Students, faculty and Dayton community members can look forward to Sinclair College teaming up with local theater, The Neon, to bring free movies to campus once again.
Michael Carter with Sinclair’s College and Community Connections said this partnership has been going strong for years and is an outlet for everyone to gain more educational and social understanding.
“We partnered with the Neon for a number of years,” Carter said. “They’re an important fixture here in Dayton, and we want to support them.”
This summer, featured films at The Neon included “Seeds,” a documentary showcasing Black farmers in America, and “Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It,” a documentary on the life of the “fifth Beatle.”
Sinclair provided vouchers for 20 tickets to each showing as well as popcorn and drink coupons.
While discussing “Seeds,” Carter said it was important for people to learn about agriculture in Black history.
“Just finding amazing, interesting stories that tell sides and stories that we may not be aware of,” Carter said. “So we want people to find out about those things.”
Sinclair’s partnership with The Neon doesn’t stop at “Seeds.”
The Billy Preston biopic dives into his career as a musician, while also being gay at a time when announcing one’s sexuality was commonly career suicide. Carter said movies like this allow for conversation on topics that may not typically be discussed.
Sinclair and The Neon partner on events like this frequently. Past movies included “The Six Triple Eight” about Charity Adams Earley, as well as documentaries on redlining in Springfield and Dayton. Sinclair has even rented out the entire theater for students and staff in the past.
“When we’ve rented out a theater, we filled it up,” Carter said. “The response has been great.”
Related: Dayton Black Women’s Film Festival returns to The Neon
While planning the events and movies has been pretty smooth, Carter said it can be difficult to find the time to advertise the events to the masses.
Sinclair plans to continue this partnership with even more movies and events in the fall semester.
Luc Nsabindora, reporter
Check out more from The Clarion:
- Letter to the Editor: ‘Fault Lines: Growing up in Dayton taught me what policy really costs’
- ‘Sinclair @ The Neon’ partnership allows free entry to select films for students
- Parking garage under construction throughout summer, pedestrian access limited
- 5 ways to celebrate Pride Month in Dayton
- Dayton Dragons heat up for summer with fresh talent
