Introducing “Decatur Docs”
Decatur Metro | November 7, 2010If you got a bit caught up in trying to guess Mr. Red Shoes’ latest teaser, “cinema” was right on the money.
The folks who have been running the Atlanta Film Festival the past few years, Paula Martinez and Gabriel Wardell, are bringing a new documentary film series to Decatur starting this month!
“Decatur Docs” will launch at the new, state-of-the-art Decatur High School Auditorium on November 20th at 8pm, with an invitation-only airing of the documentary “Bouncing Cats”. You can view the trailer above. (Don’t worry, I’m going to try to make some tickets to the premiere available to DM readers. So stay tuned for that!)
After the premiere night, the first leg of the documentary series will run January 8th, January 15th, February 19th and March 5th. Tickets to all four events can be purchased as a block for $40, or individually for $15.
And while the documentary is the heart of this event, there’s a bit more to each airing than just that. As the Decatur Docs website states, “The subscription-based screening series is designed to engage, educate and entertain Decatur’s diverse community, while attracting audiences from throughout the region to experience the hospitality and vivacity of downtown Decatur.” Each viewing will be preceded by a coffee and dessert reception and followed by a topical Q&A/conversation from a “special guest” associated with the film.
Decatur has long clamored for a film-screening venue. This event, which according to Ms. Martinez wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of the hare-brained Man in the Red Shoes (aka Daren Wang of Verb.org), utilizes our city’s existing resources to make it a near-immediate reality for us.
Hats off to all those involved in making this new venture a reality!
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This has to be the best news I have heard all year! I remember George LeFont (who once owned the Tara, Garden Hills, and Plaza Cinemas) ran a movie series where he would screen documentaries, art house films, and other cinema wonders at the Garden Hills Cinema on a subscription basis. Typically, either the movie director, some of the actors, or Emory faculty would be hand afterwards for a spirited discussion. I only attended one — “Smoke Signals” was the movie — but it was amazing. What really excited me is that we already committed to a second set in the spring, so this should really get a buzz going.
I am ahead of the curve in this comment, but does anyone see a way to tie this to either the book festival or the arts festival? It seems like people come in the afternoon and then head out before dinner. Wouldn’t a nighttime movie after dinner be a great economic boost for people to hang out in Decatur? Maybe some themed shows like Kirk Douglas in “Lust for Life” for the arts festival?
Aside from the fact that I am jealous scheming to figure out how to get my little guy and I some tickets for the 11/20/2010 screening, I will also note that I came perilously close to nailing it in the original e-mail thread (see below). We should have made it a contes for free tickets to the 11/20/2010 showing. Ah well … I am waiting for the lineup before I figure out if any of the movies are kid-friendly and see how many tickets we buy.
Louis says:
October 22, 2010 at 6:47 am
I wonder if someone in Decatur finally figured out that the Decatur High School auditorium might be a good venue for an occasional movie (or movie festival?) that might draw some of the ASC and Emory faculty and students that we referenced in the WSJ article post the other day. So I throw my vote with Karass and say C is for CINEMA …
Yeah, as a member of the DHS PTA Board, I’m hoping they offer tickets to us!
One potential problem: Food isn’t allowed into the DHS auditorium, as far as I know. So, no popcorn or sodas will be permitted into the theatre.
Wonder what arrangement will be made for paying for use of the auditorium?
WOW…this is a Win-Win for area folks. I second the idea of a Decatur Film festival. I lived in Savannah the years that the Savannah film festival grew from a City event to an international event. If they acan do it,….we can do it.
Such exciting news! I remember hearing about the new high school auditorium way back when during the pr for the bond referendum, and thinking, possible community movies?! Between this and the new outdoor screen/wall that the architects have proposed for the Beacon Hill re-do, we’re taking steps towards making movie and dinner every weekend a real possibility. Thank you all who have worked towards this goal!
Invitation only, huh? Sure it’s not to see “Bouncing Cats”- the XXXXXX version?! :0)
(Major props to the folks who are making Decatur Docs happen!)
These are great responses! If the five people above will email me at , I will make sure you have two tickets waiting for you at the kickoff on November 20th! We’re very excited about DecaturDocs and think it’s gonna be a fantastic event. It’s great to see the enthusiastic responses. Please be an ambassador and help us spread the word.
(And, Louis, you did nail it. I even made mention of it to Mr. Red Shoes in a followup email. Nicely done!)
Paula Martinez
DecaturDocs