I just got email from a friend that says that Spartanburg’s Regal Cinema Westgate 8 (the one at the mall) will be dedicating at least one screen to playing what the email says distributors refer to as “cinema art product.”  Essentially, limited release Independent films, foreign films and possibly even Art House films.  I’m excited for the Upstate.  I’ve long complained about this.  Greenville’s Cherrydale has made decent attempts at this with the occasional Indie film month; 4 indie films, 1 showing a week.  But, this seems to be a much more committed effort.

Apparently there’s a lot of support within the Regal group to make this work, including sending the local manager to California for occasional meeting with filmmakers, producers and distributors.  There’s talk of possibly having filmmaker Q&A’s at this location.

In conjunction with this, Spartanburg Film Society is working to help compile lists of desired and possible upcoming films to be screened.  Currently the film “Mongol” is set for screening June 27.  Other titles they are seeking to screen are The Fall, Choke, Encounters at the End of the World and Towelhead.

It shouldn’t require me saying, but I’ll say it anyway.  For something like this to work it will require support and viewers.  This means, if you’d like to see Independent cinema welcomed into the Upstate, with the possiblity of spreading into Greenville and Anderson, you need to make the trip to Spartanburg.  Without ticket sales, this will be a failed endeavor.

The ball’s in your court, Upstate Cinephiles.