Experience Medicine Hat: Monarch Documentary

Hey girl, I'm not just a good time, I'm a full page in this year's "experience Medicine Hat" travel guide lol (see the original post on @editingluke). My thanks to the team at Tourism Medicine Hat for the feature and interview about my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You in the 2024 issue of the new Medicine Hat guide out this long weekend. 

I know what you're thinking, "Luke, you've barely talked about this documentary - it's about time!" I couldn't agree more lol. Seriously though, it was fun to share a small part of this story and to help further promote the Monarch Theatre. The next time you're in Medicine Hat, Alberta come and see Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre for yourself.

 

Front Page News: Your Cinema Needs You

Yesterday I got a text from my mom, and she goes, "I saw you on the front page of today's paper. You really are a big deal." Just totally glossing over the fact that I've been telling her what a big deal I am since at least 2002. 

In all seriousness, I did a quick interview over the phone earlier this week about the final shows of "Your Cinema Needs You" and had no idea it would be front page news. It's as good a time as any to say thank you again to all of the local journalists who have covered the progress of this documentary from the first days of the production to the premiere shows to this festival run. Not only is it fun to share the excitement, but it's played a huge roll in getting this story to spread outside of Medicine Hat, which was always the intended goal. 

We've been fortunate to see a few of these stories about the doc get picked up nationally over the last 3 years, but to be honest, having the movie make the front page locally just seems so undeniably wholesome. You can read the full story here.

If I haven't said it enough, thank you for all of the support! 

You can grab movie tickets for the finale screenings of Your Cinema Needs You at the Monarch Theatre from May 30 to June 2 here.

International Film Festival Tour in Hong Kong

Your Cinema Needs You, my documentary about Medicine Hat's Monarch Theatre, has made it to the Hong Kong Indie Film Festival as part of its ongoing international festival tour. This marks the 15th official selection that the documentary has picked up to date, and the 9th country that the film has screened in since the premiere wrapped back in mid-February.

In addition to the selection, Your Cinema Needs You has progressed into awards contention with the news that it has been chosen as a semi-finalist. While much of this festival run has been surprising, this news from the Hong Kong Indie Film Festival was particularly unexpected. It's amazing how this story has continued to resonate with audiences overseas. 

 

Finale Screenings of the Monarch Documentary

CLICK HERE to purchase movie tickets for "Your Cinema Needs You" at the Monarch Theatre playing May 30th through June 2nd. Evening and matinee shows now available!

After more than 2 years in production, a sold out premiere run, and an ongoing international film festival tour through 2024, the feature-length documentary about one of Canada's most underrated cinematic landmarks is returning to the cinema at the heart of this story, the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. 

The finale screenings will mark the conclusion of this multi-year project, and are an exclusive opportunity to return to the Monarch Theatre, experience the largely untold history of one of Canada's last surviving cinemas of the silent era from within its auditorium, and be among the first audiences to see "Your Cinema Needs You" while it's still only available in select theatres as part of its international film festival tour. 

Directed by Luke Fandrich, the 2 hour and 15 minute documentary traces the origins of the Monarch Theatre, the rise and fall of its direct competitors, and the cinema's evolution over 112+ years since it first opened its doors on December 21, 1911. "Your Cinema Needs You" features newly uncovered images, artifacts, and exclusive interviews from individuals spanning the Monarch's history, including former usherettes, managers, projectionists, moviegoers, and more! 

Book your tickets now to experience the start of the Monarch Theatre's next chapter.

Monarch Theatre: Taking Her Back to 1941

With the Monarch Theatre now wrapped in scaffolding and "Editing Luke was here" still up on the marquee from the premiere shows of "Your Cinema Needs You", I couldn't have come up with a better visual to demonstrate just how much has been willed into action over the last 3 years in a story about saving a movie theatre. 

With "Your Cinema Needs You" now returning to the Monarch Theatre for the final time on May 30 through June 2, people are understandably asking me, "do you really think you can sell more tickets after the 11 sold out shows of the premiere run?" 

