For lovers of independent films, Salt Lake City offers two choices: The Tower Theatre, operated by the Salt Lake Film Society, or the Broadway Centre Cinema, operated by - the Salt Lake Film Society.

Though the organization may be a little mixed up in their spelling of "theater" and "center," the group has the foreign, art and independent film market cornered.

Besides the 50 or so members that make up the society, the group has won fans all over Utah by presenting the first-run films that the megaplexes shun. And moviegoers don't have to wait in line, don't have to sit through a half hour of previews, don't have to worry about a show selling out.

The two-year history of the film society is marked by rapid growth, dogged effort, and, depending on your perspective, ruthless competition.

The protagonist is Brooke Harper, a University of Utah grad who studied chemistry and biology in school, but found her calling in presenting art films to the Salt Lake masses.

"It's something I sort of stumbled on," she said. "I wanted to be much more involved in the humanities."

Harper discovered her mission when she was hired as general manager of the Tower Theatre. The theater is now run by the film society, and was the first venue used by the fledgling group.

Tax information filed in 2001 by the not-for-profit film society shows Harper putting in 50-hour weeks on average, and pulling in a meager $6,400 for her efforts.

Though more recent tax information is not yet available, this paints an interesting picture of Harper, whose group seems to have the Midas touch in a field where others are failing.

In fact, it seems everything but megaplexes and Harper's theaters are going bust. The historic Villa Theatre on Highland Drive closed its doors in February after about 50 years of operation, made obsolete by the modern stadium-style theaters.

The film society's predecessor in the Broadway Centre couldn't make a go of either art films or second-runs, and ended up behind on rent, which allowed the venue to fall under Harper's control. (see sidebar)

In fact, the theater has a rocky history of takeovers. The theater was operated originally by Ciniplex Odeon before that company went bust. Next up to bat was Consolidated Starship, who had little more success. Broadway Centre Stage group came in during the summer of 2002 and changed the theater into an art house, but still had trouble making ends meet.

Yet Harper's group doesn't seem plagued by the financial woes that beset the earlier tenants. The film society recently sprang for new Dolby Digital sound in four of the six screening rooms at the theater.

The tax return from 2001 shows the society had a revenue of nearly $160,000, with expenses around $150,000. But remember that in 2001, the society had only one movie screen. It now has seven screens, a downtown movie theater, and a bright future.

Harper attributes the lack of success of previous enterprises to a lack of art film experience.

"Operating an art house theater is a completely different enterprise and we have a lot of experience running an art house theater from the Tower Theatre," she said. "You have to be creative with finances, make every dollar go as far as possible, and people who traditionally work with Hollywood cinema don't know how to do that."

Besides cutting down spending, Harper is also a master at bringing in money from lots of sources.

The film society is a 501(c), meaning it has tax-exempt status. It also collects dues from its members, on a tier system similar to opera and symphony guilds. The members get benefits like Sundance Film Festival pre-screenings and discounts on admission.

The society collects from a video rental service operated in conjunction with the Tower Theatre. The videos available for rent are in most cases foreign or art rarities available only through the society.

Ticket revenue is the bulk of the society's income. The two theaters charge similar admission to a multi- plex: $4 through $4.50 for matinees, and $6.50 through $7 for nighttime movies. Harper puts yearly attendance at more than 100,000.

The society is also supported by a grant from the Salt Lake City Arts Council. The grant is not more than $10,000 (the highest grant awarded), but every little bit helps, as Harper well knows.

The revenues pulled in from the various sources are augmented by the fact that an art movie house can be run for a lot less money than a megaplex.

Harper, who does the movie selection herself, knows firsthand that "Rabbit-Proof Fence" is a lot cheaper to show than the summer blockbusters that pull in huge crowds but ask for a big chunk of money.

And sometimes, going the cheaper way pays off. The film society hits it big occasionally with movies rejected by the big theaters that turn out to be big sellers. "The Pianist" was shown at the Broadway before all the Oscar hype, back when Adrienne Brody was just some guy who did art films.

Likewise with "Amelie," and other foreign films the big guys pick up after the movies prove their worth in theaters like the Broadway.

In fact, when looking at the programming at the Broadway and the Tower, one can see quite a few standouts. Once again, credit goes to Harper, who goes on "recruiting missions" to find her films.

Harper and two of her staff alternate traveling around the country to film festivals and premiers to find the perfect films for their theater.

One of her sidekicks is Andik Wijaya, a University of Utah film student from China who serves as the face of the Broadway. If you've bought a movie ticket at the theater, it was probably Wijaya that handed it to you.

Since meeting Harper when both worked at the Tower Theatre under its previous owners, Wijaya has become Harper's sidekick, helping her scour film festivals to search for the perfect movie.

Just because a film is shown at a festival doesn't give it credibility, though.

"In my humble opinion, there are lots of bad movies shown at festivals," Harper said.

Awards don't count much with her, either. Harper looks for movies purely by merit, and has had some success predicting the standouts.

Wijaya said he had 600 people in the theater recently to check out the new film "Whale Rider."

"There are a lot of familiar faces here," Wijaya said.

He spoke of one couple who comes to see every movie the Broadway shows, and attributes that loyalty to the careful selection process a film must pass.

One problem with the society's strategy for success: if you live south of Point of the Mountain, you very likely haven't heard of the Broadway Centre Cinema or the Tower Theatre.

Harper explained that the advertising done by the society is done in the Deseret Morning News and the Salt Lake Tribune, and isn't geared towards film fans down south.

In fact, Harper said she is skeptical about whether or not BYU has enough people interested in art film to make advertising in Utah County worth the money.

Whether or not Utah County is included in Harper's plans to bring art films to the world, she has certainly changed the dynamic of the Salt Lake City art scene.



Copyright Brigham Young University 5 Sep 2003