Ruth Sokolof Theater | |
Address | 1340 Mike Fahey Street Omaha, Nebraska United States |
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Coordinates | 41°15′58″N 95°56′03″W / 41.26617°N 95.93428°W |
Operator | Film Streams |
Type | Art house |
Capacity | 206, 96 |
Construction | |
Opened | July 27, 2007 |
Years active | 2007 to present |
Architect | Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture |
Website | |
www |
Film Streams is a nonprofit arts organization in Omaha, Nebraska[1] which oversees two cinemas: the Ruth Sokolof Theater, in North Downtown Omaha, and the historic Dundee Theater, Omaha's longest surviving neighborhood cinema.[2] It receives funding from corporate and individual donors, members, and the government.[3][4][5]
Film Streams was founded by Rachel Jacobson in 2005, it states its mission as "enhanc[ing] the cultural environment of the Omaha-Council Bluffs area through the presentation and discussion of film as an art form".[6]
In July 2007, Film Streams opened the Ruth Sokolof Theater. A two-screen cinema in downtown Omaha's North Downtown (NoDo) area[7] found within a development anchored by Omaha-based music label Saddle Creek Records.[8][9] In February 2016, Film Streams announced that Susie Buffett's Sherwood Foundation had donated the 92-year-old Dundee Theater to the organization.[10] The organization launched a public capital campaign in April 2017 with the intention of renovating and reopening the cinema by 2018.[11] Film Streams' Dundee Theater reopened to the public on December 1, 2017.[12]
The name "Film Streams" is inspired by Omaha (the word means "above all others on a stream") and the John Cassavetes film, Love Streams.[13]
The Ruth Sokolof Theater has two auditoriums with 35-millimeter platter and reel-to-reel projection capabilities.[8] The larger theater seats 206 and runs first run feature films. The smaller theater seats 96 and shows a selection of classic films, retrospectives, and other films.[3] Film Streams has DVD, Blu-ray, and digital high-definition projection.
Films Streams was inspired by joining with Saddle Creek Records, the indie record label based in Omaha, to build a mini-campus in a deserted downtown Omaha area.[14] The block that is home to Film Streams also houses the Saddle Creek headquarters and Slowdown, a rock club the label operates.[8][15][16][17]
Film Streams' North Downtown Omaha cinema is named after Ruth Sokolof, née Rosinsky (1925-1982), a well-known educator in Omaha who focused her life on helping children with disabilities.[18] With her husband, Phil,[19][20] many education-based scholarships are awarded in their name each year to Omaha-area students and educators.[21][22]
Address | 4952 Dodge St Omaha United States |
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Operator | Film Streams |
Type | Art house |
Screens | 2 |
Construction | |
Opened | 1925 |
Renovated | 2017 |
Website | |
www.filmstreams.org |
Film Streams announced plans to renovate and reopen Omaha's longest-running cinema in February 2016. When it reopened, it featured two screens: the historic 300-seat main house and a new 25-seat microcinema.[23] The lobby is occupied by Lola's, a neighborhood cafe.[24]
Film Streams offers screenings of first-run films and a selection of retrospectives and classic films; education programs, and community development programs.[25]