Siegen Village 10 may not offer stadium seating in front of thelargest screens in town, but to independent moviegoers, it is theironly option.
“If it’s a smaller, weird-type movie, I know to come here,” saidElizabeth Pogue as she bought a ticket for “De-Lovely” — a filmthat had a limited showing nationwide.
In the fierce competition of Baton Rouge megaplexes, the movietheatre on Siegen Lane has found its niche as a haven forsmall-budget movies off the Hollywood radar.
“We are the art house,” theatre employee Lillian Howell said.”If it’s an independent film, it usually plays here.”
The theatre, owned by Regal Entertainment Group, has gained areputation throughout the Baton Rouge area as a welcome alternativeto the newer, bigger, and louder theatres that usually showblockbusters and big-budget films guaranteed to make moremoney.
“Sometimes I have to come here, because it’s the only placeplaying a certain movie,” theatre patron Lauren Fussell said, alsoin line to see “De-Lovely.”
Moviegoers have come as far as Lafayette to see films notplaying in their area, Howell said.
The controversial “Farenheit 9/11” fits this mold. SiegenVillage 10 is the only theatre showing Michael Moore’s politicallycharged documentary in the Baton Rouge area.
“People have come from all over to see Farenheit,” Howell said.”That will probably play here all the way until the election.”
The process of choosing films to show is completely out oftheatre management’s hands, Howell said. An independent bookingagent “assigns” films to area movie theatres. Small, low-budgetmovies usually end up at Siegen, producing mixed results inattendance.
“We had a movie called Seagull’s Laughter. It sold maybe twentytickets,” Howell said.
Yet oftentimes an independent film will strike gold, especiallyaround Oscar time.
“Lost In Translation” played for nearly six months in SiegenVillage, largely due to the buzz around Bill Murray’s leadperformance and his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
The theatre likewise receives a mixed bag of box-office flopsand successes. In any case, the theatre has embraced its role inthe Baton Rouge area.
Indian films with English subtitles are shown on Tuesdays andWednesdays, a feature which has grown popular among the Baton RougeIndian community. The theatre also held a Family Film Festival overthe summer, showing past and present childrens’ movies forfree.
Theatre employee and LSU student Brooke D’arensbourg said thecrowds on a given night can vary from college students to elderlypatrons, but the “teenyboppers” usually find entertainmentelsewhere.
“It really depends on the movie,” she says. “Right now the hotmovie with the college kids is ‘Napoleon Dynamite.'”
D’arensbourg said the theatre does not advertise much, since themoviegoers are largely informed by word of mouth.
Siegen Village 10 has several independent releases slated toshow in the upcoming semester, including “Head In The Clouds,” aromance epic starring Charlize Theron, “Garden State,” written anddirected by “Scrubs” star Zach Braff, and “The Motorcyle Diaries,”which chronicles the early life of revolutionist Che Guevara.
But just because it is an independent film, does not always meanit is five star cinema.
“Movie theatre employees are some of the toughest critics,”Howell said. “We get to see all the movies for free.”