Trylon Cinema

Last updated
Trylon Cinema
Trylon Cinema exterior.png
Exterior of the Trylon Cinema, April 2018
Trylon Cinema
Former namesTrylon microcinema
Address2820 East 33rd Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates 44°56′36″N93°13′59″W / 44.9432948°N 93.2329897°W / 44.9432948; -93.2329897
OperatorTake-Up Productions
TypeIndoor microcinema
Seating typeRocking
Capacity 90
OpenedJuly 17, 2009 (2009-07-17)
Website
trylon.org

The Trylon Cinema (formerly Trylon microcinema) is a 90-seat movie theater in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The cinema was founded and is currently run by Take-Up Productions, a group of volunteers who got their start at the Oak Street Cinema before establishing the Trylon in 2009 within a former warehouse. A 2017 expansion resulted in an increase in the cinema's seating capacity and accessibility. Throughout its history, the venue has featured a variety of regular programming, ranging from career retrospectives of famous directors to B movies and cult films. The Trylon has been well received by critics who have praised its film lineup, intimacy, and atmosphere.

Contents

History

Minneapolis's Oak Street Cinema, a volunteer-run repertory cinema, ran films seven days per week until cutbacks in programming had to be made for financial reasons. A collective of the Oak Street volunteers formed Take-Up Productions, which was established to promote showing films not typically screened in larger movie houses. [1] The organization began with outdoor screenings, starting with Watermelon Man , which was projected against a white brick wall behind a coffee shop, and then began to rent out theaters throughout the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, including the Riverview, Heights, and Parkway. [2] [3] Some screenings, such as that of Lawrence of Arabia and a series of Alfred Hitchcock films, drew hundreds of viewers. [1]

Trylon's original facade on Minnehaha Avenue Trylon Microcinema, December 2015.jpg
Trylon's original facade on Minnehaha Avenue

Barry Kryshka of Take-Up Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, oversees and manages the Trylon. [2] [4] The cinema sits in an old warehouse in the Longfellow neighborhood along Minnehaha Avenue that was rented, in 2009, at a rate of $800 a month. [2] [5] Kryshka contracted Bright Star Systems, Inc. to retrofit the space with 50 old rocking seats purchased from a nearby cinema chain, a 20-foot (6.1 m) projection screen, two 35 mm movie projectors, and a minute concessions stand. [3] Trylon acquired its name from an eponymous theater in Kryshka's native Queens, New York, itself named for the Trylon sculpture at the 1939 New York World's Fair. [3] Founded as Trylon microcinema, the movie house opened on the weekend of July 17–18, 2009, with a showing of Sherlock Jr. featuring live musical accompaniment from Dreamland Faces, a local accordion–musical saw duo. [3] Each of the venue's first 12 showings sold out. [2]

The Trylon closed for three months in summer 2017 as Kryshka supervised a major renovation and expansion of the theater, at a projected cost of $175,000. [4] [6] MSR Design of Minneapolis worked pro bono to create updated architectural plans. As part of the renovation, the entrance was moved from Minnehaha Ave to 33rd Street. An outdoor courtyard was created outside the entrance, a new lobby and concession stand were built, and the space was updated to be more accessible to wheelchair users. [4] The auditorium was expanded from 50 to 92 seats, and a new screen and sound system were added. Relinquishing the Microcinema moniker, the movie house reopened as the Trylon Cinema over the weekend of September 22–24, 2017, with screenings of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator . [6]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Trylon closed from mid-March 2020 until July 3. [7] During the temporary closure, no employees were laid off and Krysha and the rest of the staff were able to install a new digital projector in the theater. [7] Trylon reopened at a reduced capacity of 20 seats with a screening of Attack the Block . [7]

Programming and reception

Every three months, the Trylon Cinema publishes a full schedule of screenings, approximately 10 percent of which are of first run films. [3] [8] The venue features a variety of regular exhibitions, ranging from the Trash Film Debauchery series of B movies, to the Defenders in which local cinephiles curate and defend screenings of personal favorite cult films, to Sound Unseen, a documentary project covering behind-the-scenes aspects of musicians' creative processes. The Trylon also hosts showcases of the films throughout various directors' careers. [9] Take-Up Productions continues to use other venues such as the Heights and the Riverview for screenings necessitating larger houses. [10] The Cinema is staffed almost entirely with volunteers. [2]

