The Cla-Zel in downtown Bowling Green returned to the film business Wednesday night with a showing of the
first movie screened in the 83-year-old venue.
Following a brief opening ceremony the credits rolled for the silent film "Irene" with local
pianist Michael Peslikis providing the soundtrack.
The event initiated the club’s Brew and View shows, which will be offered at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Playing movies in the old theater was always part of the plan from the time the club opened last year,
said the owner Ammar Mufleh.
But it’s taken awhile to work out rights agreements in the increasingly complex world of audio and video
copyright.
Now working with Derrick Jones, a faculty member at Bowling Green State University, arrangements have
been made to show movies in the public domain or independent films where rights can be secured.
"Ever since I was a child, film has been a passion of mine," Mufleh said. He was inspired to
offer the films in a club atmosphere by places like the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas. "That’s
where the concept came from."
The movies will cover the gamut from silent movies such as "Irene" to contemporary dramas,
comedies and documentaries.
Those will include work by independent filmmakers who have won awards at major festivals, such as New
York’s Tribeca Film Festival, but have yet to secure distribution deals with national studios.
As the rights agreements for the films were being worked out, the bar was stocking up on the
"brew" side of the equation. It now offers 50 beers.
Forthcoming Brew and View events include:
¥ "How Ohio Pulled It Off," a documentary about the 2004 presidential election, Sept. 2.
¥ "A Star Is Born," from 1937, Sept. 9.
¥ A short film festival, Sept. 16.
¥ Two films from Africa – The experimental film "Nora" and the documentary "Movement
(R)evolution (A)frica," Sept. 23.
The introduction of the movies come at a time when the club is also making several other changes,
including opening Monday through Saturday at 5 p.m.
Mufleh is also working with White Star Productions to bring top national and regional acts to the
theater.
Forthcoming shows include: ekoostic hookah, Sept. 18; Greencards, Sept. 24; The Recipe, Oct. 2; Sara
Watkins, Oct. 10; moe, Oct. 15; and Neko Case, 11/7.
Mufleh said 75 tickets for alt-country diva Case’s show were sold as soon as they went on sale. This is
her only Ohio or Michigan stop on her current tour.
This and other shows will draw regional crowds, he said, and that should benefit restaurants and hotels.
On the Net:
www.clazel.net
