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Alamo Drafthouse raises curtain on Dazed and Confused cast reunion at Austin theaters
Hey, pandemic people, if you’re not alright, alright, alright about life these days, the Alamo Drafthouse might have just the thing to make you feel a little less dazed and confused.
As part of its Support Local Cinemas initiative, Alamo Drafthouse will present a special-screening run of iconic slacker flick Dazed and Confused this spring. It will air in theaters the world over alongside a pre-recorded cast reunion Zoom session featuring the always cool Matthew McConaughey, “air raid” queen Parker Posey, and legendary Austin director Richard Linklater.
Hosted by Jack Black, the Dazed and Confused cast reunion and film showings begin the week of April 20 (4/20, get it? It’d be a lot cooler if you did!) and run through May. Fans can even submit a question to the panel using the hashtag #Dazed on Twitter.
This is is the second event in the Alamo Drafthouse Support Local Cinemas program, with shows only being aired in theaters. The initiative launched earlier this month with The Lord of the Rings cast reunion, which brings together 11 cast members with host Stephen Colbert. The events are produced by Alamo Drafthouse and made available to any cinema at no cost.
“As founder and artistic director of the Austin Film Society, I know firsthand that community cinemas like ours are vital cultural spaces,” Linklater says. “It’s important for everyone to do their part to ensure that theaters can make it to the other side of this pandemic. We can’t come together as a community unless we have places to gather where we can share experiences, and cinemas are at the heart of that.”
The programming may also help keep the Austin-based movie chain top of mind at a time when it’s struggling like never before. Earlier this month, Alamo Drafthouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced it would close three theaters, including the Ritz location in downtown Austin.
“We’ve found the movies that resonate the most during COVID are warm, nostalgic, feel-good titles that we refer to as ‘eminently re-watchable,’” says Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and executive chairman. “Perhaps the king of our re-watchable cult favorite movies is Richard Linklater’s ‘Dazed and Confused,’ and I’m delighted that Richard, Matthew, Parker, and Jack are giving us their time for this event.”
Tickets for the shows in Austin are currently available, and Alamo Drafthouse notes, with the continuing pandemic, it has also taken additional precautions, including making HVAC upgrades and employing state-of-the-art technology, to keep employees and patrons safe.
The Lord of the Rings and Dazed and Confused events are also available as Your Own Private Alamo bookings, Alamo Drafthouse’s “personal-theater” option that allows movie patrons to reserve a showing for their family and friends. Additionally, the reunion conversations will be shared online via Alamo On Demand later this year.