For the 11th year in a row, The Blue Note will host numerous screenings for the annual True/False film festival on March 5-8.
However, this is the first year new owners Matt Gerding and Scott Leslie have been in charge of the venue. The pair bought the venue along with its sister location, Rose Music Hall ([formerly Mojo’s](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2014/12/9/mojos-receive-facelift-become-rose-music-hall/#.VPOIkFPF9DE)), last summer.
Gerding, an MU alumnus, has never actually attended the festival because he left Columbia in 2002 — a year before the festival was formed.
While still living in Columbia, however, Gerding did attend many movies at Ragtag Cinema’s old location, so he is aware of the town’s deep-rooted film culture.
“We were pretty hip to the festival and pretty aware of what they were doing, but I’ve never been, so I’m really looking forward to taking it all in next weekend,” Gerding says.
This love of film is also noticeable in the venue’s [addition of Brew N’ View events](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2015/2/3/heres-why-beer-tastes-better-front-row/#.VPOI_VPF9DE), which screen cult classics such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Big Lebowski.”
The festival also ties in with the new marketing slogan, “Beer tastes better in the front row,” because of the unique opportunity it presents Blue Note attendees.
“It ties in, just in terms of us being able to produce entertainment and nightlife that you can’t necessarily get at other venues and other bars in Columbia,” Gerding says
Transforming a concert hall into a movie theater may seem like a momentous task, but Gerding says it’s actually fairly simple, thanks to the festival’s own staff.
“The thing about the festival is that they’re extremely well-organized and they’re very professional about how they go about organizing all the venues,” Gerding says. “They’ve got a bunch of great staff and a ton of great volunteers that we don’t really have to do a whole lot.”
The concert right before the festival is Kongos on Monday, leaving the venue only two days to prepare for the onslaught of moviegoers.
However, there is actually not much The Blue Note has to do for preparation. Most of its set up only involves technical aspects such as projectors and sound equipment.
“From our end, showing movies is less work than putting on a concert that has three or four bands and sound checks and all that kind of stuff,” Gerding says.
Plus, it is the festival’s own staff that does most of this arranging. The venue’s main job is to answer questions about the building and make sure there is staff to help out.
“It’s nice for a lot of our staff because they don’t have to do a whole lot,” Gerding says. “They get to hang out and watch movies for a few days.”
The Blue Note will host screenings starting 4 p.m. Thursday with “How To Change The World.”
