Outdoor summer movies have a special lure. Maybe it’s the cool evening breezes or the draw of gorgeous park surroundings. Maybe it’s watching a film alongside 500 strangers also sprawled on blankets, drinking lemonade. Whatever it is, I can’t say no to them.

There are a few outdoor film offerings on Austin’s East Side now, but this year my Sunday evenings officially belong to Cinema East. Founded in 2010 by Maggie Lea and Scott Jawson, Cinema East aims for accessibility, offering film fest fare at a low cost. Returning for their second season with a new slate of independent narratives and shorts, Cinema East has an enviable new venue on the grounds of the The French Legation Museum, and has added food and drink offerings from Hope Farmers Market to the mix.

Taking cues from other outdoor independent film series, such as New York’s Roof Top Films, CE Producer Maggie Lea and programmer Carlyn Hudson have focused particularly on young, up & coming filmmakers, showing their work to a broader audience.

Lea explained the basic philosophy behind Cinema East, “We're trying to take the exclusivity out of small, independent films. We want casual filmgoers to see them.”

While the cost of attending a festival can be prohibitively expensive for average folk, Cinema East brings Austinites a veritable SXSW in miniature, minus the cost of a badge or the long wait in line. Much like a festival, each screening is followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, giving spectators a chance to interact directly with the artists.

The accessibility has made Cinema East a clear hit with audiences. Their first 2011 screening, Ben Steinbauer’s Winnebago Man, attracted some 720 people on a cool but windy night. At a cursory glance, the crowd seems dominated by young, arty types, but Lea stresses the spirit of the series is based on inclusivity and she hopes to attract a diverse crowd.

Bringing independent cinema out of the festival--not to mention the traditional movie theater--has an equal appeal to filmmakers.

Lea elaborated, “When they screen their film at our series, they’re guaranteed an audience that they normally wouldn’t get. It just hits a different niche when you don’t charge a lot and you hold it outside.”

Of course, being a fairly nascent operation, CE is still working out a few kinks--one being preventing the inflatable screen from distorting the picture or moving when the wind picks up. Though overall, this event--where you can involve yourself with cutting-edge film while lazily lounging around--is the terrific end to any summer weekend.

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Tickets to Cinema East are $2 and go to support the preservation of the French Legation Museum, which is also the oldest wood frame house in Austin, dating back to 1840.

Upcoming CE films include Sofia Takal’s Green on August 21st, and Dustin Guy Defa’s Bad Fever rounding out the series on September 4th. Next up is Alex Ross Perry’s The Color Wheel on July 10th. Check out the trailer below.