Making Movies the Main Event
The lines between producers, distributors and exhibitors are blurring as independents attempt to stand out in a crowded theatrical field with innovative event and selfreleasing strategies. But do the figures add up? Geoffrey Macnab reports
Event releasing is as old as cinema itself. Showmen have long lured spectators to films by promising them a unique, one-night-only experience. Now in the digital era it is becoming increasingly important to the independent sector.
On February 2, Julien Temple’s Oil City Confidential, a rousing UK feature documentary about 1970s pub-rock act Dr Feelgood, will be launched in a rock &n’ roll event beamed live to around 50 cinemas across the UK. The main screening will be held at Koko, a former Victorian theatre in North London, which will be followed by a live gig by Wilko Johnson, the original guitarist with Dr Feelgood.
“It’s about creating an event and an excitement around your film,” says Oil City Confidential producer Stephen Malit. “It’s still cinema. It’s still theatrical. But it’s changing from blocking out 120 cinemas for two weeks and then seeing how it goes.”
