614 Magazine - Columbus, Ohio

Pssst ... Wanna See a Good Movie?

Wexner Center's Secret Cinema keeps moviegoers on their toes

By Lia Eastep

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For those of you self-proclaimed film snobs who believe there is nowhere in town to see a flick worthy of your appreciation, you aren't trying hard enough. There is a venue in Columbus that rivals any New York art-house, and here, your feet won't even stick to the floor. The Wexner Center for the Arts has been screening obscure, classic, and edgy films since opening its doors to the public back in 1989.

In 2004, the Secret Cinema project was born out of a conversation Wexner Film/Video Curator David Filipi had with a friend who ran a website that posted screening tips for unconventional movie houses. For each screening of Secret Cinema, the title of the film to be shown is kept a secret from the public, making a delightfully suspenseful experience for the audience.

There is nothing inherently complicated about the concept - a date is advertised, a movie selected, people show up, and are hopefully satisfied enough to return.

The process of choosing the films, however, is another matter.

"Any number of things can influence our decision," explained Chris Stults, Assistant Curator. "A new print of a classic film, something you can't find on DVD, or a new release by someone like Jim Jarmusch that no one else is screening but people really want to see."

"We program for our regulars," added Filipi, of a crowd that averages between 50 and 80 viewers.

Inspiration for a Secret Cinema selection can come from any number of sources. A Vanity Fair article on a little-known Mike Nichols film starring Jack Nicholson led to the acquisition of 1974's The Fortune. They're not all classic films, either; nearly half of the 19 screened so far have been made in the 21st century.

Is there a downside to not announcing the titles in advance? For Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs, a collection of vignettes, all of which are interrupted by a couple engaging in graphic sex, Filipi and Stults felt confident they had issued a clear disclaimer. Still, they received a letter from an offended regular who felt he should have been better prepared. (It should also be noted that this disclaimer attracted the largest crowd to date for Secret Cinema.) When asked if they have ever allowed anyone else to influence their selection, they shared an uneasy glance and admitted they once allowed a co-worker to select the film, in exchange for a minor "Fear Factor"-type dare.

Are these men qualified to earn your blind trust? Filipi ran the campus film series at Minnesota State University, where he received his Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication, and went on to earn his Master's in Film History/Criticism at the University of Wisconsin. Stults, an OSU grad and casualty of its dismantled cinema department, earned his degree in English and went on to serve as the marketing director for the Drexel movie theater. Both have been on staff at the Wexner for more than fifteen years.

Like the keepers of any good secret, the guys were not willing to divulge any information about the upcoming holiday offering, except this: "It is safe to say we will not be showing The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."

Secret Cinema: Holiday Edition screens on December 10th and 17th at 7 p.m. in the Film/Video Theater at the Wexner Center, 1871 N High St.

More Screen Time for the Wex
Campus Partners, the non-profit redevelopment corporation responsible for the revitalization of South Campus, have found themselves a new partner in the Wexner Center Video/Film Department. Scheduled to debut in January, the newly christened Gateway Film Center will allow the Wexner Center ongoing use of two of its screens.

Chris Hamel, former director of operations for CAPA and vice president for the Drexel Theatre Group, will serve as president of the Gateway Film Center.

"Our patrons can expect an experience unlike what they'd find at any other theater in the city," he said, "especially in the exciting and challenging titles the Wexner Center Film/Video Program will bring to the programming mix."

Secret Cinema Filmography to Date

2004
April - Forty Guns (Sam Fuller, 1957) and The Winged Scourge (Disney cartoon, 1943)
September - Zero Day (Ben Coccio, 2003)

2005
January - Undertow (David Gordon Green, 2003)
March - Model Shop (Jacques Demy, 1969)
April - Breakdown (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955) and An Unlocked Window (Joseph Newman, 1965)
November - 5x2 (Francois Ozon, 2004) and Vive le Tour (Louis Malle, 1962)
December - Queimada (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1969)

2006
April - The Fortune (Mike Nichols, 1975) and 9 Songs (Michael Winterbottom, 2004)
August - An Inn at Osaka (Heinosuke Gosho, 1954)
December - The Saga of Anatahan (Josef von Sternberg, 1953)

2007
March - Privilege (Peter Watkins, 1967)
May - Queen Bee (Ranald MacDougall, 1955) and The Ashbury Park Murder Mystery (G.C. Reid, 1931)
December - In Between Days (So Young Kim, 2007)

2008
July - Leave Her to Heaven (John M. Stahl, 1945)
December - White Woman (Stuart Walker, 1933)

2009
February - Angel (Francois Ozon, 2007)
June - Outrage (Kirby Dick, 2009)
Oct - The Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)

Originally Published: December 1, 2009

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