Honest answer? I don't know lol. I have no idea how many people may still be interested, if we can get people to come see it again, or if any of the international film festival success will translate into views in the Hat ... but, I can tell you exactly why we're doing it. 

(1.) The success of the documentary is as good for the Monarch Theatre, as the Monarch Theatre's success is good for the documentary. If running a few more shows helps to further fund the ongoing restoration at the Monarch, the closer we get to regular screenings returning and the preservation of this heritage site and landmark in the long run. 

That was always the point of holding out to have this documentary premiere and reopen the Monarch to begin with - to emphasize the value in saving it. People who are now watching the movie at film festivals are just as curious to see how the cinema is succeeding after the fact and one final run of shows is ultimately the narrative bookend that ties all of this effort together. Put simply, it didn't feel right to have the film travel the world and then not bring it back to the cinema that it was about while it was now actively being saved.

 

(2.) As I'm looking to turn the page on this experience and move on to my next project, I have an idea for a brand new documentary that I'd like to try and develop. Instead of crowd-funding or asking for donations, I'll be using my portion of the revenue from these finale screenings of "Your Cinema Needs You" to directly fund a new proposal. So, if you'd like to see another story about an unexplored chapter of Alberta history in the future (which this new idea is), buying a ticket for this finale will go a long way in making that happen. 

So, think about it? 

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 8.

Is the Documentary Coming Back to the Monarch?

We're going to end this story where it all began.

Since the premiere screenings of Your Cinema Needs You ended at Medicine Hat's Monarch Theatre in mid-February, this feature-length documentary about Canada's oldest surviving cinema has been on a surprisingly successful international film festival tour. 

From Los Angeles to Tokyo to Stockholm, Your Cinema Needs You has picked up over a dozen official selections, nominations, and screenings across 8 countries (to date). With this tour only 50% complete and now expected to run into the summer we began to discuss what we could do back home to keep this momentum going? 

The Monarch 1911 Society is now deep in renovations and the documentary's screening schedule / release plans are only getting more complicated, but we found a window that will work. From May 30 to June 2, Your Cinema Needs You will return to the Monarch Theatre for its final local shows to celebrate this international run and to mark the end of this insane ride that began in June 2021. 

Tickets (which will include evening and matinee shows) will go on sale this Wednesday, May 8. 

Full details to release this week on this site.

Shooting New York City on (Expired) 35mm

This old Minolta may not look like much, but it was the only camera my parents used to capture my childhood. Needless to say, I don't think it had taken a single picture in over 20 years.

So, I thoroughly cleaned it, I found some very expired 35mm rolls of Kodak Gold, and I put it in my bag to capture some snapshots on my latest round of travel shoots in New York City.

Despite discovering the auto focus meter no longer worked and a little bit of bleed on the film, overall I was just pleased the experiment worked. Here's some of what developed.

Your Cinema Needs You In Tokyo, Japan

The latest official selection on the spring film festival run for my documentary, Your Cinema Needs You was received this past weekend. The feature documentary about the Monarch Theatre, Canada's oldest surviving cinema, is off to Tokyo, Japan where it has been accepted as part of the Lift-Off series - a collaborative, international festival that takes place in various cities around the world. This edition in Tokyo was my first submission to this film festival series, but I'm excited to see how the film performs with a new international audience. 

More updates to come as Your Cinema Needs You continues its festival tour.

Festival Nomination: Art Film Spirit Awards

I'm happy to share that while I've been away on my recent travel shoots, "Your Cinema Needs You" picked up another festival nomination on its ongoing film festival world tour. The feature was nominated for Best Documentary at the Art Film Spirit Awards in partnership with Toronto Film Magazine last week, and as you'd imagine, I'm thrilled that the movie has been gaining momentum since this festival run kicked off last month.

Knowing I have a lot of creatives and aspiring filmmakers in my audience, however, I'd also like to share that I received 3 new festival rejections last week too. This isn't unusual. This is what this process looks like. In the same week as you're being grouped in with the "best of" you can simultaneously find that you're "not the right fit" somewhere else. 

