Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has launched the new web series “Kim’s Video Collection” on Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s YouTube channel and social accounts. The web series pays tribute to the physical media archive from New York City’s legendary Mondo Kim’s video store, now in its permanent home at Alamo Drafthouse’s Lower Manhattan location.
Created and produced by filmmaker (and former Kim’s Video clerk) Alex Ross Perry and Found Footage Festival co-founder Nick Prueher, “Kim’s Video Collection” invites filmmakers, actors, journalists, and celebrity guests to share their video store memories and select their favorite films from the collection. The first episode features actress Chloë Sevigny pulling titles. Sevigny was a frequent patron at the iconic East Village video store. Kim’s Video started in 1987 as a small video store in the East Village before expanding into a number of locations throughout the city. At the hand of gentrification and a waning interest in physical media, Kim’s closed its doors unexpectedly in 2009.
The documentary Kim’s Video, directed by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, chronicles the close of Kim’s, the move of its collection of 55,000 movies to Salemi, Sicily, and the collection’s subsequent return to New York City. The documentary will be released by Drafthouse Films on April 5th in New York City and Los Angeles before expanding to select cities nationwide April 12th. Special post-screening conversations with Kim’s Video founder Yongman Kim and special guests are planned at New York City’s Quad Cinema.
“When we found out Kim’s Video was coming back to New York, we assembled a dedicated crew of former employees and film lovers to help catalog these rare films – most of which aren’t streaming anywhere – and prep them for rental once again,” said Nick Prueher. “Now we’re inviting artists we love to come explore the collection and talk about why video store culture is important.”
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