In Small-Town Healdsburg, Residents Welcome a Brand New Movie Theater

Kathryn Philip stood outside the True West Film Center in Healdsburg last Friday, looking up at the brand new movie theater that, for five years, had only existed in her head. As customers exited the very first film screening, one word came to mind.

“It’s all about hope. This, to me, is millions of dollars of hope,” Philip said. “This is the community saying, not only do we want it, we hope that people are gonna relearn it. We hope that people are gonna give this to themselves again.”

What the public has to relearn, obviously, is the act of going to the movies. Ever since the pandemic changed people’s viewing habits — only 16% of Americans go to the movie theater at least once a month, according to a recent poll by the Associated Press — dozens of theaters have closed permanently across the greater Bay Area.

The True West Film Center is banking on those people coming back. With its central location in downtown Healdsburg, plus state-of-the-art projection, sound and seating, it just might work. The city is historically supportive of the arts, boasting a cluster of downtown art galleries and an annual jazz festival. As for donations and memberships, the median home value hovers around $1 million, and one-third of the population are retirees, with spare time to go to the movies.

When Philip was choosing a town for the theater, all the ingredients seemed to intersect in Healdsburg, known primarily these days for wine tourism. “You have more foot traffic, you have discretionary income, you have a world stage which is drawing people here out of interest and curiosity,” she said.

Notably, True West is not a commercial enterprise, but a mission-based nonprofit. John Cooper, the former director of the Sundance Film Festival and now True West’s artistic director, said that in the current landscape for moviegoing, the nonprofit model for small theaters is imperative.

“Every town wants to have a library and a museum. Why not a cinema? It’s just as important,” Cooper said.

The tricky part is getting community buy-in, Cooper added. But with a capital campaign that’s raised $4.5 million of a $5.6 million goal, the people seem to have spoken.

Another thing going for True West is its size. Two of its auditoriums seat just 21 and 27 people, and a third, larger one seats 54.

Realistically, in-person movies are a niche activity in the year 2025; one reason the theater operators didn’t take over the 12,000 square-foot Raven Film Center, the town’s 24-year-old multiplex which closed in 2020, is that the auditoriums were too large. As True West board member and local resident Renn Rhodes explained, “We’d go there and there’d be six people in the whole theater.”

At True West’s soft opening Friday, a few kinks were still being worked out. One movie trailer played sound, but no picture. Extra salt still needed to be ordered for the popcorn. But excited customers, including 14 of them who arrived for the very first film, Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, weren’t quibbling.

Laura Vallejo, who’s lived in Healdsburg for 35 years, said after the film let out that she’s had to drive to Santa Rosa or Sebastopol to see movies, and “it’s a bit of a trek out there for us.”

Vallejo praised True West for its community outreach and involvement in schools before opening, as well as its senior ticket prices.

“I happen to know a lot of people who are excited about it, and are saying ‘I want to come back,’” she added.

Local moviegoers like Vallejo who aren’t fans of Hollywood’s emphasis on action and superhero franchises have already pitched Cooper on the kinds of movies they’d like to see. At a preview event in September, supporters shouted out older films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now and The Sting.

Needless to say, Cooper, who grew up in Sonoma County and now lives in Healdsburg after stepping down from Sundance, won’t be programming a Fast & Furious marathon anytime soon.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, he plans “Icon Screenings” for repertory movies, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, dedicated to famous actors. Regular “Film 101” series will focus on one director or genre. Sundays will be reserved for what he calls “Film Church,” a series of weekly documentaries (“and not about an issue that’s so bad, you leave really depressed,” Cooper quipped).

Outdoor screenings and Spanish-language events are in the works, along with a film festival, which began life as the Alexander Valley Film Festival. Many of the same organizers of that long-running film festival, including executive director Philip, moved their energies to True West; next year’s festival will take on the theater’s name.

As more people arrived for the second-ever round of screenings at the theater, on opening day, Philip said she felt relieved and excited.

“Watching the people trickle in has been such a joy, and I feel ready to share it,” she said. “I’m ready to give it back now to the community, and let them make it their own.”

The True West Film Center (371 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg) hosts a free grand opening block party on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. Details here.