Today’s moviegoers require variety, not just in what they see, but in the cinemas they choose to patronize. In partnership with Spotlight Cinema Networks®, Boxoffice Pro is proud to present Indie Focus, in which we explore the wealth of experiences that cinemas—from the high-end luxury multiplex to the beloved community art house—offer their audiences.
In this installment of Indie Focus, Boxoffice Pro speaks to Kate Markham, executive director of Art House Convergence (AHC), a nonprofit that connects, amplifies, and advocates for the independent exhibition community. Following the massive success of last summer’s Independent Film Exhibition Conference, or IND/EX, AHC returns to Chicago for the 2025 AHC Convening on July 28–29. Supported by Spotlight Cinema Networks, a lead sponsor of the event and longtime supporter of AHC, the Convening welcomes roughly 400 attendees—some from as far away as Brazil, France, Mexico, the U.K., and Canada—to, in Markham’s words, “drill down into cinema-specific topics and conversations” affecting independent exhibitors. For more information on AHC, the 2025 Convening, and information on the summer 2026 IND/EX, visit arthouseconvergence.org
Indie Focus Is Sponsored by Spotlight Cinema Networks
Can you highlight any panels or presentations that you’re particularly excited to share with the AHC community? The keynote conversation with Anora director Sean Baker and his producing partner, Samantha Quan, looks particularly interesting. What can attendees expect from the conversation?
How to choose?!? The 2025 Art House Theater Day Ambassadors, Sean Baker and Samantha Quan, are joining us for a fireside chat and a screening [to celebrate] the 10th anniversary of Tangerine at the Music Box Theatre. We have three other (secret) screenings of new films or restorations … and, of course, the diverse and actionable professional development education sessions for exhibition professionals that AHC is known for.
We have tracks for audience development and marketing, human resources, programming, leadership, fundraising, and operations. I am particularly excited for “Greening Your Cinema,” presented by Ellen White of Ecofixr. This is a session that we have presented before,but there have been many advancements in technology and environmental initiatives since then! I am also very excited for “UX. U What?!?,” presented by Duncan Carson of the Independent Cinema Office in the U.K.. Patrons’ first point of contact with your cinema is no longer the sidewalk in front of the building or the physical box office; it’s your website. The user experience of your website will make an impression long before audiences make it to the front door. How can we make that experience as easy, useful, and true to your brand as possible?
What are the concerns the art house world has been sharing with you in the first half of 2025? What have been some of the high points?
The first half of 2025 has had its highs and lows. We’ve had incredible films on screen. Sinners has really reaffirmed a love of cinema for folks: People are coming back to see it in the theater again and again, and in different formats. I had the good fortune to catch a sold out 70 mm screening at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Sitting elbow to elbow with an entire room of people absolutely captivated with collective laughs and gasps really affirmed to me the mission of Art House Convergence. We’ve had the Tom Cruise unabashedly proclaiming his love of cinemas.
Contrast that with the news from the NEA of grant rescindments and the loss of funding for film programs and the proposed tariffs adding to an already tenuous economic position for the film industry and exhibition. Anxieties are heightened. I had mentioned in our last interview for [State of the Art House 2025 in Boxoffice Pro’s CinemaCon 2025 issue] that we were cautiously optimistic. We remain so; our mission-based cinemas will continue to find ways to bring film to their audiences.
AHC has launched its Visiting Members Program since we last spoke. Can you tell us a bit about it?
The Visiting Members Program is essentially a reciprocal membership program, much like the ones you may find at museums or botanical gardens across the country. For instance, if you are a member at the Sidewalk Film Center in Birmingham, Alabama, you can visit Gold Town Theater in Juneau, Alaska, and get member-priced tickets there as well. I used the Visiting Members Program myself during my visit to the aforementioned Sinners screening at Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts: I am a member of the Music Box Theatre in Chicago and could use the reciprocal benefits to get member pricing at the Coolidge. So, while folks are planning their summer travel or road trips, they should check out the Visiting Members Program! I always check to see if there is a participating cinema in the places I visit. It is an incredible way to explore both the incredible film series that these cinemas are curating and also a wide and varied span of spaces, from the single-screen rear projection at The Brattle [in Cambridge, Massachusetts] to historic movie palace glamour at The Oriental Theatre at Milwaukee Film.
I’ve always dreamed of creating a travelogue for Art House Convergence’s Visiting Members Program. Think Roadtrip Nation meets Art House America with a sprinkle of the Amtrak writers’ residency. Even using my home of Chicago as a starting point, there is a great string of participating cinemas stretching west to Omaha off of I-80, making for a cool, easy road trip (Music Box Theatre, Facets Film Forum, Siskel Film Center, FilmScene, Varsity Cinema, and Filmstreams). Or, if you are a public transit enthusiast like myself, I recently visited a number of cinemas in New York and Massachusetts over the course of a week using only mass transit! [For a list of participating cinemas, visit arthouseconvergence.org.]
This is our Giants of Exhibition issue, where we rank the 50 biggest chains in North America by screen count. But those chains don’t come close to telling the whole story of the cinema community—indies, art houses, and festivals are absolutely vital. Why is it so important that this sector of the industry thrives? Are there any misconceptions you think people in the cinema industry at large have about the art house world?
Art houses are not just spaces to see films, and they are so much more than mainstream chains. They are community hubs that meet the artistic, educational, social, and cultural needs of their cities and towns. And they are the only spaces where all facets of film culture can be experienced by audiences: Independent, repertory, shorts, documentary, archival, world cinema, and experimental film all shine at art houses in addition to new releases. Without art houses, access to these films shuts off and critical needs of communities go unmet. These spaces need to thrive, so they can continue to be a home for these films and audiences.
I do think that some folks hear “art house” and immediately think “Oh that’s not for me.” They may believe that art house cinema means strictly obscure, highbrow, or academic films—but this is assuredly not the case! Art house runs the gamut of cinema: from children’s programming to midnight movies to trivia and craft nights to silent films with live musical accompaniment. There is something for everyone.
What else does AHC have planned for this summer?
We will celebrate Art House Theater Day on July 24, 2025, with an incredible lineup of films curated by our 2025 Programming Fellows. The lineup spans the gamut I mentioned above. There is French body horror, a contemporary indie classic, an animated family film, a classic repertory restoration, an archival hip-hop documentary, and more. Truly something for everyone. Catch a movie or become a member at your local independent cinema on July 24 to be a part of a nationwide movement celebrating art house cinemas.
Spotlight Cinema Networks has been sponsoring various AHC-led events for over a decade, including last year’s IND/EX and this year’s Convening. Why is it so important that these in-person yearly gatherings exist—ones that are geared specifically to the indie cinema crowd?
We are so grateful that Spotlight Cinema Networks recognizes the importance of these gatherings and has consistently provided support to facilitate them. There is alchemy in gathering exhibitors together to learn, connect, and troubleshoot. In the same way that we value the in-person theatrical experience, the opportunity to engage with strangers, friends, and colleagues at gatherings such as this is an experience that cannot be replicated on a screen. In the last 15 years we have seen the switch to digital projection and delivery, the expansion of indie distribution and self-distribution, the rise of social media, and other industry changes. To be able to face the ever-changing film exhibition industry together has enabled us to be more nimble and sustainable.
Share this post