MAFAC (Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre), at 639 Main Street in the city’s Theatre District, has been making announcements about forthcoming presentations in their eight theatres.
NB: one of the theatres has been tricked out by stellar Road Less Traveled Productions, as a working drama theatre replete with sound board and lights–this local theatre company mounts a few productions per year there and it’s also available to other groups.
MAFAC is operated by a non-profit, Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, Inc. under the umbrella of Buffalo Place - the not-for-profit org that works with the city to boost our urban quality of life.
Morgan Smith, manager of public spaces for Buffalo Place, spoke about some of the nouveau and returning film series, festivals, and productions there, all the while emphasizing that MAFAC is a “successful venture.” Dipson Theatres, a locally-owned theatre group, also helps day-to-day operations of the cinema.
Once Angelika Film Center split town (they still operate in NYC on W. Houston Street, with overpriced concessions and rumbling seats from the subway down below), Buffalo Place, the city, and Theatre District Association made a commitment to show mainstream releases as well as independent films. When Hallwalls was homeless for a couple of years most of their film offerings took place here.
Hitting this sole downtown cinema soon will be the ongoing Buffalo Film Seminars XIV, now in its seventh year and co-hosted by UB profs and affable scholars Diane Christian and Bruce Jackson (who introduce each film and lead a q&a during the evening). BFS happens on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. and tickets are $8 for adults, $5.50 for seniors, and $6 for students. Anyone registered for the UB course–for which the screenings are shown–are admitted free. Information about the films being screened can be gleaned on the BFS site and there are handouts provided with extensive notes. This excellent series of classics begins January 16 with Buster Keaton’s 1927 film The General.
The 11th Annual International Women’s Film Festival, produced by UB’s Gender Institute, presents this year’s offerings under a thematic title–Crossings. This fest takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday evenings and begins January 25th with a screening of the Mexican film The Faces of the Moon / Las Caras de la Luna. Crossings runs through March 1 with the final evening devoted to shorts created by Buffalo women filmmakers.
Later in the spring Road Less Traveled Productions presents Buffalo Movie from April 13-May 6. The comedic play, written by Jon Elston, focuses on two City of Good Neighbors-based filmmakers and features a plethora of local cultural references.
MAFAC also has an impressive Emerging Cinemas series of international and independent films. For these offerings it’s best to check periodically on the Buffalo Place or Market Arcade website for titles and times–or the Dipson site.
In addition to what happens in the theatres, the MAFAC lobby is frequently a gathering spot for community groups. Enter this most urbane of theatres from either Main or Washington and here’s a hot parking tip: meters downtown are fuh-ree on Saturdays and Sundays after 5 p.m. and the lot across from MAFAC on the Washington Street side is gratis … just bring your lot stub in and get reimbursed on the spot for a super, cinematic bonus.