The Athena Cinema will show everyone’s favorite holiday films for an entire month, all for the price of a can of soup.
The Holiday Film Series is in its seventh year at The Athena Cinema, providing Athens residents and Ohio University students with a fun holiday activity to attend throughout December.
Alex Kamody, the director of The Athena Cinema, and her staff choose the movies that they believe best suit the people of Athens months in advance.
“The movies fit what we wanted to play at the theater and what would be good for children and families,” Kamody said. “But we also wanted to pick ones we thought really deserved to be seen on the big screen again.”
Six films will be shown this year: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, The Muppets Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and It’s a Wonderful Life. Admission to any of the movies are non-perishable foods or cash donations. Free snowflake cookies baked by Ohio University Catering Services will also be provided at each showing. More information on show times can be found here.
The Athena Cinema and its partners at OU have always wanted to find a way to give back to the people of Athens, so by asking for non-perishable food items as admission, they were able to do just that.
“The spirit of the series has always been how can we give back to the community and how can we offer people a really nice holiday experience that doesn’t cost a lot,” Kamody said.
The holiday film series not only brings more people to The Athena Cinema, but also to Uptown in general to support the local businesses on Court Street.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on, lots to compete with in the town and campus, but we’ve been really happy with attendance,” Kamody said. “We love receiving an audience that has kids, young people, older people. People of all different backgrounds.”
Chelsea Smith, a senior studying psychology, would be interested in attending one of the films during the series.
“I think it’s really cool that there’s a charitable aspect to it,” Smith said. “Also, Christmas movies are just tradition for a lot of people. It was always cool, and they just bring people together.”
Cassidy Voase, a junior studying journalism, finds the donations as admission to be a great idea.
“The donation is great, because in addition to it being easier for college students on a budget, it’s also a good way to give back to those who are in need during the holidays,” Voase said.
She’s excited and looking forward to watching some of her favorite classics with her friends.
“I love watching Christmas movies. They just get me in the holiday spirit and put me in a good mood,” Voase said. “Especially with this series happening at The Athena, it’s something different to do that’s not offered year round.”
