Showcases Local Filmmakers
By Angela Eastman

A part of the Clark University campus since 1982, Cinema 320 is known for showing independent films and world cinema that we might otherwise not get a chance to view. And as of a few months ago, its website has been giving us even more indie goodness to sink our teeth into with a section called Streaming New England.

Streaming New England gives us a rotating list of amateur videos created by people who live in New England, providing links to the videos on websites like You Tube. The site went up in March and is an extension of an earlier feature, Video of the Week. Steve Sandburg, who runs both Cinema 320 and SNE, explains that the original feature was “…a virtual analog for the classic old film experience of the audience getting a short subject before the main feature. Streaming New England takes the idea one step further by devoting an entire web page to the online work of New England film makers.”

Streaming New England links to about 20 movies, with about a third of the selection changing every month, allowing the entire inventory to change entirely every three months, the average length of Cinema 320’s schedule. As for variety, SNE had it; currently there is “Sandwich,” which examines “…the inner battle that is the staring contest,” “Restive Estates,” a morbid comedy combining cemeteries and golf courses, and “New England Boiled Dinner,” which shows a man, well, making dinner. According to Sandburg, “The common criteria are minimal.” Each film just has to be made in New England ~ and be interesting to him (it’s good to be in charge!). Usually, Sandburg posts the shorts that he feels Cinema 320 patrons are most likely to enjoy. But other times it’s a matter of his own personal taste. “One short that amused the hell out of me was a promotional trailer for Kaiju Big Battel wrestling at the Avalon Ballroom in Boston. Kaiju Big Battel, for those unlucky people who have never heard of it, is pro wrestling between guys who are dressed up like Japanese movie monsters…I got a big kick out of it, so it went up.” Of course he hopes that others will find them amusing and/or informative as well, and that the knowledge that other filmmakers from their area are making entertaining and inexpensive movies will inspire them to create their own.

The Streaming New England webpage is currently on summer break, but it will start rotating again a little later this month. Until then, the current list can be viewed at cinema320.com/streaming.html