Searching For Hollywood's Oldest Cinema

With the film festival tour for my documentary, "Your Cinema Needs You" and some of my travel shoots overlapping this year, I've made a point of searching out old cinemas in a lot of the different places that I've been going.

In Los Angeles, a city full of incredible theatres, I thought it would be interesting to find the oldest cinema in Hollywood. This lead me down a bit of rabbit hole.

For starters, until Hollywood was incorporated into Los Angeles in 1910, the town had regulations specifying no theatres. Once incorporated, this changed quickly. The first cinema built in Hollywood in 1910 was called the Idyl Hour, which was later renamed the Iris Theatre, however the location changed several times in just a few short years. A very familiar story.

With only a few images and an old fire map to go on, the theatre would've been located on prime real estate on Hollywood Boulevard. Unfortunately, when I went to see what was there today this is what I found - an empty lot with a direct view of the Hollywood sign.

The cinema had been defunct since the 1920s and the name moved again, but I was curious if the building had been repurposed or modified. What makes this location special is just how many incredible cinemas are still in the area.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre (now the TCL Chinese Theatre) is just a few blocks away and in addition to still hosting movie premieres to this day, it's endured as one of the most famous movie palaces in the world. Quite the contrast from where the Iris began over a century ago.

Each of these detours makes me further appreciate what was uncovered in making the documentary about Medicine Hat's Monarch Theatre. It's a fascination about how much has changed, what's been left to find, and that through it all that little cinema back in Medicine Hat has survived when so many others didn't.

Another Best Documentary Win For the Monarch Movie

This crazy ride continues to exceed expectations.

I'm once again humbled to share that my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You has picked up a few more selections and awards on its ongoing international film festival tour this summer.

Last month the feature-length film was awarded Best Documentary in the feature-length category at the 2024 Edinburgh Film Awards, it made its way to Istanbul, Turkey for a selected screening, and just this week received its 12th Best Documentary nomination after being selected at the Detroit Independent Film Festival.

Amid this good news, I was reminded that it was exactly one year ago that we formally announced the completion of the film. I never imagined that I'd still be talking about this documentary a year later with the wide release not having happened yet, but here we are.

The long-delayed and surprise success of the premiere shows at the Monarch, followed by the (now) 7-month film festival tour, essentially turned this run into an entirely new project for 2024. It really has been an incredible journey to see this story spread, and I can't express how thrilled I am that so many others have latched onto this doc in recognition of the grassroots power of indie cinema, and quite literally in this case, the importance of indie cinemas like the Monarch Theatre.

Thank you all so much for all the support over this last year.

Your Cinema Needs You: RIFFA Nomination

This feels like a full-circle moment. 

Last week the official selections for the 2024 Regina International Film Festival & Awards in Regina, Saskatchewan were announced and there was something particularly special in seeing the notifications about Your Cinema Needs You popping up in my inbox this time.

 

Since February 2024, the feature-length documentary about Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre has been selected and screened at over 20 international film festivals in 11 countries. In what will likely be one of the last festivals of this tour at the end of August, the reason this selection hits differently is because not so long ago I was an ambitious, but clueless film student at the University of Regina. In fact, I launched "Editing Luke" while living in the dorms on campus at College West. 

If that bit of poetry and nostalgia isn't enough though, it also doesn't hurt that Your Cinema Needs You has picked up a nomination in the Best Documentary (Canadian long form) category at this year's festival - not that I needed much of an excuse for a reunion, but it's a great reason to celebrate all the same! I'd also like to shout out all of my film profs - "See? I wasn't sleeping in class, I was brainstorming for future moments like this!"

Hometown Series & Documentary on CKUA Radio

This morning my interview with Grant Stovel on Alberta Morning went live on CKUA Radio. 

We had a great chat about my Hometown Series currently on display in the Tumbleweed Project Space at the Esplanade in downtown Medicine Hat, and about my documentary on the Monarch Theatre, Your Cinema Needs You. You can listen to the interview embedded below. My thanks again to Grant Stovel and CKUA for reaching out and highlighting these projects.   

 

CKUA Radio · Luke Fandrich on Alberta Morning

Monarch Theatre Restoration In Progress

While there's currently no follow-up or sequel planned for my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You, I took my own advice last week and decided I should capture some footage while change was actually in progress (something I frustratingly couldn't find any of over a century of archival material about the Monarch Theatre during production). 

