Hello Everyone!

We've got a lot going on this weekend!  The Dayton Independent Film Fest (aka DIFF - hosted by our friends at UD) starts Friday night, and we have two new French films starting on Friday - TWO TICKETS TO GREECE and THE ORIGIN OF EVIL.  If you'd still like to see OPPENHEIMER or MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 at THE NEON, Thursday wil be your last chance!  Next Thursday (Sept. 28), we'll begin our run of STOP MAKING SENSE...and next Friday (Sept. 29), we'll open one of my favorites from The Toronto International Film Festival - FLORA AND SON.

And speaking of TIFF - I'm Back!  Over my 9 days at the festival, I screened 33 films.  I saw some incredible work (and some not-so-great work), I ran into colleagues and friends I haven't seen in 3+ years, I went to a fun party with big Hollywood stars and lots of Ohio/Dayton connections...and I missed a few movies that I really wanted to catch.  You can read about my trip in my daily blog right HERE.

Single tickets for OUT HERE DAYTON FILM FEST went on sale this morning.  Read more about the festival below then visit the official site.  It's a great line-up!  Traditionally, opening night and TOP DRAWER SHORTS are the tickets that go the quickest.  In the coming days, we'll be announcing our special guests via social media - so keep an eye out for those details.

"Open Caption Mondays" continue to be well-received. That said, both of our upcoming films are subtitled - so you can catch them with subtitles all week long. As a reminder, seating is no longer assigned on Mondays-Thursdays for traditional engagements.

Synopsis for THE ORIGIN OF EVIL: "In a luxurious seaside villa, a modest young woman finds herself in the company of a strange family: an unknown and wealthy father, his extravagant wife, his daughter, an ambitious woman, a rebellious teenager, and their creepy maid." (IFC Films) This French film is the third feature from director Sebastien Marnier, and it stars Laure Calamy from one of my favorite television shows of recent years - CALL MY AGENT. The film has hints of Agatha Christie, Claude Chabrol...and has a tone of KNIVES OUT meets SUCCESSION.  Lots of fun - and likely one week only.  Hurry down.

Synopsis for  TWO TICKETS TO GREECE: "As teenagers, Blandine and Magalie were inseparable. Years passed and they lost sight of each other. As their paths cross again, they decide to take the trip together that they have always dreamed of. Direction Greece, its sun, its islands but also its galleys because the two former best friends now have a very different approach to holidays... and to life!" (Greenwich Entertainment) Starring Laure Calamy, Olivia Côte, and Kristin Scott Thomas!

TRIVIA ON OUR PATIO

Do you like trivia? Thursday is the day we host LIVE TRIVIA AT THE NEON. This event is Free and open to the public, and it will take place on our patio at 7pm...so it's weather permitting. Our Assistant Manager Ky will be hosting this week with horror movie trivia! So stop down for some fun and your chance at prizes! 

September 21st| 7:00PM

THIS WEEKEND! - DIFF (presented by our partners at The University of Dayton) is back at THE NEON this year with four blocks of short films, a feature length documentary, a pitch contest and more - scheduled for Sept. 22-24!  Tickets for screenings are available on our site - but you can learn more about it at  daytonfilmfest.com.

If you're into underground, fringe or cult classic cinema, there's a new film series you're gonna want to check out -  Cult Movie Mondays - and it kicks off at The NEON on Monday, September 25th at 7:30pm with the cult classic and locally filmed  DEADBEAT AT DAWN, written and directed by Jim Van Bebber.
Tickets and all of the details are available at  www.cultmoviemonday.com
Synopsis: One last job separates the leader of the Ravens gang from an early retirement. When he finds his girlfriend beaten to death by members of a rival gang, he seeks revenge, knowing that he may be dead by dawn. Will more blood bring her back?
In addition to the film, we're excited for a Q & A with Jim Van Bebber before the film along with screenings of some of his early short films.
Everything starts with special programming at 7:30pm and the film starting promptly at 8:00pm.
Tickets are $11 in advance, $14 at the door, and $53 for a 6 pack of tickets in advance (only available at  cultmoviemonday.com or in-person 30 min. before the screening).
Cult Movie Monday is proudly presented in partnership with The Local 937, a brand new sandwich café opening in St. Annes Hill this Fall!

