This summer, Omaha’s cinephile community and casual moviegoers alike have a new film destination: Projecting, a DIY, pop-up cinema located in Downtown Omaha. Thanks to the support of Millwork Commons, Projecting will host free screenings in the Mastercraft Building, where attendees can expect a range of independent, classic, international, and cult movies all summer long. The schedule is packed with a variety of movies, old and new, intentionally curated by local programmers. Projecting is built around a simple idea: films deserve to be seen together.
Millwork Commons regulars might already be familiar with filmmaker Joshua LaBure’s monthly documentary series through KIOS, Docs at the Dock, but he wanted to develop something more personal with Projecting, paying homage to the DIY spaces that introduced him to film as an art form. “I just wanted a weird place to watch movies that don’t often play in Omaha,” Projecting founder LaBure describes his vision of an underground cinema. “A place that isn’t fancy, that feels like the basements where I discovered cinema.” The microcinema’s cozy space has a scrappy and casual attitude, with seating for thirty moviegoers. The programming reflects this “anything goes” attitude, with series like Independent, Actually (lo-fi, indie fare), the Summer of Shelley (horror films inspired by Mary Shelley or featuring Shelley Winters), and the Increasing Minimalism of Hong Sang-soo, a tribute to one of LaBure’s favorite filmmakers. Projecting is also proud to host whatstheirface Film Club–the brainchild of photographer and Projecting’s Marketing Director, Scotty Scarpello–which centers femme, queer, and non-binary storytellers “to celebrate the artists who have always been here, even when the spotlight wasn’t.”
With LaBure’s experience in low-budget and documentary filmmaking, Scarpello’s enthusiasm and care for celebrating overlooked and marginalized work, and Genre Programmer Genevieve Radosti’s passion for cult classics and oddities, Projecting offers something for every subgenre of film buff. Omaha moviegoers can enjoy a modern mumblecore favorite like Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture on June 15th, then come back the next night for Jack Hill’s black-and-white horror flick, Spider Baby, on June 16th. Projecting makes it easy to discover something new by hosting free screenings of films best experienced in a shared space.
Projecting’s premiere screening of Hong Sang-soo’s What Does That Nature Say to You, “one of Hong’s richest and most revealing character portraits.” Doors open at 7 PM for a 7:30 showtime on Friday, May 29th.
Follow @projecting.underground on Instagram and visit www.projectingunderground.com to check out the rest of Projecting’s summer offerings and RSVP for screenings, as attendance is free to the general public but seating is limited.
Projecting is located in the Millwork Commons neighborhood at 1111 N 13th St, Suite 123 Omaha, NE 68102.
