Want a guaranteed way to make a filmmaker or a cinephile smile? Ask them about their favorite movie theaters growing up.
While the rest of you were outdoors enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, film fans and moviemakers spent a good portion of their youths in windowless theaters devouring cinema. Feeling nostalgic, we asked our TFF 2013 filmmakers to think back to the movie theaters they frequented while growing up that helped to mold their film sensibilities. As you'll see below, we couldn't help but get into the action ourselves!
I spent an entire summer home from college in blessedly air-conditioned theaters: I was interning long days at Minneapolis Jungle Theater and spending my rare free evenings catching midnight movies from the balcony of the Uptown Theater right down the street. There were the mingling scents of hot butter and weed during Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and one time, I flirted with a really cute itinerant saxophone player at Calhoun Square and tried to convince him to come see Fight Club with my girlfriend and me. He actually showed up, and during the part where Jared Letos beautiful face gets beaten to a pulp, I turned to the guy and said, I cant watch this part. We have to make out.' Now you know why Im the only person in the world who gets a misty, nostalgic smile from that brutal scene. Laura Goode, Farah Goes Bang
"My favorite theater is still rockin' and it's the Gem Theater in Grand Forks BC, Canada! The thing about the Gem is that while it was a first run theater, it is clearly on the second circuit as far as distribution goes. So we would have to wait a good 2 months for a film to show up, even something like Return of the Jedi. Heres a memory or more like a Holy Shit moment from that has stayed with me forever. Her name was Kathy McClure and we were in the 6th grade. Facing possible shame, ridicule and embarrassment, I threw caution to the wind and asked her to go to the movies with me. She agreed but with the caveat of bringing her friend and her brother. I had enough money to pay for the flick, get some popcorn and twizzlers. The film was Pee Wees Big Adventure. There was a moment of pride as I sauntered down the aisle looking for a seat and some of my friends noticed I would be sitting with her as opposed to them. As the film began, I was torn between hysterical laughing fits from the antics of Pee Wee and Large Marge on screen and trying to find the courage to go for the "hand hold". About 3 minutes before the film ended, I went for it and, to my surprise and delight, Kathy responded holding my hand as well. Just as the movie ended, her brother noticed, and yelled, ewwww, theyre holding hands! She shook my hand away like it was full of snakes and boogers. My friends joined in the teasing and she jumped up and cruised out the theater. Kathy moved away the next year, my love for her still unresolved, as is my love for Pee Wee Herman. Sol Guy, Inside Out: The People's Project
"I was lucky enough to have a drive-in theater in my hometown of Warwick, NY. When I was a teenager we would try to steal as many beers as we could from our parents and sneak in through the woods. As an adult I am much more respectful and have been a paying customer for years. The Warwick Drive-In still exists, and I actually just caught a film there a couple of weeks ago! Watching a film outdoors with the backdrop of a beautiful sunset is one of the most romantic theater going experiences I can think of. We are actually hoping to screen Bending Steel there at some point, so if the managers of the theater are reading this please contact me!" Ryan Scafuro, Bending Steel
We couldn't help ourselves. Our Tribeca content team just had to weigh in:
"Cinema Arts in Huntington, NY. True to it's title it's a real independent art movie house in the land of malls out on Long Island. I saw my first indie/doc there and it changed my life. Al Pacino in Looking for Henry says oh f** to Shakespeare and breaks the fourth wall, I realized there were no limitations in film. Years of cutting school to sneak into movies ensued." Abigail Bahret, Project Manager
You wouldn't think that a small town like Brunswick, Maine, would have a vibrant art house theater, but it does. The Eveningstar Cinema is a tiny, reasonably priced, one screen movie haven with a combination of couches, rocking chairs and theater seats, which has been the lifeline of coastal Maine cinephiles for over 20 years. I had many great and not so great filmic experiences there. The low? Seeing Monster's Ball with that infamous sex scene between Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thronton with my father during a matinee screening filled with blue hairs. The high? Seeing Moulin Rouge 8 times in the theater while transcribing the lyrics of the original songs from the film in the dark. Spectacular? Spectacular, indeed. Karen Kemmerle, Digital Content Coordinator
"When I was in college, I was only a short subway ride away from the Amherst Cinema, and thats where I saw all the art-house movies that I normally would have had to wait for DVD/video for. I saw The Hours there, Adaptation, I Heart Huckabees, Thirteen, and a very interesting screening of Shortbus with me and about seven sixtysomethings in the middle of the afternoon. Joe Reid, Writer
The beer-and-wings-serving, second-run theater I.C. Flicks (yep, the silliest movie theater name in history) in Tallahassee, Florida, where I saw Pulp Fiction 9 times and later worked as a waitress. It's closed now, but lives on in FSU memories and lore and who else can say they saw Seven more than 50 times in a theater? Lindsay Robertson, Editorial Director
--
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
Want a guaranteed way to make a filmmaker or a cinephile smile? Ask them about their favorite movie theaters growing up. 