"Preschool Promise has partnered with the creators of the award-winning documentary  BLACK BOYS to bring this powerful film to the Greater Dayton community and to spark conversation about positive changes that we can all make when we work together. This film shows what’s possible when we see Black boys and men in a different light and work to see equity from a new lens. BLACK BOYS, directed by Sonia Lowman, illuminates the spectrum of black male humanity in America. An intimate, inter-generational exploration, BLACK BOYS strives for insight into black identity and opportunity at the nexus of sports, education and criminal justice. The film elevates an urgent and timely reckoning on identity, opportunity and equity to reimagine success for Black males in America while also touching on their vulnerability and resilience in the face of dehumanization. Enjoy this powerful film at 10:00 A.M. on September 30. You can reserve a spot and find out more by clicking this  LINK.

ENCORE ADDED - Wed, Oct. 4 at 7:30!Tickets are now on sale for the 5th in our series in partnership with Dayton Art Institute & Exhibition On Screen! "From award-winning director Phil Grabsky comes this fresh new look at arguably the world’s favorite artist – through his own words. Using letters and other private writings  I, CLAUDE MONET reveals new insight into the man who not only painted the picture that gave birth to impressionism but who was perhaps the most influential and successful painter of the 19th and early 20th centuries." Sunday, Oct. 1 at 5:00 and Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 - tickets $12.50 - available now!

TICKETS GOING QUICKLY! We're so delighted that Beth Stelling wanted to premiere her stand-up comedy special with us before it starts streaming on Netflix!  Filmed at The Victoria Theater, this special is fantastic...and we only have a limited number of tickets - so get 'em while you can!  For just $10, you'll get to see this special on our big screen, and Beth will be here in person! "I was honored that Dayton Live booked me at Victoria Theatre in December of 2022 for my 'Petty Betty Tour.' It's the theater I grew up going to and it certainly holds a special place in my heart for igniting my love of live theatre and the arts. It was my best friend and fellow comedian, Mo Welch, who suggested filming the show and my entire visit home to Dayton." Tickets are $10 each.

OUT HERE DAYTON FILM FEST (formerly known as DAYTON LGBT FILM FEST) is set for Oct. 13-15!  The website for the fest is live, and a limited number of festival passes remain. Single tickets just went on sale today - available on our site!  Visit the official site and check out all of this year's selections - it's a fantastic line-up!  Many thanks to all of our incredible sponsors who help to keep this festival fresh and alive!  This is our 18th year of bringing the best in LGBTQIA cinema to town! (P.S.  The above photo is from the fantastic film LIE WITH ME showing on Saturday, Oct. 14!)

Have you heard that we're bringing  TAYLOR SWIFT - THE ERAS TOUR to THE NEON? "The cultural phenomenon continues on the big screen! Immerse yourself in this once-in-a-lifetime concert film experience with a breathtaking, cinematic view of the history-making tour.  Tickets are $19.89 each for general admission.  Seniors 60 and over and children 12 and under are $13.13.  Screenings will start on Friday, Oct. 13 - only during the weekend.  More dates and times will be added soon! (For this special engagement, no discounts or passes can be accepted.)

We're delighted to bring the new documentary KING COAL to THE NEON for a special, one-night event - hosted by local Academy Award-winning director Steve Bognar. Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 - tickets are $12.50 (on sale now). "A lyrical tapestry of a place and people, KING COAL meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon reshapes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking in a spectacularly beautiful and deeply moving immersion into Central Appalachia where coal is not just a resource, but a way of life, imagining the ways a community can re-envision itself."

3 Special Screenings are now on the books for "TRIANGLE PARK - a documentary based on the first-ever NFL Football game, written and directed by Allen Farst. The film, for the first time, will uncover the facts around this seminal game in over 100 years. One of 14 original professional teams, the Dayton Triangles, played on Sunday October 3rd, 1920. The game was played in front of 5,000 fans. Farst goes to the depths to connect family decedents of former players even finding never before seen football treasures while leaning on football greats such as Troy Aikman, Ben Roethlisberger, Eric Dickerson, Joe Buck, Cooper Kupp, Joe Theismann, Larry Fitzgerald, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy and more to uncover this generational story. Narrated by record setting, four time Emmy Sports Winner, Michele Tafoya." (taken from press notes) On November 7 & 9 at 7:30, the film will be followed by a special Q&A with director Allen Farst.  Tickets for those shows are $20 each.  On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the film will screen at 7:30 (without a Q&A) , and tickets are $17.50. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

Thank you for all of your support!
Jonathan