I mention this, not only because I think it's good advice, but because I'm still living by the same lessons that I picked up when I was a film student. Making movies is hard. Celebrate your successes. And at the end of the day, trying to achieve something is still more fulfilling than not doing something because you're afraid to fail. I've failed a lot on this documentary, and by all accounts, it's going pretty well!

Thank you all for the ongoing support as the ride continues!

Finding the Oldest Cinema in New York City

Your Cinema Needs You has made it to NYC where I've been in ongoing discussions about further festival placements and screenings for the documentary this year. Fingers crossed. 

A few meetings aren't much of a storyline though, so I made my way to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to search out what is believed to be the oldest, surviving, purpose-built cinema remaining in all 5 boroughs of New York City.

This is the Alpine Cinema, originally the Loew's Alpine built in 1921.

The Alpine is a rare holdout in a city that has demolished some incredible structures. And, despite numerous older live theatre venues which have survived, there are but a few relics from the silent era of movies still standing in New York City today. 

It's one more thing that makes the documentary about the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta special. The Monarch Theatre (built in 1911) has the oldest surviving New York City cinema beat by a full decade, and needless to say, New York had a bit of a leg up with hundreds and hundreds of cinemas built here over the last century.

It makes you realize that cinemas like the Alpine and the Monarch really are diamonds in the rough. Also, I've become a bit hooked on visiting them in person.

New Art Installation: Coming Soon!

Hey, folks! I've been keeping a little secret. I've got a free public exhibition featuring my "Hometown Series" going up in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta this month. You won't even have to get out of your car to catch a glimpse of it. Stay tuned for the reveal as the installation is completed over the next week or two.

Official Selections & A Best Director Nomination

Today happens to be my birthday, and while this would be reason enough to celebrate on any other year, this birthday already feels different because some incredibly positive news about my documentary on the Monarch Theatre has started rolling in over the last few weeks. 

With the spring film festival season only just beginning, notifications of the very first official selections for "Your Cinema Needs You" started showing up in my inbox a couple weeks ago. Previews of the documentary this month brought the story about Canada's oldest surviving cinema to Lisbon, Los Angeles, Dresden, Stockholm, Chicago, and Berlin. If that wasn't enough, I just found out this week that, "Your Cinema Needs You" was shortlisted for two Best Documentary awards, and received a festival nomination for Best Director in the feature documentary category. My chances of winning are slim, but still, a pleasure to be nominated and all that jazz.

On my birthday last year (and for much of 2023) I was deep in post-production and I posted frequently about if this movie was ever going to be finished, if I was going to get the ending I'd been holding out for, if the premiere would actually happen, and if the Monarch Theatre would finally reopen. Honestly, it would've saved me so much stress if I could've predicted that any of this would've worked out quite so well. 

I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a lot more exciting stories to share this year, so let me just say thank you again! Thank you to everyone who was involved in making this, who supported this multi-year project, who contributed to it, who attended the screenings, etc. etc. It's so awesome to see this through so many fresh eyes and to even have to opportunity to share this experience with you. 

What a great day to have cake in the house lol.

Monarch Documentary: Spring Film Festival Run

A month has passed since "Your Cinema Needs You", my feature-length documentary about Canada's oldest surviving movie theatre, ended its 11-screening sold-out premiere run at Medicine Hat's historic Monarch Theatre. 

Since then, I've been relatively quiet about what's been happening behind the scenes, but with submissions stretching back to January, I'm happy to report that the spring film festival run officially kicked off this week with the first international previews of the documentary taking place in Portugal and Sweden. It seems the feedback was accurate. You don't have to know anything about the Monarch Theatre to recognize countless other cinemas in it, even if they happen to be on the other side of an ocean. 

As an added knock-on effect I've already received several requests from other independent cinemas & film societies across Canada interested in screening the film. It's all promising. Word is spreading and much of it outside of my involvement. 

Because this has been popping up in my inbox a lot too, once we actually get some lasting spring weather in Medicine Hat I think we'll look at potentially running a few more shows at the Monarch Theatre again (if it works within the film festival schedules / rules). That just seems like the place to celebrate this and further support the cinema. Long story short, this is going pretty well so far.

