OUR STORY

A Letter from Jon Bokenkamp

I grew up watching movies at the World Theatre. That dumpy little box on main street is where my dad took me to see my first flick. It's where I discovered Luke Skywalker and Rocky Balboa. Even after they built that hideous wall and "twinned" the auditorium, I kept coming back — Top Gun, Silence of the Lambs (I even sat through Teenwolf Too with my buddy Chad Trout and the two blondes we took to the Snowflake Dance).

The World Theatre is where I fell in love with movies. The romance that started in that theatre led to a career as a Hollywood screenwriter. I've since had the thrill of writing for some amazing actors, from Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts to Halle Berry and Bruce Willis — but after 14 years in L.A., my wife Kathy and I decided it was time to come home.

Moving back to our hometown of Kearney was a statement on how we wanted to live. We weren't recruited to come here; no job brought us. Fact is, we came to Kearney because it's not like every other place in suburbia. Yes, we have a GAP and Starbucks, but that's as cosmopolitan as it gets. The unusual thing about Kearney — the refreshing thing — is that it has the kind of character you can't import or manufacture: the fire department's volunteer, the best restaurants are locally-owned, and at the center of it all is a very charming main street... with an empty movie theatre.

As silly as it sounds, I feel like that theatre has been waiting for me, or maybe I've been waiting for it. Sadly for all of us, it will never operate as a conventional movie house like it did when I was kid. Turns out, Dylan had it right: "The Times They Are A Changin.'" However the same economic principles that shut the place down present us with an incredible opportunity. Believe me, there's something remarkable sleeping in that old theatre.

My pitch to you is simple: let's turn The World Theatre into Kearney's non-profit movie house. Let's run it with volunteers. Let's restore the 1927 grandeur. Let's make it affordable. And let's show movies that matter.

Together, we can create a space to show the films that we don't get to see because of where we live. The Oscar-winning films. The documentaries. The old classics we haven't seen on the big screen for a generation. Let's build a theatre that creatively programs its films around our own community events (American Graffiti during Cruise Night, anyone?). When we're not showing movies we'll be open to the public, for meetings, for community organizations, for church services, fund-raisers, and weddings and parties. We're going to take that dinosaur on main street and turn it into the vibrant, community-based space we deserve.

Understand, this is not about "saving" some old building. This is an opportunity to create a cultural landmark. It's a chance to build something no movie chain will ever build in Kearney -- because the thing is not about generating profit, the thing is about taking care of this place we call home.

I know; it's corny. But it's the truth.

Funny thing: I was at the World Theatre the last night it was open. I didn't care about the movie; for some reason, I just wanted to be there. As I left, I looked up and saw MONA. I remembered when that place was an empty Post Office. Now it's living and breathing and the cornerstone of our downtown. People did that. We can do that.

With idealism and conviction,

Jon Bokenkamp
Founder, The World Theatre Foundation