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You may have noticed a spark of vibrancy on the marquee of the High Street Theatre, just across the street from Longwood’s campus.
Credit filmmaker Eddie Mullins, Longwood’s new artist-in-residence and an accomplished critic, director and screenwriter. Mullins recently moved to Farmville from Los Angeles with a charge to reinvigorate the space as a traditional arthouse and repertory theatre, curating a lineup of classic, foreign, cult, indie and documentary films.
The High Street Theatre currently features three screenings per week, one every Friday night and a thematically-paired double-feature on Saturdays. All are free and open to the public.
The full calendar is available at go.longwood.edu/highstreettheatre.
A lot of really vibrant college towns have arthouse theatres that are a key part of what makes them special, so I jumped at the opportunity to be an integral part of that scene here in Farmville.
Eddie Mullins, artist-in-residence for the Longwood community Tweet This
President Taylor Reveley recruited Mullins owing to his diverse background in the entertainment industry. A graduate of NYU film school, Mullins began his career as cultural commentator for magazines such as The Village Voice, Slant, and BlackBook, where he served as chief film critic. His debut feature, Doomsdays (2015) screened at The Museum of Modern Art and was distributed via Netflix. He has since worked in the story department at Amazon Studios and currently has a short, Erection and Destruction, making the festival rounds.
In addition to programming the theatre, Mullins will be working with campus partners on additional programming and events, and offering his expertise to students interested in the arts. He’ll also continue working on a range of film projects from Farmville.
We sat down with Mullins to talk about his plans for High Street Theatre.
What drew you to Farmville?
I grew up in Richmond and have been to Farmville and Longwood many times, including to teach a summer course a few years ago. I’ve always found it a charming place, full of new things and people to discover. When I started thinking seriously about leaving Los Angeles to pursue projects closer to home, Farmville naturally popped up as a place that I was interested in being.
More than that, a lot of really vibrant college towns have arthouse theatres that are a key part of what makes them special, so I jumped at the opportunity to be an integral part of that scene here in Farmville.
Are you currently working on any projects?
Absolutely. My first feature film, Doomsdays, enjoys something of a cult following and will be getting a Blu-Ray release for its tenth anniversary, so I’m working on putting that together. I’m also busy promoting my new short, Erection and Destruction, which has festival dates lined up into next year. And perhaps most excitingly, I’m developing a new feature project that I plan on shooting locally here in Virginia.
What films will play at High Street Theatre?
It’s going to be eclectic, everything ranging from familiar Hollywood classics to obscure Japanese cult oddities. One night you might catch a French New Wave landmark like Jean-Luc Godard’s Vivre Sa Vie and the next a 1970s action classic like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three with Walter Matthau.
There will also be weekend programs where all three titles are united by a particular theme, genre, or filmmaker. For instance, on November 22nd we’ll be showing David Lynch’s surrealist neo-noir Mulholland Drive, followed on the 23rd by a double-bill of classic 50s noir films: Robert Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly and Michael Curtiz’ Mildred Pierce. Not only are these all great pictures, but their juxtaposition illustrates how traditional noir tropes can be updated and revised to suit the needs of a more contemporary filmmaker.
Are the movies still free?
Yes, and they’re not just for Longwood students and staff–all members of the community are welcome to come and enjoy the programming.
Have people been excited when they have seen the movie titles going up on the marquee at High Street Theatre?
They have. From faculty to students to community members, they’ve been excited about having a steady diet of interesting, alternative films at the theatre, and have even made some great suggestions that I intend to include in future programming. I’m looking forward to building an audience for these types of movies and hope that everyone will find something they will enjoy!
How can Longwood community members work with you to use the theater?
The theater can be reserved through the University Events and Ceremonies 25 Live system, just like other campus spaces (or contact scheduling@longwood.edu), but I also encourage anyone interested in partnering on showings or other creative uses of the space to reach out to me at mullinsee@longwood.edu. I’m making the rounds now with students groups and others, and look forward to getting to know more folks in the community.
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