Audio story by Andrew Romanov
FilmBar, an independent movie theater and bar on Second and Garfield streets, is expanding its programming to include specialty nights eight days per month and a themed film series once per month.
Owner Kelly Aubey said the change in the lineup has been one of many in FilmBar’s two-year residency in downtown Phoenix. The business continues to attract an audience seeking its unique offerings.
“There’s a lot of different filmgoers out there looking to us to accommodate what they’re looking for,” Aubey said. “Our question is how do you do that with one screen and 70 seats?”
The new programming is reflective of FilmBar’s growing stability as a young business.
Aubey said scheduling for films was often mixed up when FilmBar first opened. He even had to book music or other entertainment acts.
After two “gut-wrenchingly difficult years,” FilmBar is as Aubey hoped: film-oriented.
“You have to stick it out. Months go by and you don’t see the numbers you want,” he said. “You need to know when to stay the course and when you need to tweak.”
The theater typically shows a movie for two weeks. The new specialty nights will take place every Friday and Saturday, the same movie being shown the same night each month. One such film will be modern cult favorite “The Room.”
“If you’re a fan of late night stuff, we’re showing the good, bad and the ugly of late night on a regular basis. You can drink a beer while doing it. It’s a good time,” Aubey said.
FilmBar tested a classic film series between last Thanksgiving and Christmas. March’s theme will be French films, and April’s will be experimental films.
The business’s up-and-coming success and new scheduling are interrelated.
“It’s reflective of me having a better understanding of what I’m doing,” Aubey said.
Andrea Beesley, FilmBar’s film programmer since May of last year, said she agrees.
“We’re at a position now where our programming is pretty solid. We thought it’d be fun to have this specific line-up,” Beesley said. “It’s something alternative to the regular programming that we do normally.”
Aubey got the idea for FilmBar on a business flight to Los Angeles. He worked as a computer programmer for 15 years. He said he left once he realized the job became the career he never wanted.
He said he believed there was something missing in downtown’s film scene, something he could act on to change.
“If you’re a person who realizes you can do something about something, then it’s on you to do that,” Aubey said. “I wanted to add myself, this idea, to the mix to help downtown develop into what I knew it could become.”
FilmBar is not your typical movie theater, with its single screen and bright-green seats, made in the 1970s. It is also not your typical bar, with French radio playing overhead and Moroccan chandeliers lighting walls covered in colorful murals.
Kevin Rille, president of the Evans Churchill Community Association, said he welcomes the collaboration and vibe it brings to the neighborhood’s scene.
“It’s a cool, fun venue. They show thought-provoking, interesting, entertaining stuff,” Rille said. “They’re one of the first to get a foothold and bring some entertainment downtown, to the neighborhood.”
Aubey said he has a passion for film and movie-going as a whole. He said he wants FilmBar to provide not only a unique service to the community, but an experience he feels has recently been lost.
“You just sit down, watch the movie and leave. In a way, why not watch it on an iPad at that point?” Aubey said of more-mainstream theaters. “You can watch a movie or you can experience a movie.”
The combination of theater, bar and the offbeat film programming is a way to provide an environment different from a typical movie theater experience, Aubey said. He also makes sure to feature live music in the bar area and to have hosts for the movies.
“We’ve got awesome music or funky music or something you’ve never heard before. You’re having a drink and talking to your friends. It’s visually appealing. You feel like you’re somewhere,” Aubey said. “It’s just a funky experience and I think that would definitely appeal to anybody.”
Contact the reporter at alexandra.scoville@asu.edu
