Tampa Film Fan

faq:looking for local screenings of classic, older movies

Dear Tampa Film Fan:

I am a fan of strictly older films, all kinds.  Is there a particular site or location that will keep me posted about older films being shown (whether film societies or clubs, museums, libraries, etc.)?  I have been going to the Tampa Theatre for quite a while and have recently come across the Beach Theatre, but it has been extremely difficult finding theatres or groups that show older films.  I did come across the Sarasota Film Festival, and they seem to show some old films, but I’m not sure if this is through the entire year.  I know there are a couple of theaters in Orlando and Ocala, but that is very far to go, unless it is some real special event.  I am originally from a large city that has numerous film revival theaters.  I am very happy to have the Tampa, and now Beach, theaters, but am always looking for classic movie screenings. I have little to no interest in current films.  Many of the films I see on the big screen I either have seen on Turner Classic Movies or I own on tape or DVD.  But I do miss the event of going to see film on the big screen.  Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Dear Reader:

I don’t know of any one site that will give you this information. I try to keep the event calendar here at TFF as updated as possible, but it’s not limited to any particular film genre. Here are a few suggestions you might be interested in:

(1) The Tampa Theatre and the Beach Theatre are the main local theaters that show older movies on a regular basis, but there are special events at other local theaters every once in a while (like the recent screening of a classic Star Trek episode). You might want to use a site like http://tampa.mrmovietimes.com, where you can search for theaters near a certain zip code and easily check their screening schedules.

(2) There are many film festivals in the Tampa Bay area, but the majority of them don’t show classic films on a regular basis. There are a few exceptions, however, that I think you’ll be interested in: (a) the Film Noir Festival, a week-long retrospective of infamous and not-so-famous examples of film noir held at The Studio(at)620 in St. Pete in February/March (www.thestudioat620.com); (b) Cinema Italiano, a one- or two-day film fest of classic Italian movies, part of the annual Festa Italiana in March/April (www.festaitalianatampa.com).

(3) Eckerd College has a film series called the International Cinema Series on Friday nights (during the school semester) that screens a mixture of older and newer foreign films (www.eckerd.edu, search for “cinema”).

(4) Local libraries offer a variety of classic film screenings: some weekly, some monthly and occasionally a “special event” screening. Most libraries list their events on their websites and in monthly/quarterly newsletters available at each of their branch locations.

Hope this helps.

Local film fans — Please let me know what else should be listed here. Post a comment with your answers to this question.

(This post has been added to the FAQ page.)