Since the documentary premiered at the Monarch Theatre at the end of December 2023, the renovations at the cinema have progressed in some major ways. The basement has been cleaned out and organized, the projection room has been fully rewired and updated, surround sound speakers were acquired from the Cineplex in Eau Claire in Calgary before the demo, the framework of the old cigar shop was uncovered, and as we speak, the Monarch's crumbling facade has been repaired and is in the process of being freshly restuccoed. 

On Friday, I did what I haven't done since 2022, I fully explored the Monarch from top to bottom again. From the depths of the basement to the top of the temporary scaffolding, I filmed a few pieces of the work in progress and some of the spaces I featured in the movie - if for no other reason than to have proof of the transformation for my archives.

While I'm not short on anecdotes from the documentary, I did get a kick out of finding one of my premiere posters now chilling out with the dozens of other prints tucked away in the cinema's basement. Not that there haven't been a lot of reminders over these months, but seeing that there was like another notch on the achievement list. Like, how about that? It all came together in the end. I can't wait for the reveal when the restoration is complete.

Best Documentary Winner: Your Cinema Needs You

After the official selection and subsequent nomination last month, I received some amazing news this week. Your Cinema Needs You has gone on to win Best Documentary at the 2024 Hong Kong Indie Film Festival in the feature-length category. 

Naturally, I'm so proud of what we've all been able to achieve with this movie, but it's also all icing on the cake at this point. A year ago I wasn't even sure if my premiere in the Monarch was going to be feasible. So, to now have all of these festival stories from the last 4 months, it's broadened the scope of this entire experience.

I've been very hesitant about recapping the film festival experience for Your Cinema Needs You so far, mostly because I'm still very much in the middle of it. But yes, aside from trying to not be too overbearing about it, it's been amazing to see this movie go to so many incredible places.

Most commonly, I've been asked why I think this film has been picked up at so many international festivals and resonated with so many 'seemingly' different audiences over these months. I think it's actually really simple. It's like if I had made a movie about video stores and released it in 2005. People are aware change is on the horizon, but it's not gone yet. There's this communal desire to save something, and everyone's wondering what this experience that the documentary is about might look like in just the next 10 years. 

The Monarch is currently a rare success story in a sea of downsizing, closures, and adaptation. That uncertainty has played into the emotional component of all of this and it's actually a feel good story. I think that positive twist has made all the difference.

Your Cinema Needs You in Scotland

This month, Your Cinema Needs You is in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Film Awards where it's been nominated in the Best Documentary category. It's been incredible to see this film travel around the world and pick up so many official selections on this ambitious tour. Obviously, I was optimistic when casting such a wide net with my festival submissions for this documentary, but it's truly exceeded all expectations at this point. June will see the continuation of this festival run as details for the Canadian release are still being finalized.  

Gone Hollywood: Monarch Documentary

Straight from the final screening at the Monarch Theatre on Sunday, Your Cinema Needs You is back in Los Angeles this week at the 2024 Hollywood International Golden Age Film Festival where it's currently a semi-finalist in the Best Documentary category. 

Leave it to an L.A. film festival jury to appreciate a story about saving old cinemas. This international film festival tour for the Monarch documentary still has a handful of undecided submissions due to be reviewed this month, but the tour is set to continue all summer long.

Our Last Picture Show at the Monarch

That's it! That's all! That's a wrap! No really, the screenings of Your Cinema Needs You at the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta have officially come to an end! 

Yesterday's matinee marked the 16th screening of the documentary at the historic Monarch Theatre, and frankly, after spacing out these shows over 5 months and with more than 5,100 tickets sold - I'm confident that we reached 99% of the local audience who was interested in seeing this in the movie theatre. 

I think it's easy to gloss over just what a big turnout this actually was because we're so rarely in packed movie theatres these days. But, the attendance for these 16 shows at the Monarch Theatre was the equivalent of selling out every seat in all 10 theatres of Medicine Hat's Cineplex Galaxy 3 times over, and then still having 700 people waiting outside to get in.

And let me say it again, this was for an indie documentary! Not exactly the genre known for blockbuster turnouts. You absolutely exceeded all expectations, Medicine Hat!

