Capital City Cinema lights up Jefferson City.
As a city steeped in history and small-town charm, Jefferson City offers unique cultural and entertainment opportunities. Hidden gems are tucked away in various corners of the city, especially in the historic downtown with its narrow storefronts and distinctly classic feel. One such gem, Capitol City Cinema, sits less than a block away from the Capitol building, between CORK & Board and Izzy’s on High Street. Capitol City Cinema provides the community with an array of options for an enjoyable night out.
“We’re a nonprofit, community-supported, single-screen art-house theater; and we play independent, foreign, and documentary films,” says Dalton Turner, executive director of the cinema. They’re typically films that you’re not going to find on the big screen of the larger movie theaters.”
They show a lot of low-budget films but also offer some of the larger ones, such as “Ladybird,” “Materialist,” and “Moonlight.”
One of the features that makes Capitol City Cinema so appealing is its proximity and partnership with CORK & Board, the board-game bar next door. While patrons can purchase concessions like popcorn and soda at the cinema, that’s not their only option.
“You can get a glass of wine, mixed drink, or food, and bring it over to enjoy while you’re watching a film,” Dalton says. “We have a shared hallway in the back where it’s easy to get into the restaurant. They also host trivia events here on Thursdays, which is fun.”
“We’ve also partnered with our local PBS affiliate, KMOS, on Indie Lens pop-ups. We play a teaser to a film that’s going to air on PBS TV, followed by community engagement. They answer questions and prompt the audience to have conversations about the films. A lot of them hit on topics like immigration or disability awareness, common things that are going on in the humanitarian world.”
Capitol City Cinema has also screened some Ken Burns documentaries, condensed versions followed by community engagement and conversation.
“We partnered with the Missouri Writing Project to have open discussions about thoughts and beliefs from different sides of the aisle,” he adds. “We like to bring those types of thought-provoking things in front of our patrons.”
Capitol City Cinema also serves the community by featuring filmmakers with ties to the local community.
“Any time there are local filmmakers in Jefferson City, or filmmakers that have moved to other areas, we’ll invite them to come back or do some kind of special screening or event,” Dalton says. “Our mission is to educate, inspire, entertain, and connect our community through innovative film programming and events. We’re always looking for new ways to build partnerships within our community.”
But their service extends beyond films.
“In the past, we’ve hosted drag shows,” Dalton says. “We would find queens from different areas and sold out every time. It was a great offering for the community, a kind of entertainment not readily available in the area.”
“Our mission is to educate, inspire, entertain, and connect our community through innovative film programming and film-related events.”
— Dalton Turner
They also do private rentals for events like birthday parties and weddings. These patrons can provide their own films, but the cinema also offers other options.
“We can stream from just about any of the streaming services,” Dalton says.
The theater is supported financially by admissions and local corporate sponsors, but it also accepts donations. Although a paid employee runs the box office, there is plenty of room for any volunteers who want to get involved.
“We look for volunteers and also board members,” Dalton explains. “We have a volunteer advisory board that gets together every quarter or so to talk about what kinds of films we want to show, how past films did, what films did really well in the past, and what the community wants to see more of.”
“We sometimes have a volunteer come in to help run a private event: starting the film, overseeing the space, and assisting with anything that might come up. In the future, we’d love to do more with kids’ films, maybe a camp. We’d also like to host a mini version of a film festival of our own, but we’ve never really had the right person to run with those projects.”
Anyone interested in learning more about Capitol City Cinema should visit its Facebook page or website, capitolcitycinema.org. People can sign up for the newsletter and find contact information on the website.
“Give us a chance,” Dalton concludes. “Come watch a movie. You’ll find that you really love how intimate it is. It’s just a really great space.”