Building on the Manor Theatre's legacy
Two years after its founding, Charlotte's Independent Picture House is planning an expansion
The following article appeared in the September 16, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Q&A: Brad Ritter of the Independent Picture House says his time at Charlotte’s longtime arthouse theater made him realize the importance of community-building
For nearly two decades, the arthouse Manor Theatre was more than just a job for Brad Ritter — it was home, he says. He was hired in 1993 as a screen projectionist and eventually became general manager.
But a series of buyouts from large theater chains and a global pandemic forced the Manor Theatre to close its doors in 2020 after 73 years in business. For the first time in decades, Charlotte was without an independent cinema.
The need for an arthouse theater in the community was still there, Ritter says, so he and the nonprofit Charlotte Film Society got to work. They raised money for the Independent Picture House, which opened two years ago on Raleigh Street near NoDa.
The support has been overwhelming, Ritter says — so much so, the nonprofit is planning an expansion. The theater announced in May that it is adding a fourth theater and a large area for community events, discussions, educational programs and other artistic functions.
Ritter was the guest on a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, where he talked with host Steve Dunn about the founding and growth of the Independent Picture House, his journey to the independent film industry and how the Charlotte movie theater has found success in an industry dominated by large national chains. Ritter also shared his view on movies — including his contrarian take on film soundtracks and “Star Wars” composer John Williams.
The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. You can listen to the full discussion on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.
Q. You are the executive director of the Independent Picture House, and it’s the spiritual heir of the Manor Theatre, where you started your career in independent film as a projectionist hired in 1993. You eventually rose to become the general manager of that theater. What was it like being there for so long?
It was my home. One thing I take great pride in is we had a very loyal staff. We were like a family. Starting out, it was owned by a local small theater chain called Eastern Federal, and it was a mom-and-pop-type theater chain. And I could literally get in my car, go over to East Boulevard and talk to the film buyer, talk to the president of the company, and it was really cool. That's how I fell in love with art film.
And then back in 2005, they sold the chain to Regal Entertainment Group out of Knoxville, Tenn. We were afraid of that change, but it went fine. It wasn’t the same, but I think they treated a little two-screen art house in Charlotte, North Carolina, with respect.
Then, Regal Entertainment Group got bought out by Cineworld out of the U.K., and that's when things started kind of veering off. They really didn’t care about a two-screen art house in Charlotte, and again, we had very, very loyal people coming to see movies all the time. That is what kept us motivated — the community and the support that we got from that.
Q. Well, and let it be known, if you visit the Independent Picture House today, you can have popcorn…
The very best popcorn…
Q. …in the very same popcorn maker from the Manor Theatre. This is only one of the many ways in which the DNA of the Manor Theatre runs through the Independent Picture House. There's a lens for one of the projectors that's embedded in the wall, and I'm sure there's other things, but the spirit and the mission of the Manor is part of what carries through. But at the same time, you've expanded the offering.
We do so much more than what the Manor would have done. Again, it was owned by a corporation, the second-largest theater chain. They’re asking us on Monday morning, “How much popcorn did you sell? How many tickets did you sell? Why did you issue five refunds?” And we knew opening the Independent Picture House, being a nonprofit, that priority No. 1 was to work with the community, work with other nonprofits, work with other organizations and individuals.
At the Manor, we knew there was a demand for affordable space to rent out for the local filmmakers to show their films. [Independent Picture House] dabbles in live music. We had somebody, a local musician, do an album release party where he did music videos for all the songs on it. We do host town halls and all kinds of different things, but part of it is giving back to the community. Every dollar you spend on that popcorn stays in Charlotte and goes back into the programming and running the organization.
Q. What do you think the future holds for the Independent Picture House for you?
We’re expanding. I would never have thought when we opened, two years in that we would already be looking to expand, but it just shows the support of the community.
Q. How have you done it? It looks like such a remarkable and spectacular success and the amount of funding that was required to make this happen.
Great support. When we first looked to do this project, opening the Independent Picture House, we had to blow up a lot of things: the financial model, the board. The growth, I’m humbled by how well it's done. When we first fundraised, we raised $750,000 in about a year and a half. In order to get this expansion, we’re fundraising, we’re looking at roughly $725,000 in about eight months, so it’s going extremely well. We’re at 75% of our goal.
Q. You've been in the independent film business for quite a while. I'll venture a guess that you were a film buff before that, and I wonder if there was a moment you recall a film that you watched that made you realize film was great entertainment?
It was probably back in college, around 1988. I was at school, and a bunch of college friends went to see David Cronenberg's “Dead Ringers.” And I just remember all of us just being blown away. By the time the film was over, we were literally exhausted. I believe it was a Saturday, and it was hard to get the momentum to go out that night and have a beer. That was one of the things that turned me on to film, was just how immersive you can get into a film and come away with those types of feelings.
Q. One of the things I've noticed is that a lot of the best-known composers of our time, a significant part of what they do is film soundtracks. As an example, John Williams has added immensely to an incredible number of films with his compositions, including “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” and “Home Alone.”
I may get myself in trouble here, but I am not a big John Williams fan. I don't think it's him, but I think music can be abused in a film. I mean, I find a lot of times music tries too hard to push you in a direction it wants you to go. I think John Williams — and he collaborates a lot with Steven Spielberg — I think the music can be overdone, and I don’t like that in a soundtrack.
Q. Well, it has to serve the film, right? First of all, the guy is, love him or hate him, he's done a lot and he has a gift for a hook … A film like “Indiana Jones” with its iconic cadences would not be in service of a quiet, reflective art film, right? But in service of “Indiana Jones,” heroic and exciting, it may work better.
I think for action films that's totally fine. But, well, like in “Jaws,” for example, every time [the theme song] plays, it tells you, “Oh, here comes the shark.” It just kind of gives things away.
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The Charlotte Ledger has a podcast, and you can listen to the full conversation about independent cinema in Charlotte
Our recent reader survey revealed that 36% of those responding didn’t know that we have a weekly podcast … so we’re telling you now!
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast features conversations on local topics including business, nonprofits, education and more. It’s available on major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
You can check out the full interview with Brad Ritter of the Independent Picture House … and about 100 other thought-provoking interviews.
This podcast episode is sponsored by HopeWay, which is delving into the topic of mental resilience with a talk Wednesday (Sept. 18) by acclaimed Olympic athlete, bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker Alexi Pappas. Details here.
Related Ledger articles:
“Independent Picture House to expand with 4th theater and new event space” (May 22)
“Behind the scenes at Charlotte's new arthouse movie theater” (Oct. 12, 2022)
Editor’s note: The Ledger is teaming up with the Independent Picture House for “The Critic’s Eye” film series featuring talkbacks with Charlotte critic Lawrence Toppman. The final film in the series is “There Will Be Blood” on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. The series is presented in partnership with the Independent Picture House, the Charlotte Ledger and CXN Advisory.
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