36 | APRIL 30 • 2020 “That really resonated with them. ” They enjoyed Israeli cinema, too. Yet the festival he came to coordinate was often the only nearby spot they could find Israeli works. “We weren’ t renting it — VOD didn’ t exist then. And it wasn’ t at Blockbuster, so there was like one week a year you would see these things, ” he said. “ And that became a really big event. ” After coordinating the WJFF, Gardner served as an associate programmer and, eventually, PR and marketing manager at the American Film Institute’ s AFI Silver Theatre, a restored Art Deco space in Silver Spring, Maryland, that he compares to Ann Arbor’ s Michigan Theatre. Over six years there, he programmed Latin American, Caribbean and New African-focused festivals — working, as at the Film Lab, to expose viewers to works and cultural experiences they might not discover on their own. “Doing these deep dives into cinemas from other places around the world really got me interested in engaging local communities, ” he said. “It was a fulfilling experience for us (as programmers) and for them (as viewers) to be able to see themselves represented on screen. ” When Gardner’ s wife, Maya Barak, was offered an academ- ic position at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2016, they relocated to Metro Detroit. Not long after, he founded the nonprofit Cinema Lamont, which organized fes- tivals and world cinema pop- up events around the area. The entity’ s stated mission: “To foster cross-cultural under- standing through the power of world cinema. ” Spaces like Hamtramck’ s Oloman Cafe, Eastern Market’ s Trinosophes café and the restored Schvitz bathhouse in Detroit’ s North End all played host to thoughtfully curated screenings, as did more tradi- tional theaters like the Senate Theater and Cinema Detroit. The Schvitz, for instance, played the 2007 mob film Eastern Promises, notorious for a lengthy bathhouse fight scene; Southwest Detroit’ s Pizzaplex showed low-budget spaghetti Westerns. A FILMSTRIP PARTNERSHIP In 2017, Cinema Lamont won a grant from the Knight Foundation for Cine Mexico Now, a film festival first host- ed at Cinema Detroit. At the continued on page 38 Virtual Cinema: Supporting Theaters from Home During the COVID-19 outbreak, all movie theaters have closed their doors. So the Film Lab has pivoted to a “virtual cinema.” A slate of current arthouse releases are available for rental as video-on-demand (VOD) pro- gramming options via the the- ater’ s website, thefilmlab.org. The option is available thanks to the theater’ s partnerships with indie distribution compa- nies like Kino Lorber and Film Movement, who are offering the films as VOD rentals in order to support independent cinemas across the country during mass theater shutdowns. Several other local theaters, including the Detroit Film Theatre, Cinema Detroit, the Emagine multiplex chain and the Michigan and State Theatres in Ann Arbor, are also offering virtual cinema options. “It’ s been really fun to be able to offer a wider variety of programming than we normally do because we’ re no longer hin- dered by physical constraints,” Gardner said, noting that a vir- tual cinema could have potential even after the Film Lab reopens. “Obviously, the in-person theatrical experience is the primary way to do things, but perhaps with some of these smaller films and smaller dis- tributors, they’ d be open to an online virtual cinema to continue (their) run for additional weeks, or even potentially films that we didn’ t have the time to run.” Prices and rental periods vary, but most films are $10-$12. Check your favorite theater’ s website for more details. ABOVE: The Film Lab has temporarily shut its doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but still offers virtual screenings. RIGHT: Film Lab co-founder Josh Gardner, who previously programmed the Washington Jewish Film Festival, says he’ s interested in “engaging local communities” through movies. Arts&Life continued from page 35