Podcast
Wishing Well is working on a podcast! We are co-producing INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, a video podcast hosted by Greg Laemmle, CEO of Laemmle Theaters, and Wishing Well founder, Raphael Sbarge.
Our critically acclaimed documentary feature, ONLY IN THEATERS, ends with a singular question, “Will the audiences come back?” We have seen that they have, but we have also seen that arthouse theaters, ones that focus on smaller films, continue to face challenges.
The inspiration for this podcast came directly from the making of this movie. A passion for movies in theaters, and a desire to want to remind people that that’s where the smartest, most interesting ideas are happening. Arthouse, even as mainstream Hollywood continues to struggle with its identity, remains a forum for the most dynamic ideas about this extraordinary of art forms, movies.
In Paris on Dec. 28th 1895, the Lumiere bothers, using their invention the Cinematographe, gave their first commercial screening of a motion picture. This approximately 130-year-old art form is still young, by any measure. But its impact is immeasurable.
Filmmakers, who in many cases spend years on one film, have a crucial decision to make once the film is done—do they commit to a theatrical release, or do they just go to streaming? A theatrical release is a way to get noticed, a way to start bigger conversations and a way to set your film apart. It’s also what filmmakers love the most—a big screen and an audience who gather in one place to experience it. But it also comes with financial risks and challenges and has specific hurtles—particularly the question of how to get noticed with so much competing for our attention. If it’s a smaller film, with a smaller marketing budget, it’s very hard to compete with studio/streamer budgets.
We believe that a thriving Art House is not just for filmmakers. For movie lovers, this is the beating heartbeat of the medium. Not to say that commercial films can’t hit both high artistic and financial high-water marks. But more than likely, the filmmaker who is making it, was discovered in the scrappy and demanding world of independent film.
We are very proud and excited to be working on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, a video podcast, filmed in the 1924 Laemmle Royal Theatre in Los Angeles. The intent and purpose of these conversations is to elevate the films and the filmmakers whose movies are opening IN THEATERS. It is our heartfelt belief that encouraging a renewed commitment to seeing movies in theaters is vitally important, because that is where the art form flourishes; it’s where the magic happens.
Wishing Well has a commitment to making projects with social relevance, and this one feel particularly significant. Partnering with Laemmle Theaters and their almost 100 years of dedication to quality films, is a privilege and an honor. The Laemmle mission is simple, to give the best possible platform to documentary, foreign, and independent films. In the spirit of that mission, INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE, aims to inform and introduce audiences to challenging and important films, that might be under their radar.
We hope you will join us in celebrating our love of cinema, as we use this Wishing Well platform to herald new and exciting work. We want to elevate these extraordinary filmmakers, to amplify their movies, and allow them to find new audiences. Ultimately, we hope to be able to remind people that independent film is where all the cool kids are.
FOMO? You bet! Come find out more on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE.
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