“Ten states. 10,825 miles. 123 theaters.” Foghorn Features has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film titled The Last Picture Shows, a nostalgic and touching portrait of forgotten movie theaters around the US. This one is for all the cinema nerds and everyone who loves going out to the movies. Filmmaker Rustin Thompson journeys into the American West on a search for traces of what was once a center of small-town life: the movie theater. On the trip, he finds long abandoned & forgotten cinemas; movie houses that have fallen into disrepair; theaters recently closed, theaters struggling to hold on, and theaters that—thanks to their thoughtful caretakers—are not only surviving but also thriving. The Last Picture Shows is not only a timely portrait of an industry in crisis, one facing the headwinds of consolidation, streaming, and the diminishing theatrical experience, but it also reminds viewers that even in vast cinema deserts, there are oases of community and gathering that remain, where the movie house continues to be a place of wonder, contemplation, and connection. Well this sounds like exactly my jam! This is some gorgeous footage to go along with all the conversations he’s captured with the theater owners. I want to visit every last one of them.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Rustin Thompson’s doc The Last Picture Shows, from YouTube:
Filmmaker Rustin Thompson journeys into the American West on a search for traces of what was once a center of small-town life: the movie theater. On the trip, he finds long abandoned and forgotten cinemas; movie houses that have fallen into disrepair; theaters recently closed, theaters struggling to hold on, and theaters that—thanks to their thoughtful caretakers—are not only surviving but thriving. Between the stops along the way, Rustin poetically intersperses excerpts from Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 classic film The Last Picture Show, as well as reflections on past and present hardships facing the film exhibition industry. The Last Picture Shows is a documentary produced and written and directed by American indie filmmaker Rustin Thompson, director of the films Spree and The Ends of the Earth and a few other doc projects. Executive produced by Rachel Price. This initially premiered at the 2026 Santa Barbara Film Festival earlier this year. Foghorn Features debuts The Last Picture Shows doc in select US theaters starting on July 5th, 2026, with openings in NY & LA this August. For details, visit the film’s official site. Who wants to watch?
Read more posts in: Documentaries, Indies, To Watch, Trailer
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