The newly re-opened and beautifully restored Patio Theater and The Chicago Cinema Society are very proud to announce their new partnership, which will bring unique independent film programming to the Patio. In addition to the Patio's standard Hollywood programming, Chicago Cinema Society will be presenting features outside the Patio's normal schedule, with Friday and Saturday "Late Night" screenings at 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday screenings at 2:30 or 3:00 p.m., and special Monday night screenings at 7:30 p.m.
This programming ranges from Chicago premieres of exciting new films such as "Vanishing Waves," a critically acclaimed science-fiction film, to exclusive runs of family favorites (such as the newly-remastered DCP of "Willow" created for the film's 25th anniversary) and cult/genre classics presented in special 35mm screenings ("The Warriors," "Shogun Assassin," "Sartana," etc.).
"The Patio has strong roots in this community," says Patio owner Demetri Kouvalis. "We've been here for a long time, and the support for the theater from the community has been amazing. With our new partnership with the Chicago Cinema Society, we aim to bring the kind of interesting and varied programming available throughout Chicago to the Patio."
"We could not be happier about this new partnership," says Neil Calderone, founder of The Chicago Cinema Society. "My mother used to take me the Patio when I was a kid as I grew up not too far south of the theater. Being able to bring our programming to The Patio and expanding into other genres is a situation that we have been searching for and is extremely exciting for us. Our aim is to make the Patio an anchor for the surrounding community as well as a destination theater that brings in people from all over the city to see films they may not be able to see anywhere else on the big screen."
The Chicago Cinema Society at The Patio kicked off with an exclusive run of Dave Grohl's documentary "Sound City," followed by "Dragon" (aka "Wu Xia"), a martial arts drama starring international stars Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro. The Patio's 35mm film series begins on March 22nd with a screening of "The Warriors" from a very rare 35mm print.
The March/April schedule for The Chicago Cinema Society at The Patio is listed below, although the schedule is subject to change. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the CCS and Patio web sites and Facebook pages for the latest information regarding screenings.
March 1-4:
The Other Side of Sleep (Cannes Directors' Fortnight Selection; Chicago Premiere!)
Willow (25th anniversary; newly-remastered DCP from Lucasfilm)
March 22-25:
The Warriors (Extremely rare 35mm print)
March 29-April 1:
Vanishing Waves (The film that swept the 2012 Fantastic Fest Awards! Chicago Premiere!)
Tales of the Night (Beautiful animation from Michel Ocelot)
Shogun Assassin (One night only! 35mm print!)
April 5-8:
If You Meet Sartana, Pray for Your Death (Spaghetti Western Classic! 35mm print!)
Tabu (Directed by Miguel Gomes; Winner- Jury Prize, Berlin International Film Festival)
April 12-15:
Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman (Chicago Premiere!)
8 1/2 (50th anniversary of Fellini's masterpiece! 35mm print!)
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (One night only! Incredibly rare 35mm print!)
April 19-25:
Antiviral (Winner- Gold Hugo, Chicago International Film Festival; feature film debut of Brandon Cronenberg!)
It's a Disaster (Chicago Premiere!)
About Chicago Cinema Society (from the CCS web site):
We are a collective of individuals who are passionate about unconventional, daring, innovative and eccentric cinema. After having traveled to many domestic and international film festivals, we have been saddened by the fact that really great works of filmmaking go undiscovered here in our city of Chicago. Many great filmmakers tragically find their works overlooked by major film studios as their narratives are not easily marketable to the general public. These artists are writing and producing films that will inspire filmmakers for decades to come. One of our goals is to see that such filmmakers are not overlooked and to give their films the exposure that they deserve. We look forward to sharing our collective passion for cinema with all of you. See you at the Big Screen!
About The Patio Theater (abridged from the Patio Theater site):
The Patio Theater, located on the Chicago's northwest side, is the only movie palace of the bygone era still in service to the community. Lovingly restored and decorated in the grand tradition complete with all the elements that make a night at the movie a memorable experience for the whole family to enjoy. Come and see your favorite movies on one giant screen under a simulated blue sky, flickering stars and moving clouds.
Enjoy an evening at the movies under twinkling stars and moving clouds, a state of the art sound system featuring Dolby SR and JBL speakers, and a grand neo-Pompeian lobby restored to original elegance in an open space of 1000 seating capacity; the largest single screen in Chicagoland.
Websites:
Chicago Cinema Society- www.chicagocinemasociety.org
Patio Theater- www.patiotheater.net
Facebook:
Chicago Cinema Society- http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chicago-Cinema-Society/208637469220413
Patio Theater- www.facebook.com/PatioTheater .
Twitter:
Chicago Cinema Society- @CCinemaSociety
Patio Theater- @PatioTheater
