Big screen actors Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams are headed to Baton Rouge – but they won’t be making a personal appearance. The duo will star in Manship Theatre’s latest first-run indie film, “Take This Waltz,” a story that explores the complexity of long-term relationships and encroaching temptation. The film will premiere on Aug. 24 and run until Aug. 25. Rogen and Williams will play a stable, happily married couple stripped of domestic bliss when William’s character finds herself torn between loyalty and self-fulfillment. Jason Langlois, film programmer for Manship Theatre, said the film was chosen for its relatable themes and intense scenography. He said the theater often looks for Louisiana-made indie movies, but the film’s Toronto backdrop added a unique flair. “The movie itself just looks great,” Langlois said. “It’s shot as part of a Toronto summer and all the film just looks really cool. It’s really yellow.” “Take This Waltz,” made by Oscar-nominated actress and filmmaker Sara Polley, is only the beginning for indie films in the city, Langlois said. Since partnering with Emerging Cinema, a digital distributor of independent films, Langlois said the theater plans to show multiple screenings of at least two first-run indie, foreign or documentary films every week this year. “We’re a big enough city, and we deserve to have a little more variety in film,” he said. Langlois said Amy Mitchell-Smith, Manship film curator, scours film festivals across the country to find a variety of works that will cater to a Red Stick audience. He said the theater strives to get the most current indie films before they reach DVD or Netflix. Although “Take This Waltz” tackles more lighthearted themes, Langlois said other films will not follow suit. Each film will vary, he said, some being “culture significant” and others being “gory” or “weird.” “Mainstream films kind of follow the rules, but indie films don’t have to,” he said. Gabrielle Favret, mass communication junior, said she’s excited about the indie film screenings since there is no other venue in Baton Rouge for the genre. “There have been movies that I really wanted to see but they were only showing back in Houston or New Orleans,” Favret said. Favret said she thinks the community will respond well to the enchantment of culture these films bring. But for those who are not interested in indie films, the Manship also screens cult and family classics. Langlois said the theater aims to not only screen these type of movies, but to provide an experience. The theater offers $25 catered dinner-and-a-movie packages for some films, and for others, like the 1998 classic “Big Lebowski,” a film-themed activity like Wii Tournament Bowling. Patrons can also drink in the theater. Langlois said the non-profit entertainment complex’s main goal is to provide a different entertainment experience to local residents. “The end result is to expose Baton Rouge to as much fresh entertainment as we could possibly get our hands on,” he said. The theater has had six movie screenings this summer, and Langlois said each showing was successful. He said August is fully scheduled for films, but the community should be proactive and connect with Manship on Facebook to choose which upcoming films are shown. “We really want to interact with our audience. It’s not about us telling them what they need to go see, a lot of it’s telling us what they want to see,” he said. Tickets for “Take This Waltz” are $8.50, but students with an I.D. pay $6.50. Non-independent films cost $5.
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