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    America’s Greatest Films Come to The Drexel

    The Drexel Theatre starts its New Year’s resolution early. Richard Stoff, Chairman of Friends of the Drexel — the nonprofit organization behind the historic Bexley cinema – just wants to say thanks.

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    After years of renovations – from roof to restrooms, seating to digital sound and more – the Drexel Theatre wants to thank all its friends for their patience, participation and support, Stoff says. They’ll show their gratitude with a new series – America’s Greatest Films.

    “We have broken our backs over the last five, six, seven years to restore our beloved theater on Main Street in Bexley,” says Stoff. “There were so many community partners involved in the restoration of the theater. It was the whole community’s doing, so this was our way of saying thank you. This is our give-back to the community.”

    The first Tuesday of every month – beginning this Tuesday, December 6 – the Drexel will screen one selection from the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American films, free of charge.

    Stoff credits his wife, Friends of the Drexel Vice Chair Carol Zelizer Stoff, with the idea.

    “Carol’s notion was, we’re in the business of film. What can we give back to the community? What are the most iconic, precious, acclaimed films in America?” he says. “And you don’t have to go very far. You can go to the AFI website and they list the 100 top films – not by box office, but the 100 most beloved or acclaimed films in America.”

    To curate the list – culling 13 from the full set – Stoff enlisted some helpers. These included Bill Conner, late President and CEO of CAPA, lost earlier this year to cancer at the age of 64.

    “This was the last thing I worked on with Bill,” Stoff says. “He loved working on this.”

    Also working to curate the series was Kenyan University film professor Jonathan Sherman, who’ll accompany each movie with an introduction and post-screening Q&A.

    “We put our heads together and thought, what are the first twelve or so movies we should show in the first year?” Stoff says. “We wanted some variety. And then of course the classics from Citizen Kane to Casablanca, and then some really fun films, and some ‘thinking’ films, like Do the Right Thing from Spike Lee – that was his masterpiece.”

    While the film series is free to the public, the Drexel did face some out-of-pocket expenses for the project.

    “We had to pay movie rights to show these films, so we feel very grateful that PNC has underwritten the entire series,” Stoff says.

    America’s Greatest Films is programmed through the end of 2017, but Friends of the Drexel have a longer series in mind.

    “Our hope is that, for years to come, we’ll continue this until we’ve shown the whole list,” he says.

    Stoff says it’s a program that celebrates film, the cinema and the community.

    “It’s one thing to see these films on TV, but it’s another thing to see them on the big screen, and yet another thing to see them with your friends and your neighbors,” he says. “And at the end of the day, the Drexel provides that unique, unparalleled, intimate neighborhood film-going experience that you do not get at the multiplexes. We thought this was the best way to say thank you to the movie theater and the community.”

    Full line-up:

    • Casablanca (1942), December 6
    • The Philadelphia Story (1940), January 3
    • The French Connection (1971), February 7
    • The Apartment (1960), March 7
    • Schindler’s List (1993), April 4
    • Annie Hall (1977), May 2
    • Rear Window (1954), June 6
    • West Side Story (1961), July 11
    • Midnight Cowboy (1969), August 1
    • Some Like It Hot (1959), September 5
    • Do the Right Thing (1989), October 3
    • Double Indemnity (1944), November 7
    • Citizen Kane (1941), December 5

    Screenings are held the first Tuesday of every month at the Drexel Theatre (2254 E. Main St.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. First come, first served. Admission is free.

    For more information, visit www.drexel.net.

    Read more from Hope at MADDWOLF.

    Looking for more film events in Columbus? CLICK HERE to visit our Events Calendar.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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