Joey Feek, one half of the country duo Joey + Rory, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in May 2014 and died from the disease in March 2016.
When she was diagnosed, her husband and country music partner, Rory Feek, started a blog to record little moments in the couple’s life, such as raising their daughter, Indiana.
A documentary titled To Joey, with Love will be shown at the Athena Grand, 1008 E. State St., on Tuesday and Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12.50 and can be pre-ordered online. The film features some of what Rory recorded in his blogs.
Rick Frame, the owner of the Athena Grand, said the theater decided to show the movie because people were calling the theater to see if they were showing it.
“I bet we get 10 calls a day from people wanting to better understand what’s going on,” Frame said.
To Joey, with Love is part of the Athena Grand’s alternative content, which means the film is only shown on certain days and has a different admission price, Frame said.
The theater has already sold over 50 tickets for To Joey, with Love, surpassing its usual pre-screening ticket sales, Frame said. He added that the theater usually sells four or five pre-sale tickets for their alternative content.
“There’s a lot of interest in this,” Frame said. “There obviously (were) a lot of people in this area that were following the story.”
The movie will be shown in a theater that holds 200 people, Frame said. He added that he is expecting 150 to 175 people for the screening because the story is relatable to most people.
“Very few people in America have not been touched by cancer,” Frame said.
The Athena Grand is one of three theaters in Ohio screening the film. Theaters in Pickerington and Zanesville will also be showing the film, which means those who live in Athens would have had to drive over an hour to see the film.
Amanda Howery-Graham, the executive assistant to the vice provost of diversity and inclusion, said she already bought tickets for the screening in Zanesville and was glad when the Athena Grand added the movie to their showtimes.
Howery-Graham said she was “upset” when she heard Joey was diagnosed so she stayed up-to-date on the situation.
“I have been following them for the past couple years,” she said. “(Their story) has impacted my own personal life and led me to make changes in my own life.”
Howery-Graham said the film is important for families to see because people are so focused on technology that they do not spend enough time with family, she said.
“Our lives have become so rapid that we aren’t living,” Howery-Graham said. “(The film is) going to ground people.”
