclosure action.

GreenState Credit Union filed a petition in February to start a foreclosure action to collect debt on The Chauncey — and several other high-profile buildings in downtown Iowa City — from developer Marc Moen and family members and friends.

The Chauncey is home to the larger of FilmScene’s two Iowa City locations. The second is its rooftop theater in the downtown Ped Mall.

While the next step for all of the properties was expected to be a sheriff’s sale, FilmScene said it would not be affected by the foreclosure due to its preexisting ownership of its space in The Chauncey and its lease in the Ped Mall through 2030.

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Even further, FilmScene Cofounder and Executive Director Andrew Sherburne said The Chauncey is no longer headed for a sheriff’s sale after GreenState Credit Union reached an agreement with the landlords.

In May, another problem arose when FilmScene lost its $30,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant.

FilmScene’s grant was one of many across the country that were rejected or rescinded in May, after President Donald Trump proposed eliminating the NEA, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

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Sherburne made the bottom line clear: through community support, FilmScene will hold steady for the rest of this year. The coming years is where that certainty begins to fade.

While there is no direct threat or tangible worry that FilmScene will suffer too greatly from the funding cuts, Sherburne said the lack of clarity is enough to stir concern.

“We're worried about what that means for the future,” Sherburne said. “I think having vibrant arts and culture in the ecosystem is important to our community here … it’s what makes our communities livable and vibrant places to be, and it generates a lot of economic activity.”

The NEA funding was canceled in May, but the grant was awarded to start Jan. 1, 2025, so FilmScene has applied for restitution of the portion of the $30,000 it already spent over those first five months, Sherburne said.

FilmScene receives funding from several sources: 30 percent of its annual funding comes from grants, donations, and memberships, of which the city of Iowa City contributes the most at $32,500.

The $30,000 grant, then, was a sizable loss. Not only because of the direct operational impact, but also because the competition for grant funding will be made more fierce by the loss of NEA funding.

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“So many others are losing funds, and now we're all going to have to go compete … for what?” Sherburne said.

Largely, though, FilmScene has held strong due to support from the Iowa City community. Sherburne said, following the funding loss announcement, FilmScene membership reached an all-time high of 2,400 households. FilmScene membership includes cost advantages on tickets, concessions and other features layered on a tiered membership model.

The outpour of support is something Sherburne said FilmScene want to honor by ensuring the organization can keep providing for the community it calls home

“These are really core mission-based, community-centered programs that we have …,” he said. “… we're going to keep challenging, educating our community through cinema and encouraging people to come out and really embrace that shared experience, which is at the heart of it.”

What’s in store

The summer’s programming is already underway. Four films have been screened through FilmScene in the Park, with six remaining, including “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” on July 26, and “Shrek” on Aug. 23.

June saw a monthlong series titled “Trans Narratives,” and the remainder of July and August will feature a variety of Community Collaborations. These are showings of films, documentaries, and more, presented in partnership with community filmmakers or organizations.

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July 10 saw a presentation of “Luther: Never Too Much,” a documentary about musician Luther Vandross. On July 23, FilmScene will show “Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act.” These, among others, are ways FilmScene Programming Director Ben Delgado said he wants to be dynamic within the community.

“We want to be nimble and responsive to things in the community, things in the country, things in the world,” he said. “Seeing the state of the trans population within not only the larger, you know, country, but really Iowa being kind of like ground zero for a lot of discrimination, we thought it was important to highlight those voices within [Trans Narratives].”

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Community Engagement and Programming Coordinator Sarahann Kolder described elements of Community Collaborations that go beyond the films themselves, like tabling events and potlucks for different films, all contributing to specific causes.

Delgado said the community’s relationship with FilmScene is special, and he hopes both can continue honoring the other to help amplify voices, adding they have no plans to change their programming.

“Ultimately, we were just counting on that sort of embedded community that we have, that really supportive community to continue to be here for the arts broadly, and we've seen a lot of it,” he said.

Though, like Sherburne, Delgado said the coming years will be the test for organizations like FilmScene. But he and the other FilmScene staff indicated they have no plans to slow.

“It was certainly a shock, and something that [we] all really had long discussions over, and we discussed with the board,” Delgado said. “And it's, of course, something that was affecting and has affected folks around the country … What does it look like for ‘26 and beyond? Those are some still question marks that we're working through.”

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Comments: 641-691-8669; evan.watson@thegazette.com