Name: Going Attractions

What I loved about it:

This documentary is a love letter to Drive-ins and the culture that surrounds them. Describing itself as the “definitive history of the drive-in,” the film moves from the 1933 invention to present day resurgence, covering everything in between. It doubles a delightful and entertaining lesson in American history in the way that it describes the various social factors that contributed to the rise and fall of the medium (including post-war euphoria, car culture, and daylight savings).

Why you should watch it:

Drive-ins are fascinating not only because they are part of our nation’s history, but because they are specifically the ancestors of indie theaters as we know them today.

When the first drive-in was made, the man who created it did so for his mother; as a larger woman, she couldn’t fit into any of the seats in the local theaters (all of which were owned by the studios when they were at their most powerful). It was a more comfortable, private way of watching movies and soon, drive-ins were popping up in every city and, thus, became a threat to the studios’ power. To counteract it, many of the studios refused to give drive-in proprietors first-run prints of their films. This spurred the proprietors to action in a 1948 lawsuit that made history, breaking the studios’ hold over exhibition forever. If you are an independent filmmaker, you owe quite a lot to drive-ins and their proprietors.

Where you can watch it: Right here in the Seed&Spark cinema!

Who made it:

April Wright is the writer, producer, and director of this film. Before becoming a filmmaker, she got her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Business Computer Systems from Bradley University. She now lives in Los Angeles and is a proud member of Women in Film.