Free outdoor movie nights this summer, thanks to cinéSPEAK

As a kid, Sarah Mueller roamed the aisles of her neighborhood Blockbuster with her parents, debating whether to rent a rom-com, comedy, or Western.

The Lancaster native grew up in a “film-loving family” and in ninth grade, she spent an entire summer watching the movies listed on AFI’s 100 Greatest Films of All Time ranking. Once she was old enough to drive, she went on solo dates to see independent films.

In 2013, Mueller founded cinéSPEAK, a film-based organization and cinema publication dedicated to independent filmmakers and their work, which are showcased through movie screenings and community events in Philly parks, bookstores, performing arts centers, beer gardens, and more.

“I never intended to start an organization,” Mueller said. “I was simply tired of complaining about what was dying or lacking.”

Along with making indie films and shorts more accessible for local moviegoers, Mueller established cinéSPEAK to combat the idea that “cinema was dying.”

With superhero movies and big-budget action flicks taking the bulk of box office profits, and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu contributing to emptier theater seats, it’s harder for independent filmmakers to break into the industry.

In Philadelphia, local and national theater chains have shuttered due to the financial shock wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and some continue to struggle with declining ticket sales and rising rents. These closures, Mueller said, have caused indie films to slip through the cracks and the stories of their creators to not be seen.

“I was seeing a lot of the programs, theaters, and spaces I got to experience fade away. It was really disheartening,” said Mueller, who worked at TLA Video on Locust Street while attending college at the University of the Arts.

Mueller started looking at how film festivals in cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles were organized. She began organizing screenings in October 2013, hoping to introduce audiences to lesser-known films.

CinéSPEAK started off small. The first series of screenings took place at the former batting cage center, Everybody Hits Philadelphia, in 2021.“Since the beginning, I set out to try and learn how to bring good people together over great indie films,” Mueller said. “Equipment was borrowed. Food and beer were donated. Venue space offered in-kind.”

With more community support and some fundraising, the group expanded with events like the annual outdoor film series Under the Stars.

During the monthlong program, cinéSPEAK screens one independent film every Friday at a park. Assistant director of programs Vernon Jordan III said they hope the program helps draw Philly filmmakers to the city’s growing film community and keep them from moving to New York, Atlanta, or Los Angeles.

“I want Philadelphia filmmakers to stay,” said Jordan, who is also a filmmaker. “Not only to represent Philly right on the screen but to also to be a part of the culture that is here in the city.”

Along with outdoor screenings, the organization runs the cinéSPEAK Journal. Editor-in-chief Kristal Sotomayor said the publication is built to give a voice and platform to creatives often pushed to the industry margins.

“What we are filling is a gap in arts and culture journalism in the city. I don’t think it’s community-focused and I don’t think it’s community-driven. I also don’t think it showcases small independent filmmakers who are truly making art with absolutely no money,” they said.

With cineSPEAK approaching its 10-year mark this fall, Mueller hopes to open an independent film center sometime next year. This move, she said, will help solve the issues indie filmmakers face when attempting to get their projects screened, while also providing Philly folks with a theater.

“We’re committed to this because there are a lot of barriers for filmmakers, film exhibitors, and audiences looking to have access to stories like these,” she said. “We’re honored to even begin to create a space not only for ourselves but for filmmakers, audiences, and arts and culture groups who need a space to call home.”

(Disclosure: Some current Inquirer staff members are part of cinéSPEAK’s editorial collective.)

The third annual Under the Stars will run every Friday from May 26 to June 16 at the Bowl at Clark Park, 4350 Chester Ave. The program kicks off with the Philadelphia premiere of Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes.

Hung Up On a Dream, a documentary on the British band the Zombies, plays June 2.

There will be a screening of Marcel Camus’ 1959 drama Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) on June 9, and the series will close with Little Richard: I Am Everything on June 16. Admission is free. For more information and to register for the series, visit cineSPEAK.org.