When this is over, we're going to need independent movie theaters more than ever. Until then, they need us. THREAD

Art house theaters embody the values we’re missing the most in these times – they are independently owned, community-driven, vital cultural spaces. When it's safe to do so, we're going to rely on them as we search for a new normal. But for now, the reverse is true.

Two months ago today, in response to nationwide closures of movie theaters due to COVID-19, we launched our virtual cinema initiative #KinoMarquee to support independent theaters by letting them generate revenue while their doors are closed. http://kinomarquee.com 

Since then, we’re proud to have sent over $200K directly to theaters to help them weather the storm. Add that to revenue from other virtual cinema programs by @Film_Movement, @OscopeLabs, @GhopperFilm, @MagnoliaPics & more... and we’re off to a really great start.

But more is needed if theaters are going to survive this. So in addition to watching films in virtual cinemas, we urge you to make direct donations if you are able. These funds will help prevent layoffs, pay rents/mortgages, and ensure the future of the indie theaters we love.

Throughout this difficult time, we have taken great solace in the creativity and ingenuity of independent theaters – how they use humor and heart to connect with their communities. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/movies/closed-movie-theaters-coronavirus.html

So we put a call out to the theaters we’ve been working with for photos of their marquees along with fundraising links. Opening up their responses and being transported to their doorsteps has brought us great joy, and we wanted to share them so you can see who you're supporting.

Let’s make sure the lights come back on in each and every one of these beauties. Without further ado...

Coolidge Corner Theatre – Brookline, MA
Built as a church in 1906, @thecoolidge was redesigned as an Art Deco movie palace in 1933 and has never closed its doors to the public since then.
Support: http://coolidge.org/donate 
@WesleyEmblidge

Tampa Theatre – Tampa, FL
@tampatheatre's historic marquee has been a bright beacon in the heart of downtown Tampa since 1926.
Support: http://www.TampaTheatre.org/give 
Jeff Fay

The Senator Theatre – Baltimore, MD
A Baltimore icon since 1939, the @HistoricSenator’s rich history was reinforced and reimagined following a massive restoration and expansion in 2013.
Learn more: https://thesenatortheatre.com/ 
Albert Ewing

Texas Theatre – Dallas, TX
Built in 1931, the @TexasTheatre gained notoriety as the site of the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Support: https://www.patreon.com/TexasTheatre 
Barak Epstein

Salem Cinema – Salem, OR
Operating in its current location since 2009, @salemcinema specializes in art, foreign, independent & “exceptional film” and is committed to community support through their Reel Change program.
Support: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-salem-cinema

Martha's Vineyard Film Center – Vineyard Haven, MA
Since opening their Film Center in 2012, @MVFilmSociety has shown over 200 films and welcomed 60K patrons annually. This photo from Summer 2019 shows a line forming before showtime.
Support: https://mvfilmsociety.com/support/donation/

Paradise Theatre – Toronto, ON
@paradiseonbloor was built in 1910 as the “one-storey brick theatorium” Bloor Palace, rebuilt in 1937 in the Art Deco + Art Moderne style as the Paradise Theatre, and reopened in 2019 after a 13-year shutdown.
Learn more: http://paradiseonbloor.com 

Cinema Arts Centre – Huntington, NY
Now a state-of-art film center, in its early days @CinemaArts used a borrowed projector to show films on a sheet on the wall of a dance studio. Attendees brought their own chairs, naturally.
Support: https://cinemaartscentre.org/get-involved/donate/
Sheldon Pollack

Manlius Art Cinema – Manlius, NY
Manlius Art Cinema recently celebrated its 100th birthday and celebrated by choosing five films to show for the original ticket price of 10 cents!
Learn more: http://www.manliusartcinema.com/ 
Marc Safran

The Kiggins Theatre
The @KigginsTheatre’s #StayHome marquee went viral when Michael J. Fox posted it on his Instagram. It has since appeared on CNN, Buzzfeed, and the New York Times.
Learn more: https://www.kigginstheatre.com/ 
Laine Keniston

