Hello Everyone!

If you still need to see JULES or the 20th Anniversary remaster of OLDBOY, Thursday will be your last chance at THE NEON.  On Friday, we will open Nia Vardalos's MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 as well as the powerful, new documentary LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES. Many of you will be happy to know that GOLDA will stick around for one more week.

I'm very excited to be heading back to Toronto this year for The Toronto International Film Festival (I haven't attended the festival since 2019).  I'll be keeping a daily blog while I'm gone, and you can follow it here.  Stay up to date with all the films I'm seeing and the stars I'm spotting.

I know many of you are very excited about the restoration of the classic Talking Heads documentary STOP MAKING SENSE - opening Thursday, Sept. 28.  Tickets just went on sale for opening weekend!

"Open Caption Mondays" continue to be well-received. On Monday, Sept. 11, GOLDA, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3, and LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES will be presented with Open Captions (captions presented on the screen). As a reminder, seating is no longer assigned on Mondays-Thursdays for traditional engagements.

Synopsis for MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3: And now for some nostalgia - MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING was a huge hit for us back in 2002...and the next installment from writer/director Nia Vardalos is here. "The worldwide phenomenon MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING is coming back for a new adventure...Join the Portokalos family as they travel to a family reunion in Greece for a heartwarming and hilarious trip full of love, twists and turns. Opa!" (Universal Pictures)

Synopsis for LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES: "The Lakota fight to protect their sacred land. A provocative, visually stunning testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and genocide – and whose best days are yet to come." (IFC FILMS) 

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 Marvel Cinematic Universe trivia! So stop down for some fun and your chance at prizes! 

September 7th| 7:00PM

PATIO PARTY

Only two Friday Patio Parties remain this season...but we wanna go out with a bang! Join us on the patio this Friday from 5:30-7:30 with our friends Alexis Larsen & Dave Schweitzer. Team LarSchweitzen has lived in downtown Dayton for more than two decades and have long loved THE NEON. Alexis is the Chief of Philanthropy for Five Rivers MetroParks and the long time food critic for the Dayton Daily News with a food column that has been running for nearly 15 years. Dave is a longtime social worker at Eastway who is currently building a skatepark in his free time at Claridge Park for the Dayton community to enjoy. They are looking forward to packing our patio and celebrating one of their favorite spots in Dayton!  Once again, our friend DJ Lu will be spinning some tunes for us! We hope you can make it!

September 8th| 5:30-7:30 PM

ENCORE SCREENING ADDED - Thur, Sept. 7 at 9:30! "SOFA, SO GOOD is a feature length absurdist comedy about two cousins (Jake and Red) moving their couch across Dayton, Ohio, without a car. Encountering an array of obstacles along the journey, Jake and Red, in pursuit of a more comfortable life, carry their couch across the city. Danger and folly ensue. SOFA, SO GOOD was written in 2019, by the Thiele Brothers (Kyle, Eli, and Cole). Set to film in 2020, with a full crew, the world took a new turn, and the crew was reduced to the Thiele brothers, sound guy, Rusty Pietrzak, along with the two lead characters played by Dayton artists, Joseph Jeffries and Yahel Pack. Additional local supporting actors joined the production journey. The Thiele brothers have made shorts before, showcasing at Austin Film Festival and Hollyshorts; however this was our first feature film for the three brothers who wanted to undertake this project together as a team." Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 & 9:30 - Tickets $12.00 - available now!

FLINT: THE POISONING OF AN AMERICAN CITY traces the timeline of the city’s interaction with the Flint River-from the continued abuse and neglect of both city infrastructure and environmental regulations, to subsequent population decline, through to Michigan’s 2013 appointing of outside emergency managers. This poisonous mix of factors created a crisis which resulted in record high levels of lead in the drinking water of the city. This film explores the critical question of how this could happen in American. A recent report found that 5,300 American cites were found to be in violation of federal lead rules. The Directors of the film and environmental educators in our community will be available after the film for a brief conversation with the audience. This film is a being brought to the community via a grant received by Kathy Rowell, Professor of Sociology at Sinclair. Attendees will receive a free small bag of popcorn & small soda (thanks to generous support of the office of Diversity at Sinclair Community College and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance). Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30. For more information, email Kathy Rowell at katherine.rowell@sinclair.edu. You can reserve a FREE spot for this screening at this LINK.

ENCORE SCREENING - Sunday, Sept. 17 at 5pm. "1 946: THE MISTRANSLATION THAT SHIFTED CULTURE is a feature documentary that follows the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. It chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale University which unveil astonishing new revelations, and casts significant doubt on any biblical basis for LGBTQIA+ prejudice. While other documentaries have been successful in their attempt to treat the symptom of homophobia in the church, 1946 is working to diagnose and treat the disease - Biblical Literalism." This film is being sponsored by The Welcoming Place: Counseling and Coaching, LLC - Owner/Counselor: Charles A. Roberts, LPCC-S.  With this sponsorship in place, tickets are only $3 each! 

Save the dates - 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.

"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!

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. I was writing for season 8 of RICK AND MORTY while touring 26 cities so as the date approached she offered to direct, and while I self-produced the taping, I hired an amazing producer and crew to capture this special evening. I'm so grateful that after viewing it, Netflix decided they wanted to stream it on their platform starting October 3, 2023.   I filmed this stand-up special in front of 1,154 comedy fans that either traveled to see the taping, or are six degrees of separation from the jokes and stories I'm telling because we grew up together or they helped raise me. I've found purpose in telling true stories that shine light on impactful experiences I've lived in hopes that my writing and humor transforms the similar experience of others and shifts perspectives. It was incredible to showcase the comedian I've become in front of the city that shaped me, even if it went red last election. From 1866 to 2023 this theater has weathered fires, floods and now... a Beth Stelling stand-up special."  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 just went live today, and festival passes go on sale next week (Sept. 13).  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!

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 will be $12.50 (on sale starting Sept. 13). "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 GO ON SALE SEPTEMBER 12!

Thank you for all of your support!
Jonathan