By Anna Julia Vissioli Rodrigues
The Independent Picture House (IPH) is celebrating another exciting milestone: our second anniversary as Charlotte’s only non-profit arthouse cinema. Will you be joining us on June 22?
Our Second Anniversary Celebration will consist of numerous fun events and activities for community members of all ages to enjoy. Activities include:
- Screenings of Memoria, Hugo (which will be free), and The Bikeriders.
- Voter registration with the League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg: individuals will have the opportunity to register to vote and learn about North Carolina’s new voter ID laws. As a registered non-profit, IPH is a nonpartisan organization and firmly believes that a strong arts community is a civically engaged one.
- Glow Up Yoga with Dancing Lotus: individuals must register in advance. Registration is $15. You can learn more here.
- Delicious food from Uptown Grillz & Beatz, which provides a selection of Southern fusion dishes.
- IPH’s raffle basket competition: all raffle tickets will be on sale at concessions starting June 14 through June 23. Prizes include a $25 gift card, annual membership, limited edition anniversary t-shirt, and 2024 IPH mini-poster (signed by the artist) and IPH merch.
- The official announcement of IPH’s poster competition winner!
- And much more….
Plus, after the 3:30pm screening of The Bikeriders, we will have a post-screening talkback hosted by Ashleigh Chavis, the film’s Makeup Department Head. She is known for her work in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), which won an Oscar in 2022 for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling.
Did you know that Memoria was one of the first five films we opened with in 2022? The film is only available in cinemas and stars Tilda Swinton as Jessica Holland. After waking up by a loud ‘bang,’ Jessica begins to question her identity and search for its source in secluded jungle villages. Memoria will be available from June 21 to 26.
There will also be FREE screenings of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo on June 22 and 23. The film follows Hugo Cabot (Asa Butterfield), an orphan living in a train station who becomes involved in a mystery around an automaton left to him by his late father. Lawrence Toppman, former Charlotte Observer film critic, describes Hugo as “a visually inventive love letter, not just to the creative spirit in all of us but to the art of moviemaking itself.” IPH believes that this film embodies our love for filmmaking!
Memoria and Hugo were selected for IPH’s celebration because, as Creative Director Jay Morong explains, these films reflect “what we do ” at IPH by being great films that represent our mission. These films allow IPH to continue being a place where people “can become part of a community” and “share the common interest of loving films, film-making, and everything related to films.”
IPH is extremely grateful for all the support that we have received over the last two years, and our Second Anniversary Celebration is our thank you to our audience. We hope that you will celebrate with us on June 22 and continue being part of our journey for the many years to come.
Will you celebrate IPH’s second anniversary with a donation? Gifts of all sizes make an impact and help IPH provide programs like our Community Impact Film Series and continue screening foreign, independent, and arthouse films that educate, engage, and enable individuals through the powerful medium of film.