LASERDISC KARAOKE FUNDRAISER Thursday 7/17, plus 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Sunday 7/20!

Hey there friends, cinephiles, and well-wishers,

This is Brian, filling in for Bel, who’s on vacation (your regular Crucial Viewing Newsletter will return in two weeks.) It’s my birthday this weekend, and while I’m not going to say exactly how old I am, I will tell you that I’ve begun playing “the back nine” in the parlance of golf. Which is a weird, bittersweet feeling, but made a little bit better by thinking about my life in Kingston. My wife and I moved here six years ago with not much to go on apart from an intangible inkling that a better life awaited us here. So far, that promise has delivered, and we’re truly pleased to be a part of this incredible community.

What does any of this have to do with Kingston Film Foundation? Well, it’s that first word. We love movies, but we love Kingston just as much, and our goal is not only to found a theater but to found it specifically here, to create a space that becomes part of the fabric of this community. Your excitement for this project is what keeps us going towards that goal!

A couple of weeks ago I teased a new phase of this project on our Instagram page, that would lead to us hosting a repertory screening every Wednesday. Unfortunately we are still holding on that announcement while the last few t’s get crossed, but it is happening, and we will soon be enjoying some Wednesday night films together soon! More on that in the near future.

In the meantime, as we move into this new phase, your support means more to us than ever. Luckily, there’s an extremely fun way you can show us that support this Thursday night!

I have to give a huge thanks to Kate from Karmic Karaoke, who conceived of this event and thought of us as a worthy beneficiary, which we truly appreciate. For the uninitiated, when karaoke blew up in the early 90s, Pioneer hired young directors to make extremely low budget videos for popular songs, specifically for its laserdisc format. You can read more about laserdisc karaoke here. These videos are funny and unusual (and not always politically correct,) and Kate has amassed quite a collection of them! On Thursday night we’re going to connect her laserdisc player to our trusty projector and sing some classic songs of the 80s and 90s, with the proceeds from the night benefitting us. Whether you’re ready to sing or just to take in some unusual video treatments, we think it’ll be a lot of fun and we hope to see you there!

We also have a movie this weekend, and it’s an all-time great!

2001 is one of my favorite movies, and it’s specifically my favorite movie to see on a big screen with a bunch of people. If you haven’t seen it on the big screen, it is absolutely 100% the best way to experience it. Plus, it’s free, and we’ll have some great Kingston favorites like Masa Midtown, Little Rye Bakehouse, and Samosa Shack selling food, as well as Kingston Standard selling beer.

Sunday’s event is sponsored by the Midtown Business Alliance, the City of Kingston, and Red Owl Collective. Without their support, this event would not be possible! Come join us at Midtown Linear Park at Cornell Street (right behind Red Owl Collective,) vendors open around 7, and the film starts after sunset (approximately 8:30.) Bring a blanket or some camp chairs and enjoy a great film with your fellow Kingstonians!

In conclusion, both of these events bookend what will be a really fun birthday weekend for me, and I’m truly pleased to share these experiences with you. It’s been a real joy getting to meet and know so many of you in the Hudson Valley film community, and I’m grateful to be a part of it all, now and going forward.

Until next time,

Brian Whitney
Board President
Kingston Film Foundation