To Whom This May Concern

February 27, 2017

Cinemark – West Plano

Plano, TX

To whom this may concern:

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of viewing the acclaimed documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, which brings to life the unfinished memoir, Remember This House by James Baldwin.

The film, beautifully narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, matched the words of Baldwin to the images of times past and times that happened as recent as last year.  I was reminded that although I live in the “land of the free and the home of the brave” the actions of the American citizens don’t necessarily reflect these truths.

Unfortunately we live in a land of systematic segregation, be it by race, class, or sexual orientation. We are far from free because our actions don’t mirror freedom.

The only way for us to truly change, to truly overcome, to truly be free is to see each other as humans; not placing any one man or group above another.

I Am Not Your Negro was enlightening, timely, and highly educational.   People who may not be informed on what happened “back then” or what is happening now will have a renewed desire to learn, to read, and to educate themselves on our United States of America.

I enjoyed the film along with several others on yesterday at the Angelika Theater near SMU.  I braved the Dallas traffic, paid expensive toll fees, and risked the high percentage of rain simply because your theater only offered one showing.

At 2:37PM on Sunday, February 26^th, I called the West Plano location to inquire about other showings.  Sadly your theater would only be offering the film at 10:45PM through February 28^th (I’m assuming since that would be the last day of Black History month). 

I found this quite shocking.  The film had only been offered at your location for a short time. The gentleman that I spoke with on yesterday informed me that another (not other but another… just one more) timeslot was made available (he couldn’t recall the time) but due to poor showing only the 10:45PM timeslot remained.

Would you agree that high traffic times for most theaters are between 4-8PM?  Of course it would depend on the day of the week and if the movie was newly released.

Midnight or late showings generally bring in smaller crowds.  This timeslot is usually held for films that are quite popular (with several showings throughout the day) or those that have been in the theater for awhile and drive less traffic during the popular hours.

Your decision to place I Am Not Your Negro at a later timeslot sparks many questions/thoughts.

Would the timeslot influence fewer attendees?

Would a later showing lower the probability of a riot or confrontational behavior by movie goers?

Would providing a single showing of the title avoid backlash on social media as well as any other bad PR?

Was the title too controversial so it was “hidden” as to not draw too much attention?

Or was it because Hidden Figures filled the quota for “black films” shown at peak hours during black history month?

I have shared these thoughts on my blog and other social media outlets because I am sure that others have similar questions or concerns. 

I would appreciate any feedback that you provide.

Thank you for your time…