Sunrise Theater – Southern Pines, NC
While their doors are closed, this renovated 1940s cinema is promoting their Sunrise Virtual Theater on one side of the marquee and using the other side for fun/inspirational movie quotes.
Support: http://www.sunrisetheater.com/donate-to-the-sunrise.html

The Moviehouse – Millerton, NY
Built in 1905 as a Grange Hall, @TheMoviehouse has been showing movies in an upstairs room since approximately 1915 and is now home to four screens.
Support: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-moviehouse-campaign

Edmond Town Hall Theatre – Newtown, CT
A gift to the community from their beloved benefactor Mary Elizabeth Hawley, @EdmondTownHall was completed after her death and the bell on its clock tower first rang for her funeral in 1930.
Support: https://www.edmondtownhall.org/donate/ 
Sheila Torres

The Charles Theatre – Baltimore, MD
Many of John Waters's early films premiered at the @CharlesTheatre, the oldest in Baltimore and housed in a Beaux-Arts building designed as a streetcar barn in 1892.
Learn more: http://thecharles.com/ 

Nightlight Cinema – Akron, OH
One of the newer theaters on the list, @nightlightakron has quickly become a home for Akron’s adventurous movie lovers and is “dedicated to advancing cinema and community in tandem.”
Support: https://nightlightcinema.wildapricot.org/Donate 
Brittany Dobish

Cleveland Cinematheque – Cleveland, OH
The New York Times called @clecinematheque “one of the country’s best repertory movie theaters.” It has been serving up classic, foreign, and independent films since 1986.
Support (choose Cinematheque from drop-down): https://heartlandpaymentservices.net/PaymentPortal/ClevelandInstituteofArt/Bills

Gene Siskel Film Center – Chicago, IL
Opened in 1972, @filmcenter was renamed for Chicago’s beloved film critic in 2000. In this photo, you can see a slight (red) reflection of the iconic @ChicagoTheatre marquee, located right across the street.
Support: http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/supportus 

The Regent Theatre – Picton, ON
@TheRegentPicton is a rare example of an intact Edwardian opera house. It was built in 1918 using the 80-year-old foundation of a former warehouse and presents both film and live shows.
Support: http://www.theregenttheatre.org/donate/ 
Alexandra Seay

The Loft Cinema – Tucson, AZ
@TheLoftCinema has been Tucson’s art house for 42 years, the last 12 as a nonprofit, and is committed to “building community by celebrating the art and diversity of film.”
Support: https://loftcinema.org/support-the-loft/donate/
Tim Fuller

Central Cinema – Knoxville, TN
@CinemaKnox was started by the folks behind Knoxville Horror Film Fest in 2018. Located in the delightfully named Happy Holler neighborhood, the site was originally a silent movie house built in 1916.
Support: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WZ6J89MF4LDPC&source=url
Eli Johnson

Ciné – Athens, GA
@AthensCine was built in 2007 on the site of a reclaimed tire recap facility and has served as Northeast Georgia’s only nonprofit cinema ever since.
Support: https://www.athenscine.com/donate 

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center – San Rafael, CA
Originally built in 1920 as the Orpheus Theater, which prided itself on “showing pictures of merit,” @cafilminstitute has been San Rafael’s art house since reopening in 1999.
Support: https://www.supportcfi.org/ 
Brian Lehman

MDC's Tower Theater – Miami, FL
Originally opened in 1926, @TowerTheaterMIA is one of Miami’s oldest cultural landmarks and since the early 1960s has been a historic cultural gathering place for the Little Havana neighborhood.
Support: https://www.mdcfoundation.com/tower-theater-donation

Michigan Theater + State Theatre – Ann Arbor, MI
Opened in 1928, @michigantheater was saved from the gloomy fate of becoming a food court in 1979 and went on to do the same for @statetheatrea2, destined to become condos, in 2014.
Support: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/support-the-michigan-and-state-theaters1
Lee Coller

Riverview Theater – Minneapolis, MN
The @Riverviewtheatr's screen has been lit since 1948 and the theater looks much the same as it did back then, with imported Italian marble tables and an auditorium with a backlit proscenium.
Learn more: http://www.riverviewtheater.com/ 
Dan Oldre

