AUSTIN, Texas — On the east side of Austin sits the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, a staple of the community for more than two decades.
“There was a place that families and children and teenagers in the neighborhood can come and have a safe place,” said Josh Frank, the founder of the Blue Starlite Drive-In and Eastside Cinema.
One of the draws of the complex was a single-screen movie theater equipped with a 35 mm projection system. But when movie theaters switched to digital, the theater's owners couldn’t afford the high price of fitting the cinema with the new technology, forcing them to close the doors in 2011.
This past year, Frank decided that he wouldn't let the theater die.
“I was just so curious as someone who likes, sort of, creating movie experiences,” Frank said. “I saw the sign that said 'Movie,' and thought, ‘What’s behind that door?’”
That curiosity led Frank to his decision to upgrade the 1999 vintage single-screen theater and give it a new life, renaming it The Eastside Cinema.
“I wanted it to feel like you were going to a movie theater back in my heyday of, you know, being young,” Frank said. “There’s something special here, and I this is what I want. I want to share with people.”
Over the past several weeks, Frank brought his Blue Starlite crew to test the new technology and get the theater up and running again. The theater had a few test screenings back in December, but Saturday was its official re-opening.
“I’m proud to be able to do my part and carry on the legacy of the Millennium and the history of Austin and Austin cinema,” Frank said.
The theater will hold screenings Wednesday through Saturday, but Frank wants to keep the focus close to home.
“I want 70% to be like, local curation, local groups doing cinema events that are open to the public,” Frank said.
Since its soft-open in December, Frank said nine film organizations have already signed up to host events at the theater. Frank is hopeful that his small local theater will keep the spirit of “old Austin” alive.
“I feel like it’s a real testament to the city that even though it’s changed, you can still discover little hidden gems and bring them back and keep 'old Austin' alive,” Frank said.
A schedule of the theater’s showings can be found on its website.