And Just Like That, 10 Years

I had to go on a deep-dive to find this "year one" Editing Luke t-shirt again, but a milestone like this requires the right attire.

At the end of February 2014, now a full decade ago, I doubled down on this crazy side hustle I had started while in film school and finally decided to make this indie production company, "Editing Luke" my full-time career. If you've enjoyed any of the content I've shared over the last 10 years, the photo essays, art prints, behind the scenes exploration, the hometown series, travel campaigns, documentaries, etc. 99% of it leads back to this decision.

And let me be clear, no one is more surprised that this has worked than me. This was not an overnight success. But, the decision to fully pursue this path in those early years has changed my life immeasurably - this last year alone has proven that in at least 10 different ways.

So, here's to 10 years!

Thank you for sharing this unpredictable journey with me. Thank you for engaging back. Thank you for supporting all of these random creative endeavours and making this such an incredibly fun decade (even when it sometimes wasn't). I owe you more than you realize for the support you've shown me.

Ok, back to the teepee and sunrise pics lol.

Monarch Theatre and the "Cinderella Bag"

In making the Monarch Theatre documentary, Your Cinema Needs You, there were obviously a lot of random things that I found that didn't make the final cut. There were also some entertaining cross promotions that unsurprisingly went out of fashion relatively quickly.

One such promotion that I found particularly funny was this one from 1957.

A local dry-cleaner was advertising the re-release of Disney's Cinderella and asked children to wear their "costume bags" to the cinema - essentially encouraging children to put dry-cleaner's bags over their heads to dress-up for the show. Shockingly, I couldn't find any examples of this "costume bag" promo ever running again, but just imagine how funny it would've been to see that theatre full of saran-wrapped children.

Monarch Documentary: Vintage Movie Listings

For the final screenings of Your Cinema Needs You at the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta, I thought I'd create a page of vintage movie listings to keep these promos on theme.

 

Documentary's Success Pushing Need For More Shows

The February screenings of Your Cinema Needs You at the Monarch Theatre next month will officially mark the end of the debut run of this feature-length documentary in Medicine Hat.

What was originally envisioned as a single premiere night grew into 11 screenings, the last 4 of which will take place at 7 PM on February 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. Any way you slice it, the success of this debut has created a new chapter in the history books for the Monarch Theatre, and has setup the introduction of Canada's oldest, surviving, purpose-built movie theatre for a national audience as the details for the wide release are organized for later this year.

I just wanted to once again express my thanks and heartfelt gratitude for all of the support you've shown me, my crew, this film, and the Monarch Theatre over the last few weeks. This feels like an ending and a new beginning all at once, and I'm excited to see what happens next.

Please join us for these final shows (in what I'm referring to as "the encore of the encore screenings") in the very building where it all unfolded. Full details and tickets here.

My thanks to the Medicine Hat News for the front page coverage of the the premiere of Your Cinema Needs You at the Monarch Theatre in yesterday's paper. Full story here.

Finding Vintage Pictures of the Monarch Theatre

Following the sold out premiere screenings of "Your Cinema Needs You", my new feature-length documentary about the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta, new vintage images of the cinema at this centre of this story have been found. Deb Yates, the daughter of former mid-century Monarch manager Fred Tickell, attended one of the premiere screenings and uncovered some previously unseen images from her family album.

I returned to the Monarch Theatre to directly compare some of these shots showcasing the candy counter full of Canadian-made Neilson chocolate bars, an Orange Crush display in the lobby, the mid-century seats inside the theatre, Fred Tickell walking down the street, and people dressed in their Stampede best waiting for the parade out front of the cinema.

Seeing material like this emerge after so many decades has been one of the joys of creating this documentary. More than half of the material that appears in the film was discovered through individuals just like this. So, when I have emphasized over the course of production that this is what elevated the story, this is exactly what I mean. You're getting glimpses into so many details that had never been released to the public before.

If you have the opportunity, you should come and experience this story from within the cinema where it all takes place. New screenings have been added at 7 PM on February 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. Movie tickets for the Monarch documentary available here.