With a pandemic that feels never-ending and a new release slate that keeps getting pushed back, theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is coming up with new ways to engage their film nerd audiences. First, it was by launching Alamo On Demand, an in-house VOD platform. Next, it’s attracting customers to their VOD platform with exclusive titles and themes, like a yearlong celebration of Danish Film.
In partnership with the Danish Film Institute and with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, the VOD platform has planned six bi-monthly programs of extraordinary Danish films. In total, the partnership will feature 36 films, rolled out in thematic “six packs” every two months beginning on June 25. The first “six pack” centers on Danish Film/Women Directors, followed in August by Danish Crime Films.
“Denmark is a bit bigger than New Hampshire and has about the same population as Houston. Given its small size, I’m staggered by the sheer depth and breadth of the cinematic majesty that consistently pours out of Denmark,” says Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest founder Tim League. “It’s a privilege to present such a wide variety of Danish films to an American audience. Alamo Drafthouse has put together a diverse program ranging from the silent era to the present, featuring classic directors and new talents alike,” says Claus Ladegaard, Danish Film Institute CEO.
The first series, Danish Films/Women Directors, features six films that range from punk rock road movie to dry comedy to bold thriller to gripping drama. In true Alamo Drafthouse fashion, they’re holding a contest in conjunction with the collaboration. Anyone who watches all 36 films in the series will be invited to a “Meet the Danes” party in Los Angeles or New York. You know, once we can all gather in groups again, whenever that is.
