In the Spotlight: Maiden Alley Executive Director, Rebecca Madding

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In the Spotlight...

Maiden Alley Executive Director Rebecca Madding

by Karen Hammond

Maiden Alley Executive Director Rebecca Madding

In the Spring, with a pandemic hitting our country, a new Director took the reins at Maiden Alley Cinema (MAC) in Paducah. Some people may have found that intimidating and not the best time to be starting a new job, but not Rebecca Madding – even when MAC had to close from March until June!

I had the pleasure to interview Rebecca recently and find out more about her and what’s new at Maiden Alley Cinema. Originally from Aberdeen, Ohio, Madding came to western Kentucky in 2011 to attend Murray State University – and she stayed.

“I met a boy,” she told me with a laugh. “And, he’s from Graves County. He was also involved in 48 Hour Film Project and we went on dates at the MAC. He was cast into a local art movie and by 2014 I was heavily volunteering for the Rivers Edge Film Festival and Oktoberfest. I spent a year in Nashville for a job but Paducah called me back. I’ve been volunteering at MAC ever since, becoming a board member in November 2017.”

“In March, when Maiden Alley was looking for a new Executive Director, I was asked to apply. I had just finished my Master’s Degree in Public Relations and was really looking to be a part of the community outreach for the area. I was hired in February 2020 – and then the pandemic struck.”

Culture through Film

The Paducah Film Society (PFS), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, was founded in 1991 by a group of arts-minded individuals who saw a need for an outlet for foreign, independent and documentary film. For the first five years of operation, PFS screened one film per month, Sundays at the Cinema. As interest increased within the community, programming expanded to multiple screenings. While the space rented from Paducah's Market House Theatre was adequate, there were limitations as to how often films could be presented due to the demand of the Market House's live production programming. A new home was needed, and Maiden Alley Cinema was born.

“We are an art house, that’s our mission,” explained Madding. “Being an art house theater is not just about showing great movies, but about promoting movies as an art medium. As an art house, MAC can use its facilities for other art forms – whether that’s live music or visual art in our lobby. A big part of our mission is to use film to provide entertainment, promote visual literacy, create cross-cultural awareness, and promote film-making as an art form. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, MAC is dedicated to enhancing culture through film. We are in the story telling business and we give folks a place to tell this story.”

“We do this not just by screening films from Hollywood, but also hosting the Cinema Systers Film Festival, or the Rivers Edge International Film Festival – which has been running for 15 years now, and is the longest running film festival in Kentucky. We have partnered with many local organizations including the NAACP, Lotus, and Habitat for Humanity. We collaborate with artists and local breweries for Oktoberfest.”

MAC is not just reviving and celebrating the classic films we know and love, but about bringing classic series to new generations. They host series such as Film Brews, Movies For Me (family friendly films on the first Saturday of the month – normally at 4pm), Faith in Film, Music @ MAC, and Director Retrospectives.

Audience Chances Bring New Opportunities

When the pandemic hit in March, almost everything closed including film production. The major studios did not release many new movies during COVID-19. However, the pandemic prompted many film studios to open up their libraries and MAC began to offer combination packages for older movies.

“When we opened in June we did a Spielberg weekend,” said Madding. “Jurassic Park, ET and Jaws - people flocked back and we sold out the first night. With sports and camps closed, a movie was, and is, a great, safe and family friendly activity. Of course in the new normal we have to be very careful about enhanced sanitation after viewers leave. Patrons wear a mask unless they are eating or drinking. Staff sanitize every seat before and after a film, and we have lots of hand sanitizer stations, etc.”

The pandemic has changed MAC in other ways. Their usual clients, pre-Covid-19, were older but many are not yet comfortable going inside to a movie theatre. The cinema has noticed many new families coming to see movies for entertainment at MAC. They have taken note of the demographic shift and have started playing Harry Potter films.

“We got Bill & Ted Face the Music before Cinemark did, so that was a real cool,” Madding told me.

To see what is playing now and in the future at MAC visit maidenalleycinema.org. You can also find out how to get involved, donate or volunteer on the site. Better yet, become a member of the Paducah Film Society and Maiden Alley Cinema... Your Home for Movies that Matter.

Rivers Edge International Film Festival

Many of the Film Festivals at Maiden Alley were cancelled this year, but Madding has been able to reschedule Rivers Edge. “This has been rescheduled from August to November 12-15 and we have really fantastic films booked, some of them local,” said Madding. “Starlight is a Hollywood produced film made in Mayfield. Its first film festival screening will be at Rivers Edge this year. We will also have a short film about Quilt week. A California production team came and made this documentary, and the film is a South by Southwest Film Festival finalist. The Show Starts at Dark: a documentary about Kentucky drive-ins, including the Calvert City Drive in. We are also screening a short film called Adaptation Kentucky. This was a National Geographic film that focused on the carp fishing industry in Wickliffe. This year, there will also be workshops and more about film production, distribution and marketing.”