Criterion Collection and Janus Films Organize Art-House America Campaign

Specialty home-video distributors establish fundraiser to help independent theatres

The Criterion Collection and Janus Films have kickstarted Art-House America to support independent theaters in the wake of COVID-19-related closures. The labels have teamed with Art House Convergence, a subsidiary of the non-profit Michigan Theater Foundation, to run the campaign.

“More than 150 independent movie theaters across the United States have temporarily closed to slow the spread of COVID-19,” says the campaign’s opening statement. “The Art-House America Campaign aims to provide financial relief to struggling independent cinemas across the country so they can pay staff and their essential bills and survive until it is safe to reopen their doors.”

Criterion and Janus Films offered a combined $50,000 to kickstart the relief fund. Other individuals and organizations can also donate through the campaign’s GoFundMe, which as of this writing is over $74,000.

The campaign will run through April 30 with “grants [being] made on a rolling basis as soon as funds are available”.

Fundraising Stipulations

Individual theaters can apply for relief consideration through the campaign’s GoFundMe, with each application being considered on a case-by-case basis. To qualify for relief funds, theaters must be year-round art-house exhibitors, have been open and operational for six months prior to COVID-19-related closures, be an independent cinema, and be based in the United States.

The campaign says their funds can only be used by theaters on “essential payments”. This includes things such as payroll, insurance, rent, utilities, mortgages, and non-deferrable loans. The campaign forbids the funds to be used on new equipment, future programming, and executive compensation. Film festivals can potentially earn relief funds as well, but only if they offer year-round programming.

Art House Convergence will provide updates on each theater that is allocated funds as their applications are approved.

The Importance of Art-House

The campaign is firm in clarifying its constituents, providing definitions of “art-house cinema” on their appeals page as “a year-round exhibitor that primarily screens any or all of the following types of films: American independent films, classic/repertory film, foreign-language films, experimental film and media.”

It also clearly delineates its qualifications for an “independent cinema”, which is that the exhibitor can’t be a publicly-traded commodity or manage more than four separate theatres. In addition, the theater’s workforce  must be comprised of at least 75% local residents. This would obviously exclude large chain theaters such as AMC and Regal, who are also experiencing COVID-19-related closures.

“Many art houses operate as mission-driven small businesses that are committed to bringing cinema to their communities,” the campaign’s GoFundMe states. “By inviting the collective viewing of films from around the world, art houses are fostering communication and collaboration and encouraging their audiences to encounter diverse perspectives. Without them, millions of Americans will no longer be able to enjoy a diverse range of films.”

Art House Convergence stresses the economic importance of independent cinemas on their surrounding communities, especially in smaller entertainment hubs. From a cinephile standpoint, independent cinemas are also the vast majority of exhibitors that continue to screen restored film prints.

And The Pandemic Goes On

The entertainment industry is taking many hits in the wake of the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus. Hopefully, with the help of community campaigns like this, independent cinemas won’t become one of the pandemic’s fatalities.

Keep abreast on our reporting of the outbreak as it pertains to the entertainment industry here. You can also watch IndieWire’s listing for more frequent updates.

Leave your thoughts on the Criterion Collection and Janus Films supporting the Art-House America Campaign (via ComingSoon.Net) below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, our Movie News Facebook Page, and our Movie News Pinterest Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.