Critical reception for the Trylon has been positive. It was voted the best movie theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area in 2011, 2012 and 2018 by City Pages , which stated in 2018 that the cinema "offers film series and selections you won't find anywhere else in Minnesota. That includes kung fu hits, golden-era Hollywood movies, rare music documentaries, B-horror flicks, and, thanks to monthly sessions with Trash Film Debauchery, really weird films that time forgot". [9] [10] [11] In an unranked list of Minneapolis–Saint Paul's best cinemas written for WCCO, Eric Henderson called the Trylon the "pluckiest upstart in the Twin Cities" and described the experience of walking into the theater as "stepp[ing] onto the set of a Michel Gondry fantasy-noir about a scrappy theater thriving in the midst of a Prohibition-style ban on the moviegoing experience." [12] J. L. Sosa lauded the Trylon on Film School Rejects , praising the concessions selection, the physical intimacy of the space, and the cinema's programmers for their "impeccable taste in both high- and lowbrow culture." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a business that contains auditoria for viewing films for public entertainment. Most, but not all, movie theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drive-in theater</span> Cinema format

A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-ins have small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC Theatres</span> American movie theater chain

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. is an American movie theater chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and now headquartered in Leawood, Kansas. It is the largest movie theater chain in the world. Founded in 1920, AMC has the largest share of the U.S. theater market ahead of Regal and Cinemark Theatres.

Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busan International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Busan, South Korea

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from 13 to 21 September 1996, was also the first international film festival in Korea. The main focus of the BIFF is to introduce new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. Another notable feature is the appeal of the festival to young people, both in terms of the large youthful audience it attracts and through its efforts to develop and promote young talent. In 1999, the Pusan Promotion Plan was established to connect new directors to funding sources. The 16th BIFF in 2011 saw the festival move to a new permanent home, the Busan Cinema Center in Centum City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollywood Theatre (Portland, Oregon)</span> Theater in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Hollywood Theatre is a historic movie theater in northeast Portland, Oregon, owned by a non-profit organization. It is a central historical landmark of the Hollywood District. The Theatre is located at 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, across the street from the first suburban Fred Meyer store, which is currently occupied by Rite Aid. The Hollywood Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and is considered to be a gem of Northeast Portland's historic culture and tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Theater (Minneapolis)</span> Movie theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Uptown Theatre is one of the oldest surviving theaters in the Twin Cities area. It was in active use from 1916 to 2020. The theater is planning to reopen on May 5, 2023, as a music and event venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Cinerama</span>

The Seattle Cinerama Theatre is a landmark movie theater in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. The theater opened in 1963 and was renovated in the 1990s after its acquisition by Paul Allen. The Cinerama was closed in May 2020 and sold in 2023 to the Seattle International Film Festival. At the time of its 2020 closure, it was one of only three movie theaters in the world capable of showing three-panel Cinerama films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4D film</span> 3D film with physical effects that occur in the theater

4D film is a presentation system combining motion pictures with synchronized physical effects that occur in the theater. Effects simulated in 4D films include, but are not limited to, motion, vibration, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fog, smoke, wind, temperature changes, and strobe lights. Seats in 4D venues vibrate and move during these multisensory presentations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial Theatre (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania)</span> Theater and movie theater in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

The Colonial Theatre is located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, at 227 Bridge Street. Built in 1903, the "Colonial Opera House" became a preeminent venue for movies, traveling shows and live entertainment throughout the 20th century. The three-screen venue consists of the original 658-seat ‘vaudeville house’ and two newer additional theatres in the adjacent National Bank of Phoenixville building (c.1925).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerville Theatre</span> Independent movie theater and concert venue in Somerville, Massachusetts

