Arthouse cinema opens Thursday in converted law office on Moana Lane
Editor’s note: The headline of this story has been corrected to reflect that Theater 42 is not the first arthouse cinema in Reno.
A group of young cinephiles who sought to create a new cinema experience in Reno will open their new theater this week.
Theater 42, what founder Austin Lugo calls one of Reno’s first arthouse cinemas, will host its first film screening on Thursday at its new home at 201 W Moana Lane.
The news comes roughly six months after Lugo announced an ambitious project to build a theater with 360-degree cameras throughout the space, allowing viewers from all over the world to watch films and interact with others in the cinema via virtual reality headsets.
To kickstart the project, with initial costs estimated at $5 million, Lugo and his team launched a donation campaign in August with a goal of $100,000, funds to be used for basic startup costs and proof of concept to attract venture capital and angel investors.
But the campaign was canceled after receiving just shy of $2,000 in pledges, prompting the young team to scale down their original vision and, at least temporarily, nix the virtual reality aspect of the experience.
If you build it, they will come
Lugo, a 25-year-old Indianapolis native, told the RGJ that he and his team pooled their entire life savings to rent an old law office on Moana Lane.
With the help of a contractor, Lugo’s team spent the last few months transforming the Moana law office into an intimate 20-seat theater with a screen 12 feet wide and ten feet tall.
“Relative to the space, it looks gigantic,” Lugo said of the screen. “Imagine being consumed by a film, as if you yourself are part of the film. I may be biased here, but it’s an experience not quite like any other.”
Thanks to the layout of the old office, Lugo’s team found space to create a lounge area with books and information about indie movies, and a bar where visitors can purchase sodas, artisan popcorn and candies. Lugo said he hopes the bar will serve alcohol in the near future.
Theater 42 will specialize in screenings of both classic and contemporary “arthouse” movies, typically defined as indie films that don’t have large budgets or distribution.
Each screening will be preceded by a brief talk on the respective film. The films “Playtime” and “The Circus” will be shown as part of Thursday’s double feature. Other films slated for January include “Ivan’s Childhood,” “8 1⁄2” and “400 Blows.” Tickets cost $15.
“Its not about the film, it’s about the experience,” Lugo said. “And that’s what we’re all about. We’re not here to show you the same thing anyone anywhere can see. We’re here to give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Lugo runs a small production company called Life Through Fiction Productions when he isn’t working on Theater 42. He decided to start the project after he moved to Reno and found it lacking arthouse cinemas.
“I’m sure to some it may seem utterly confounding, but dreams aren’t given to you, they’re taken,” Lugo said. “We’ve given everything for this dream. Our time, our money, our blood, our sweat, our tears, but thats what it takes. If it came easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.”