After a successful run in the Dayton area last year, Mike McGraner brings his director series back home with a David Lynch retrospective launching Feb. 9 at the Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse.
McGraner, an Emmy-winner for his longtime role as director of the much-beloved Nite Owl Theatre, thought now was the perfect time to move his Lynch series from Miamisburg to his hometown of Columbus.
“With the start of the new year, I approached Eric (Brembeck, owner of Studio 35) about screening the series,” McGraner said. “We have decided to make the full run of this up to the fans, and response has been great!”
If attendance is strong, the series will continue with monthly screenings of Lynch’s theatrical releases, and McGraner believes Lynch is the perfect choice to help his series take root in Columbus.
“I want to do it for several directors,” McGraner says, but narrowed his focus to Lynch because there are so many of his films that most moviegoers have not seen, certainly not on a big screen.
“I have always loved David Lynch, and I’ve always wanted to see his films in a theater,” McGraner says.
If turnout permits, McGraner won’t cherry-pick the auteur’s most celebrated work, but instead show Lynch’s progression as an artist by exploring every film in the order it was released.
“I thought that seeing the complete work of the director in sequential order would be great,” he says. “It’s kind of a way to look at a person’s career and the choices they made, and watch their technique grow and change.”
The series will also offer plenty of bonus content, promises McGraner, such as film-specific special programs, a look at Lynch’s short films, concert footage and bonus materials leading up to each film’s start time of 11:59 p.m.
Check out David Lynch’s feature film debut, Eraserhead, when the director series begins Saturday, Feb. 9 at Studio 35 (3055 Indianola Ave.). Tickets are just $8.
For tickets and information, visit “thedirectorseries” on Facebook.