In this episode of Castle Talk, Jason chats with April Wright, director of the new documentary Back to the Drive-In, which opened on demand on March 14th.
In this episode of Castle Talk, Jason chats with April Wright, director of the new documentary Back to the Drive-In, which opened on demand on March 14th. April Wright is an award-winning filmmaker who fell in love with movies going to drive-ins and movie palaces in the Chicago area where she grew up. She is also the director of other documentaries about the movie exhibition, including Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie and Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace.
Say the producers:
In April Wright’s fascinating documentary BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN, we go behind the scenes to visit eleven unique family-owned drive-ins across the country to experience their passion and determination to keep their theaters alive. It’s a story of human resilience.
When the pandemic hit, drive-ins were suddenly the only safe venue in town, with press coverage about how drive-ins are “back,” and how they are thriving. But this documentary goes behind the headlines to learn the truth, spending a whole night with 11 very different drive-ins in 8 states all over the country, from preparations before the customers arrive, to selling tickets, opening the snack bar, and getting the movie on screen, we discover these family-owned businesses are actually struggling to survive.
This doc is about authentic drive-ins and the passionate people who run them, but more broadly it highlights questions about the future of the theatrical experience, and the challenges of many small businesses wondering whether they will survive and make it to the other side of the pandemic.
Wright says what distinguishes her film (as with her previous docs) is a focus on the economic and cultural forces at work in the industry as it changes and the people involved. Family is at the heart of the new documentary: each of the eleven drive-ins shown in the film is an independent business run by a small group or fa. They have an intense closeness to this seemingly constantly-endangered piece of the American cultural landscape. She chats about her process of driving around the country from one drive-in to the next, meeting the passionate drive-in owners and following them through one night.
Check out the conversation.
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