“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” The opening sentence of George Orwell’s dystopian classic, 1984, is among some of the most famous in modern literature. Almost 70 years after it was first published, Orwell’s book remains hugely poignant, with readers all over the world finding something to relate to in the story.
In 1984, Michael Radford took on the ambitious task of adapting Orwell’s book for the big screen. Though it wasn’t perfect (are book adaptations ever perfect?), a number of factors helped the movie stand out. One such factor was John Hurt’s brilliant portrayal of protagonist, Winston Smith. Hurt’s performance in 1984 ranks up there with some of his best work, so when the British actor passed away earlier this year, there was a great deal of sadness that he wouldn’t be around to witness a previously planned screening of his performance.
On April 4th, dozens of movie theaters across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Sweden, will host a special screening of 1984. Writer and Director Michael Radford has filmed an introduction and post-screening discussion for the event, which will seek to raise money for various local charities selected by each participating movie theater. Those screenings will now be dedicated to John Hurt’s honor.
There is, of course, a political element to these screenings. But, regardless of your views, this represents a brilliant chance to watch a piece of movie history back on the big screen and help raise money for charity in the process.
The number of theaters participating in the screenings is increasing all the time. Below is a state-by-state list of where you can catch the special screenings on April 4th.
ALASKA
Gold Town Theater / Juneau
ALABAMA
Capri Theatre / Montgomery
ARIZONA
Alamo Drafthouse Chandler / Chandler
FilmBar / Phoenix
Loft Cinema / Tucson
CALIFORNIA
Art Theater / Long Beach
Arte Am̩ricas РCasa De La Cultura / Fresno
Alexander Valley Film Society / Cloverdale
Arena Theater / Point Arena
Balboa Theater / San Francisco
The Cinefamily / Los Angeles
Davis Varsity / Davis
Digital Gym Cinema / San Diego
El Rey Theater Alliance / Chico
Empress Theatre / Vallejo
The Frida Cinema / Santa Ana
Lark Theater / Larkspur
The Miniplex / Arcata
Osio Theater / Monterey
Palm Cinema / San Luis Obispo
Santa Monica Public Library / Santa Monica
The State Theatre / Modesto
New Parkway / Oakland
Regency Rancho Niguel / Laguna Niguel
Regency Paseo Camarillo / Camarillo
Rialto Elmwood 3 / Berkeley
Rialto Sonoma / Sebastopol
Scotts Valley Public Library / Scotts Valley
UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum / Los Angeles
Tristone Palm Desert 10 / Palm Desert
UC San Diego Library / La Jolla
Varsity Theatre / Davis
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts / San Francisco
COLORADO
Chief Theater / Steamboat Springs
International Film Series / Boulder
Sie FilmCenter / Denver
CONNECTICUT
Avon Theatre Film Center / Stamford
Cinestudio / Hartford
Madison Art Cinemas / Madison
Real Art Ways / Hartford
Yale Film Colloquium / New Haven
FLORIDA
All Saints Cinema / Tallahassee
Burns Court Cinemas (Sarasota Film Society) / Sarasota
Cyclops Cinema / Gainesville
Coral Gables Art Cinema / Coral Gables
Movies of Lake Worth / Lake Worth
Miami Beach Cinematheque / Miami Beach
O Cinema Wynwood / Miami
Silverspot Cinema / Coconut Creek
Silverspot Cinema / Naples
Stonzek Theatre of the Lake Worth Playhouse / Lake Worth
Sun-Ray Cinema / Jacksonville
GEORGIA
Cine / Athens
HAWAII
Doris Duke Theatre / Honolulu Museum of Art / Honolulu
IOWA
FilmScene / Iowa City
ILLINOIS
Wilmette Theatre / Wilmette
INDIANA
Art Theatre / Hobart
Cicada Cinema / Bloomington
Cinema Center / Ft. Wayne
KANSAS
Liberty Hall / Lawrence
KENTUCKY
Kentucky Theatre / Lexington
Speed Art Museum / Louisville
LOUISIANA
Robinson Film Center / Shreveport
The Broad Theater / New Orleans
MAINE
Center Theatre / Dover-Foxcroft
Railroad Square Cinema / Waterville
MASSACHUSETTS
Academy of Music Theatre / Northampton
Beacon Cinema / Pittsfield
Images Cinema / Williamstown
The Luna Theater / Lowell
Regent Theatre / Arlington
South Hadley’s Tower Theaters / South Hadley
TCAN – THE CENTER FOR ARTS IN NATICK / Natick
The Cape Ann Cinema & Stage / Gloucester
The Brattle Theatre / Cambridge
Triplex Cinema / Great Barrington
