BEREA—A local nonprofit cinema society will host a free movie screening of “Charade” tonight, Friday, July 17.

The Appalachia Cinema Preservation Society’s first public event will be a free screening of the 1963 film “Charade” on Friday, July 17, at the Woolly Worm Artist Lounge, located at 439 Chestnut Street. Doors will open at 6:30 pm and an opening cartoon will be shown before the film begins at 7 pm. Concessions will be available for purchase, but the screening itself is free to attend.

ACPS acquired its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in May. The organization was founded by John Carter, Brad Sandidge and Lori Whitley, who make up its board of directors.

Carter, who moved to Berea in 2022, said the organization began with his interest in opening a museum and movie theater dedicated to LaserDiscs. “This all started because I had the idea of doing a LaserDisc museum and theater, like a movie theater that almost exclusively plays from LaserDiscs,” said Carter.

That idea grew into the goal of helping communities save theaters that have been abandoned. “Not necessarily just to make movie theaters, but whatever the community wants,” said Carter. “If they think it’d be better to have a drama theater, like a classic theater, or a music venue, or just a place where they can meet, hold meetings or just whatever, that should be something for the community to decide.”

The organization chose “Charade,” directed by Stanley Donen and starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, partly because the film is available in the public domain.

 “Just looking over kind of more modern public domain films, we landed on ‘Charade,’” said Carter. “It’s a fun one. Cary Grant is always a treat.”

The Woolly Worm Artist Lounge agreed to host the screening as part of its effort to make the space available for community events. The owners believe offering additional entertainment gives Berea residents more opportunities to gather in a safe and welcoming environment. 

“We just enjoy outreaching to the community and allowing for people to use our space for different endeavors,” said Birdie Gilkey, one of the owners of Woolly Worm Artist Lounge. “Any kind of extra entertainment options in a town like Berea are always a plus … So, just knowing that we will be able to maybe facilitate something safe and inclusive that’s right here in Berea. I think that alone carries its own value.”

The organization hopes to help communities research the history of their local theaters and determine how the buildings could be brought back to life. Many of these theaters that were once important parts of their communities have since been closed and allowed to deteriorate.

“The Berea theater, the old one that we have sitting there on Chestnut Street [next to the old Masonic Lodge], it’s been there since 1925,” said Carter. “That is 100 years of history that is kind of just moldering there.” The Edge reached out to Abe and Liz Haak, who own the building, to see if they have plans to re-open the cinema, but did not receive a reply before publication time.

In addition to preserving historic buildings, the organization plans to support independent theaters and filmmakers throughout Appalachia. The theaters could provide filmmakers with locations to show their work while also giving residents more opportunities to experience films as a group, according to Carter.

“I feel that coming together to watch a movie is where it’s at. I want to also just kind of encourage people to explore movies more,” said Carter. “A sense that films can be shared in a communal place and that it’s okay to look at older movies.”

The Appalachia Cinema Preservation Society wants the July 17 screening to be the first of several free public film events. The hope is that the screenings will eventually become monthly or possibly weekly events, depending on community interest.

“I would absolutely adore it if it becomes a monthly or even weekly thing,” said Carter. “We’ll see, though.”

Public domain films could give the organization a large selection of movies that can be shown at future events. A collection being highlighted at the screening includes around 100 public domain films. The organization is still in its early stages and has not yet started actively seeking financial support, though several people have expressed interest in seeing what the nonprofit will do.

In the coming months, the organization hopes to raise enough money to establish a permanent office in Madison County. The location would include a movie rental and thrift store to help raise money for the organization's work.

“We can work together to make them feel connected to the community, to movies and to one another,” said Carter.