Thank you to everyone who came out to one of the shows. Thank you to the incredible cast and crew who made this movie possible. And to the staff and volunteers at the Monarch 1911 Society who could not have been more enthusiastic collaborators in running these screenings.

The last thing I did before leaving the theatre yesterday was I had everyone hold up all of the random ticket variations that I handed out at the door before each of the 16 shows. My only hope is that someone finds one of these tucked away in an album 50 years from now and goes on a hunt to figure out what it was. What an incredible ride this turned out to be - thank you all!

One Last Run At The Monarch Theatre

As this multi-year production is finally beginning to wind down, it only felt right to cap off this experience in the place where it all started. My thanks to the Medicine Hat News for this latest article about the last chance to see the documentary at the Monarch Theatre. 

Your Cinema Needs You, the story of the Monarch Theatre's journey to becoming Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre, is returning for its final run of local shows in Medicine Hat this Thursday to Sunday (May 30 to June 2). 

You can buy advance tickets online or purchase tickets at the door for $15 (cash only) at any of the 5 screenings. After this many shows there are plenty of seats available so you don't have to worry about getting stuck in the front row anymore. We are only about 50 tickets away from hitting a new attendance milestone though, so think about it lol.

Documentary Teaser: Finale Screenings

With the final shows of Your Cinema Needs You returning to the Monarch Theatre later this month, I decided to cut a new trailer for the documentary using some previously deleted scenes. You can purchase movie tickets for these screenings from May 30 to June 2 here.

New York Film & Cinematography Nomination

In what can only be described as exceeding expectations at this point, Your Cinema Needs You picked up another official selection and film festival nomination last week. This nod comes from the New York Film & Cinematography Awards and feels particularly special after I made a point of searching out the oldest cinema in NYC while on a new series of travel shoots last month.

This is just one more piece of good news as promotions are ramping up again in anticipation of the finale screenings of the documentary back in Medicine Hat's historic Monarch Theatre. As we reach the tail end of this incredible ride, I'm already blown away by how many updates and achievements I'll have to look back on from this single project and this ambitious film festival tour that took the documentary around the world.  

 

Experience Medicine Hat: Monarch Documentary

Hey girl, I'm not just a good time, I'm a full page in this year's "experience Medicine Hat" travel guide lol (see the original post on @editingluke). My thanks to the team at Tourism Medicine Hat for the feature and interview about my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You in the 2024 issue of the new Medicine Hat guide out this long weekend. 

I know what you're thinking, "Luke, you've barely talked about this documentary - it's about time!" I couldn't agree more lol. Seriously though, it was fun to share a small part of this story and to help further promote the Monarch Theatre. The next time you're in Medicine Hat, Alberta come and see Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre for yourself.

 

Front Page News: Your Cinema Needs You

Yesterday I got a text from my mom, and she goes, "I saw you on the front page of today's paper. You really are a big deal." Just totally glossing over the fact that I've been telling her what a big deal I am since at least 2002. 

In all seriousness, I did a quick interview over the phone earlier this week about the final shows of "Your Cinema Needs You" and had no idea it would be front page news. It's as good a time as any to say thank you again to all of the local journalists who have covered the progress of this documentary from the first days of the production to the premiere shows to this festival run. Not only is it fun to share the excitement, but it's played a huge roll in getting this story to spread outside of Medicine Hat, which was always the intended goal. 

We've been fortunate to see a few of these stories about the doc get picked up nationally over the last 3 years, but to be honest, having the movie make the front page locally just seems so undeniably wholesome. You can read the full story here.

If I haven't said it enough, thank you for all of the support! 

You can grab movie tickets for the finale screenings of Your Cinema Needs You at the Monarch Theatre from May 30 to June 2 here.

International Film Festival Tour in Hong Kong

Your Cinema Needs You, my documentary about Medicine Hat's Monarch Theatre, has made it to the Hong Kong Indie Film Festival as part of its ongoing international festival tour. This marks the 15th official selection that the documentary has picked up to date, and the 9th country that the film has screened in since the premiere wrapped back in mid-February.

In addition to the selection, Your Cinema Needs You has progressed into awards contention with the news that it has been chosen as a semi-finalist. While much of this festival run has been surprising, this news from the Hong Kong Indie Film Festival was particularly unexpected. It's amazing how this story has continued to resonate with audiences overseas.