BCRAC's Sayre Theatre + Keystone Theatre – Towanda, PA
@BradCoArts has kept the Sayre’s marquee lit as a beacon of hope during this crisis, while the Keystone’s has been used to commemorate graduation and other community milestones.
Support: https://www.bcrac.org/donate/ 
Ed Boardman

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center – Silver Spring, MD
The Silver Theatre's nautical design is a late classic of theater architect John Eberson. It was saved mid-demolition by a "stop work" order in 1984 and reopened in 2003 as @afisilver.
Support: https://afisilver.afi.com/support.aspx 

Symphony Space – New York, NY
After false starts as a food court and skating, the site of @symphonyspace first became a theater in 1918 and now creates magical moments that harness the power of the arts to engage and inspire.
Support: https://www.symphonyspace.org/join-give/donate
Kevin Yatarola

Bijou Theatre – Lincoln City, OR
Thanks to fierce community support, the Bijou’s marquee, erected in 1937 when it was the Lakeside Theatre, was renovated in 2017. Now they need our help to “Bust the Bijou Mortgage!”
Bust away: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bust-the-bijou-mortgage
Betsy Altomare

Art Theatre of Long Beach – Long Beach, CA
When the Art Theatre originally opened in 1925 as a single screen silent movie house, there were over 50 independent theaters in Long Beach. Today, only the Art remains.
Support: http://www.arttheatrelongbeach.org/donate/ 
K Kansteiner

Cinemapolis – Ithaca, NY
For 30 years, @TheCinemapolis has been dedicated to showing shining examples of the “seventh art” and building community and cultural economy in #Twithaca.
Support: https://cinemapolis.org/donate/ 
Brett Bossard

Sun-Ray Cinema – Jacksonville, FL
Originally opened as the Riverside Theatre in 1927, @sunraycine went through stints as a playhouse and a nightclub before returning to its roots in 2008. It’s also home to a Pizza Cave!
Learn more: http://www.sunraycinema.com/ 
Seth Langner

Fine Arts Theatre – Asheville, NC
This Art Deco-style @FineArtsTheatre is the only theater left operating in downtown Asheville, where it has stood since opening as the Strand Theatre in 1946.
Support: https://9850.formovietickets.com:2235/app/rtsweb/gift#
Leah Chang

Metro Cinema – Edmonton, AB
@themetrocinema took over the Garneau Theatre in 2011 and has been working to restore the vintage architectural touches of the 1940 Art Moderne-style building ever since.
Support: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/metro-cinema-society/campaign/covid-19-emergency-support/
Sally Poulsen

SIFF Cinema – Seattle, WA
From the historic Egyptian Theatre and Uptown Cinema to its newer Film Center in the shadow of the Space Needle, @SIFFnews has been Seattle’s home for film since 1976.
Support: https://www.siff.net/support/support-your-siff-community

Historic Howell Theater – Howell, MI
@HowellTheater has been a working theater for 90 years, now showing independent film, art, entertainment and community events. We love their tagline: “Making movies magical since 1928.”
Learn more: http://www.historichowelltheater.com/ 
Tyler DePerro

VIFF Centre + Vancity Theatre – Vancouver, BC
“This is a photo of our window hoarding that is part of our VIFF REIMAGINED Capital Campaign. We are adding a second screen, educational suite and renovating our lobby.” – @VIFFest
Support: https://viff.org/Online/article/donate
J Bradford

Park Plaza Cinema – Hilton Head, SC
@parkplazacinema owner Larry and mascot Antoinette outside the pet-friendly theater serving their award-winning POPCORN TO-GO!
Learn more: https://www.mannsparkplazacinema.com/ 
Lucie Mann

Harbor Theater – Booth Bay Harbor, ME
The lobby of “the best little movie house in Maine” is decorated with a collection of vintage posters, film and projector equipment, and a 1950s-style jukebox (that never played).
Support: http://www.boothbaycinema.org/donations 
Helen Meserve

Sudbury Indie Cinema – Sudbury, ON
@IndieSud formed in 2013 as a community response to the growing monopoly of Hollywood blockbusters and repurposed part of a closed school to create a state-of-the-art cinema in 2019.
Learn more: https://www.sudburyindiecinema.com/ 
Beth Mairs