Opinion: Cinemas boost entertainment, economy

Fifty-five years later, cinema is re-emerging as an entertainment option and economic investment catalyst for Center City.

Chiltons’ Moxie

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Dan and Nicole Chilton, owners of Moxie Cinema LLC. In 2004, this young couple fashioned a love of movies, art and urban life into downtown’s first cinema in the 21st century. The 76-seat Moxie, which shows independent films that typically don’t appear at Springfield’s megaplexes, is a perfect extension of the First Friday Artwalk, fine dining and a thriving college community.

Not content to be anchored to their vintage seats, the Moxie is taking its shows on the road to Landers Theatre (“Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Halloween weekend, and “Harold and Maude” and “The Graduate” in January) and to Commercial Street with the “Perils of Pauline” silent film series last summer.

The Moxie is forging a partnership with Gillioz Theatre for the purpose of showing 33 mm film at the Gillioz. This partnership would allow crossover films to be shown to a larger audience at the 1,100-seat Gillioz and would promote special showings of retrospective and themed festivals.

College Station

When forming the center city element of Springfield’s Vision 20/20, city officials solicited proposals from developers on how to bring new life to the parking lots west of Campbell. City Council ultimately selected Scott Tillman’s urban entertainment complex with a 14-screen movie theatre as its anchor. This vision is starting to become a reality as the groundbreaking on the $20 million project for Wallace Theatres was held Dec. 28. College Station is scheduled to open in spring 2008.

Cannes of the Ozarks

On Feb. 22–25, downtown will hold the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield’s Show-Me Missouri International Film Festival. The event will feature the 2005 and 2006 Academy Award-nominated short live action and short animated films, along with nearly 40 competition films.

Steve Olson, president of the alliance, noted there will be several interesting documentaries, including films on the New York Cosmos soccer team, the history of the St. Louis Arch, the one-ring Circus Flora in St. Louis and the life of Harry Caray, the longtime announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Springfieldians Drury Carr and Brent Huff are two of the featured filmmakers.

Also, the short film “Water Moccasin” features 11-year-old actress Ede Bell Crowder, who has roots in Springfield, and an executive producer of “Dancing Ground” is St. John’s Dr. Mark Walterskirchen.

Rusty Worley, executive director of Urban Districts Alliance, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.