MARYLAND
Harford County Public Library / Havre de Grace
Old Greenbelt Theatre / Greenbelt
MICHIGAN
Wealthy Theatre / Grand Rapids
Capital City Film Festival / Lansing
Cinema Detroit / Detroit
Michigan Theater / Ann Arbor
The State Theatre / Traverse City
Vickers Theatre / Three Oaks
MINNESOTA
Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul’s
St. Anthony Main Theatre / Minneapolis
Sheldon Theatre / Red Wing
Zinema 2 / Duluth
MISSOURI
Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet / Kansas City
Cinema St. Louis (in partnership
with the St. Louis Public Library) / St. Louis
Chase Park Plaza / St. Louis
Screenland Armour Theatre / Kansas City
MONTANA
Art House Cinema & Pub / Billings
The Roxy Theater / Missoula
NEVADA
The Sci FiCenter / Las Vegas
NORTH CAROLINA
Cameo Art House Theatre / Fayetteville
Charlotte Film Society (at C3 Lab) / Charlotte
Fine Arts Theatre / Asheville
Rialto Theater / Raleigh
Silverspot Cinema / Chapel Hill
NEBRASKA
Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center / Lincoln
NEW HAMPSHIRE
3S Artspace / Portsmouth
Putnam Screening Room / Keene
Red River Theatres / Concord
NEW MEXICO
Guild Cinema / Albuquerque
Jean Cocteau Cinema / Santa Fe
Taos Center for the Arts / Taos
Violet Crown Cinema / Santa Fe
NEW YORK
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn / Brooklyn
Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers / Yonkers
Anthology Film Archives / New York
ArtRage Gallery / Syracuse
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center / Buffalo
Cinema Arts Centre / Huntington
Cinemapolis / Ithaca
Cornell Cinema* / Ithaca
Film Society of Lincoln Center / New York
GE Theatre at Proctors / Schenectady
IFC Center / New York
Jacob Burns Film Center / Pleasantville
The Little Theatre / Rochester
The Palace Theatre / Syracuse
Nitehawk Cinema / Brooklyn
Opalka Gallery – Sage College of Albany / Albany
Picture House Regional Film Center / Pelham
Rivertown Film Society / Nyack
Rosendale Theatre / Rosendale
The Moviehouse / Millerton
Upstate Films / Rheinbeck
Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery
at Skidmore College / Saratoga Springs
NEW JERSEY
The Highland Park Outdoor Movie Theater / Highland Park
OHIO
Athena Cinema / Athens
Gateway Film Center / Columbus
Mini Microcinema / Cincinnati
The Nightlight Cinema / Akron
The Quaker Cinema / New Philadelphia
OKLAHOMA
Circle Cinema / Tulsa
OREGON
Bijou Art Cinemas / Eugene
Cinema 21 Theatre / Portland
City Lights Cinemas / Florence
The Clinton Street Theater* / Portland
Salem Cinema / Salem
PENNSYLVANIA
The Colonial Theatre / Phoenixville
Goggleworks Film Theatre / Wyomissing
Haverford College / Haverford
Hollywood Theater / Pittsburgh
Midtown Cinema / Harrisburg
Pittsburgh Filmmakers / Pittsburgh
PFS Roxy Theater / Philadelphia
Row House Cinema / Pittsburgh
SMALL STAR Art House / York
The Courtyard at the Pajama Factory / Williamsport
Zoetropolis / Lancaster
RHODE ISLAND
Cable Car Cinema / Providence
Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center / Newport
SOUTH CAROLINA
The Nickelodeon Theatre / Columbia
SOUTH DAKOTA
Cinema Falls / Sioux Falls
TEXAS
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Mason Park / Katy
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Montecillo / El Paso
Alamo Drafthouse Ritz / Austin
Texas Theatre / Dallas
Violet Crown Cinema / Austin
UTAH
Park City Film Series / Park City
Salt Lake Film Society – Tower Theater / Salt Lake City
VERMONT
Climate Change Cafe / Bratteboro
Savoy Theater / Montpelier
Woodstock Town Hall Theatre / Woodstock
VIRGINIA
The Byrd Theatre / Richmond
Naro Expanded Cinema / Norfolk
Violet Crown Cinema / Charlottesville
WASHINGTON
Capitol Theater / Olympia
The Garland Theater / Spokane
The Grand Cinema / Tacoma
Pickford Film Center / Bellingham
Seattle International Film Festival / Seattle
WEST VIRGINIA
Raleigh Playhouse / Beckley
WISCONSIN
Avalon Theater / Milwaukee
CANADA
Original Princess Cinema / Waterloo, ON
The Royal / Toronto, ON
Rio Theatre / Vancouver, BC
VIFF Vancity Theatre / Vancouver, BC
UK
Cube Cinema / Bristol, UK
SWEDEN
Kvartersrådets Filmklubb Gröndal Stockholm SWEDEN
NEW ZEALAND
Academy Cinemas / Auckland
HOLLAND
Amsterdam Public Library (OBA) / Amsterdam
CROATIA
Art-kino / Hrvatska, Croatia
Image Credits: MGM
