As you’re probably well-aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has been terrible for most industries, but especially arts-oriented non-profits and theaters, which have seen their revenues plummet thanks to social distancing, state closures, cancellations, or some combination of the three. Boston’s cultural institutions have been especially hard-hit, with the Brattle, Somerville and Coolidge Corner theatres being forced to close their doors a week or two back. Jake Mulligan has been doing an excellent series on how local movie theaters are surviving and struggling through these trying times, and the woes won’t really end until people are finally confident enough to go to the movies with confidence once again. But, as the Coolidge is proving, there are some small measures that you can take to ensure that these treasures survive this crisis, and watch some great cinema in the process of doing so.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Coolidge launched its virtual screening room, where folks can rent curated first-run independent films selected by the theater’s programmers. A portion of the proceeds will go to the theater, and you’ll get a chance to see some fantastic movies you might not have otherwise seen in the process. Here are the trailers for each of the titles hitting the screening room this week:
Saint Frances (available now through April 7):
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Fantastic Fungi (available now through April 7, and the filmmakers will be holding virtual Q&As on Thursday, March 26):
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Bacurau (available starting Friday, March 27 through April 9):
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Here’s the theater’s FAQ about how the process will work.
The Coolidge will also be doing one of their seminars, albeit virtually, on Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window (a very fitting choice, given social distancing and all). It’ll be given by Emerson professor Andre Puca through Zoom on Tuesday, April 2.
Check all these features out, if you can, and support your local arts institutions in this trying time, folks.