IndieWire: Independent Theaters Offer Counter-Programming for Midterms
As voters head to the polls across the United States for the November 2026 midterms, independent movie theaters nationwide are offering counter-programming ranging from dark political satires to total escapism, IndieWire reported.
Theaters Program Political Satires Alongside Classic Films
At Las Vegas’ Beverly Theater, founding creative director and CXO Kip Kelly explained that the venue deliberately programmed Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick’s 1999 dark comedy Election alongside Ken Russell’s The Devils and The History of Concrete. Kelly noted that politics has evolved into such an absurd spectacle that a film about a high school student council race serves as a sophisticated conversation starter.
Other venues stumbled into timely pairings purely by chance. Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre relies on a monthly Staff Picks series where a popcorn bag draw decides the featured film for the first Tuesday of the month. Staff drew Under the Silver Lake, a paranoid Los Angeles conspiracy thriller. Programming director Toby Leonard admitted the selection was a complete coincidence that the team only recognized after the fact.
In Austin, AFS Cinema programmer Lars Nilsen resisted turning Sergio Leone’s 1966 classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly into direct election commentary. He emphasized that intricately programmed cinemas remain vital hubs where local community ties are actively reborn.
Escapism and Reflection at the Box Office
Other institutions are leaning directly into the tension of the evening. At Harlem’s Maysles Documentary Center, executive director Kazembe Balagun selected BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions to prompt audiences to consider power structures extending far beyond the ballot box.
Pennsylvania’s Gap Theatre programmers Adrianna Gober and Dan Santelli chose a 35mm print of Robert Bresson’s 1977 feature The Devil, Probably to address widespread public disillusionment. Santelli cautioned audiences against letting systemic fatigue devolve into resignation, framing the screening as an opportunity for sharp reflection rather than passive catharsis.
Meanwhile, commercial and arthouse operators are simply giving audiences room to breathe. At Minneapolis’ Trylon, John Moret reported sold-out screenings for The Devils, noting that ticket buyers are actively looking for healthy cinematic distance. In Milwaukee, author Matthew J. Prigge is hosting an Oriental Theatre screening of Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon.
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