A nationwide Sept. 15 screening of Rebecca and Peter Davis’s feature documentary “Join or Die” will kick off the inaugural In Real Life Movie Club, a non-profit, in-person film series created for U.S. audiences to gather and connect with their local community and discuss trending topics currently being explored in independently made documentaries.
“Join or Die,” which is about the work of “Bowling Alone” author and social scientist Robert Putnam, who argues that joining a club can help save democracy, made its world premiere at the 2023 South by Southwest Film Festival. The doc features interviews with Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Abramorama acquired the doc’s North American theatrical rights and released the film in select theaters on July 31.
Related Stories
On Sept. 15 – International Day of Democracy – the docu will screen in over 50 theaters across the country. IRL Movie Club audience members will be encouraged to wear their favorite club t-shirt, hat, or pin to show their club pride.
Popular on Variety
Documentary distribution agency Roco Films founder and CEO Annie Roney serves as IRL Movie Club board president. She explains that the idea for the IRL series came directly from watching “Join or Die.”
“In the film, Putnam posits that democracy dies when we stop gathering in real life to talk and connect,” says Roney. “I would add that democracy also dies when the public does not have access to good information. While independent documentaries that inform and challenge the audience around topical issues used to be a predictable offering on broadcast, cable and streaming channels, tragically, that is no longer the case. So, we are stepping up.”
Roney adds that the non-profit will seek to support filmmakers, community theaters, and most pointedly, “Americans who are looking to build real life connections across the political divide.”
The non-profit org In Real Life Movies Inc. is currently collecting donations to fund the IRL Movie Club. In addition, Art House Convergence – a coalition of over 1200 independent cinemas – has teamed up with IRL Movies to help the series reach smaller markets nationwide. Participating theaters will receive screening kits with marketing materials to promote the screening along with community engagement activities.
“Art House Convergence is happy to support the initiative as it leverages the power of independent film to unite communities and foster meaningful civic engagement,” says Lela Meadow-Conner, Art House Convergence board president. “This aligns with our mission to advocate for independent exhibitors as essential cultural hubs.”
IRL Movie Club will host nationwide quarterly screenings of documentaries in the public interest without regard for profit. Theaters and filmmakers will be paid a fee to participate through the support of IRL Movie’s donors, allowing for subsidized tickets for the public opting to join. People who obtain the free IRL Movie Club membership will be able to purchase tickets for five dollars. All ticket profits will flow back into the non-profit.
“Join or Die” will screen at theaters in various cities including Dallas, Detroit and Seattle. The film will also screen at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco
“The IRL Movie Club offers an exciting new opportunity for independent art house theaters,” says Lex Sloan, executive director of the Roxie Theater and Art House Convergence board member. “By curating timely and relevant independent films and providing resources to engage audiences, IRL Movie Club empowers venues like the Roxie Theater in San Francisco to thrive as vibrant cultural centers.”
In a joint statement, “Join or Die” directors and siblings Rebecca and Peter Davis said, “Many people report encountering Putnam’s work as a light switch moment in their life — they finally had the concepts to grasp our civic crisis and motivation to do something about it in their own neighborhoods and institutions. The goal of the film has been to produce that light switch moment for a million more Americans, equipping them with a newfound clarity on the sociological roots of our civic crisis.”
By design, the IRL Movie Club will be low tech, grass roots, and community driven. Instead of a traditional Q&A after the a film’s screening, members will be encouraged to say hello to their seatmates and chat about the film long after it is over. Each theater will appoint a host to welcome people to the screening and initiate post-screening conversations.
The next IRL Movie Club screening be this winter.