The Somerville Theatre is an independent movie theater and concert venue in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. Over one hundred years old, the Somerville Theatre started off as a vaudeville house and movie theater. The theater has since transitioned and now operates as a live music venue and first-run movie theater. As a music venue, the theater has played host to many historic concerts, including the first of the two Last Dispatch concerts, two shows by Bruce Springsteen in 2003, and a performance by U2 in 2009. Recent live performances have included Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cursive, Norah Jones, The Jonas Brothers, Joan Baez, and the John Butler Trio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Israel</span> Film production in Israel

Cinema of Israel refers to film production in Israel since its founding in 1948. Most Israeli films are produced in Hebrew, but there are productions in other languages such as Arabic and English. Israel has been nominated for more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film than any other country in the Middle East.

The cinema of Saudi Arabia is a fairly small industry that only produces a few feature films and documentaries every year.

Dundee Theater

The Dundee Theater is an historic movie theater located at 4952 Dodge Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Now operated by the nonprofit Film Streams, the Dundee is the longest-surviving neighborhood cinema in Omaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reel Affirmations</span> LGBTQ film festival held in Washington D.C.

Reel Affirmations (RA) is a non-profit, all-volunteer LGBT film festival in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1991 and held every year in mid-October, as of 2011 Reel Affirmations was one of the largest LGBT film festivals in the United States. Baltimore's Gay Life newspaper called it "one of the top three films festivals for the entire LGBT community." A 2007 guidebook claims it was one of the largest LGBT film festivals in the world. A listing of LGBT film festivals claims it is the largest all-volunteer film festival in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ragtag Cinema</span>

The Balagan Film Series, also known as Video Balagan is a nonprofit organization has that organized screenings of underground and experimental films in Boston, Massachusetts since 2000. Screenings usually take place at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts. They are one of the longest running microcinemas dedicated to experimental, niche programming in the New England, North Eastern US region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverview Theater</span> Movie theater in Minneapolis, US

The Riverview Theater is a cinema in the Howe neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan, the theater was built by theater owners Bill and Sidney Volk in 1948. After building a subsequent theater in a new ultramodern style, the Volks returned to the Riverview in 1956 and had its lobby area heavily renovated and updated. The Riverview remains one of several surviving single-screen cinemas in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and typically showed second-run films until the COVID-19 pandemic, when it switched to showing first-run movies. Since the early 2000s, it has been consistently recognized by City Pages as one of the best movie theaters in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectacle Theater</span> Independent movie theater in New York City

Spectacle Theater is a collectively run, independent movie theater that operates out of a small space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitehawk Cinema</span> Cinema in Brooklyn, New York

References

  1. 1 2 Kerr, Euan (July 17, 2009). "Microcinema backers think small, hope big". MPR News . Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Nelson, Rob (November–December 2009). "Microcinemas: Big Screen, Little Risk". Utne Reader . Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Nelson, Rob (July 10, 2009). "Screen of Dreams: Trylon microcinema set to open on Minnehaha". MinnPost . Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Espeland, Pamela (May 31, 2017). "Trylon is growing, but first some special treats; Franken at Humphrey School event". MinnPost . Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ Schmitt, Paul (December 1, 2014). "Four David Bowie films (yes, including Labyrinth) to play at the Trylon Microcinema". 89.3 The Current . Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Covert, Colin (September 21, 2017). "Trylon remodeling is a really big deal for the Minneapolis repertory movie house". Star Tribune . Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Espeland, Pamela (June 26, 2020). "The Trylon Cinema's Barry Kryshka: 'Sometimes it's kind of great to be small'". MinnPost . Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Sosa, J. L. (January 26, 2014). "Movie Houses of Worship: Minneapolis's The Trylon Microcinema". Film School Rejects . Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Best Movie Theater (2011): The Trylon". City Pages . 2011. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Best Movie Theater (2012): The Trylon". City Pages . 2012. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Best Movie Theater: Trylon Cinema". City Pages . 2018. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  12. ↑ Henderson, Eric (December 8, 2010). "Best Movie Theaters In The Twin Cities". WCCO-TV . Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.