At long last, the video documentary of "Lost Cinemas of Greater Des Moines" is complete!
The film will be available for a FREE special run at the Varsity Theater's Virtual Varsity online site, starting Friday, May 14, 2021 for a two-week run!
Additionally, the Varsity will be providing authentic and delicious Varsity popcorn as a drive-up treat--check their site for details on how to get it!
If you're new to the "Lost Cinemas" film, you're in for a surprising treat-- nearly an hour of amazing footage, pictures, music, and stories about Des Moines' moviegoing past that will surely make you see our town in an entirely new light. If you've seen the festival cuts of "Lost Cinemas" before, you still haven't seen a version like this--the final cut includes new segments about the 1950s drive-in church phenomenon, the gala world premiere of "Night of the Hunter" downtown, and newly-added footage of the Paramount's final destruction in 1979!
So tune in and take a trip back to old Des Moines, and be part of the Varsity Theater's big comeback, through the amazing efforts of Des Moines Film (formerly Des Moines Film Society). Des Moines Film is a nonprofit, working to rehabilitate the Varsity--their goal is part historic preservation, part modernization to make it the best place in Des Moines for serious film lovers to see a movie.
The Varsity is the last of Des Moines' single-screen theaters, and will re-open its auditorium with some extraordinary updates that will make the Varsity experience all the better, so please learn more and support their efforts at: varsitydesmoines.com
And if you still can't get enough of the "Lost Cinemas" experience...stay tuned for news about the deluxe roadshow edition, with many fabulous bonus features, to come later in 2021!
