Millions descend into the bowels of New York City daily to ride the subways. But now, they are doing so to watch a movie.
Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, which is the world’s oldest subway tunnel, was the scene of 2 movie screenings recently. The makeshift theater was only accessible by descending underground via a ladder through a manhole on the border of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, at the intersection of Atlantic Ave. and Court St. in New York.
Test screenings were held this summer as part of the Tunnel Vision series, and the success of that event led to the feature films underground. But make no mistake — there was no “stadium seating” or reclining cushioned rockers in this innovative theater. Moviegoers sat on tarps which lined the clay subway floor. And there was no concession stand or $5. box of popcorn either. Still, patrons left feeling that the “cool factor” of the novel theater idea was incredibly high. “The experience of actually entering through a manhole cover in the street is definitely unique,” said Dan Nuxoll, program director at Rooftop Films, which produces the film series. “It’s like a childhood fantasy, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You just feel very different about the street itself when you’re entering it.”
The Saturday program was called “Trapped in the Tunnel,” featuring six short films which dealt with being trapped in spaces. Sunday’s theme was “Tunnel of Love,” featuring four shorts, including the 30-minute “Bugcrush,” which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.
With the success of this series, it’s highly conceivable that more old and unused subway tunnels in NYC could become the movie houses of the future. But no word yet of support or opposition from the subway rats that currently occupy said tunnels.
