The Moxie and Drury Humanities and Arts Film Series kicked off last weekend. The program is about connecting the community with old films that speak to today’s world. KSMU’s Anna Thomas has the story.
The old movie, “On the Waterfront,” brought in about 120 community members and students to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Mike Stevens, executive director of the Moxie Cinema, says this film series fills the seats, which doesn’t always happen.
“I love showing old movies, but it’s hard to find an audience for them,” Stevens said.
This is the second year the Moxie has held the film series, after receiving a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council.
Stevens says the partnership with the humanities department at Drury, brings in younger people to see the classics and sparks a conversation afterwards.
“They got in this fascinating conversation about how we translate that into the modern day, and what we see in other countries. Each one has a different flavor, but it’s fun to see what happens afterwards,” Stevens said.
Kevin Henderson, English professor at Drury, was the speaker for the opening film.
He says the conversations afterwards are better than he expected.
“They stand up and hope the people don’t start ushering out, and saying no enough the credits are rolling, I don’t want to sit here anymore and hear you. But the Moxie has always been a draw for people who love film, who often times know a lot about film,” Henderson said.
Henderson says when they can get a large crowd in a dark theater talking about an old film on a beautiful day, then something is going right.
There will be two more screenings throughout the fall, and three in the spring. Click here for a full listing.