The Kentucky Theatre celebrates International Cinema Day

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - People are making their way to the movies across the country to celebrate National Cinema Day. And right here in Lexington, The Kentucky Theater has participated in the fun.

“It’s kind of this magical place where you can sit in a seat here, and through the power of cinema you can travel anywhere in the world,” said Hayward Wilkerson, Manager at The Kentucky Theatre.

National Cinema Day is best celebrated with a bucket of popcorn - and the Kentucky theater in downtown Lexington welcomed movie maniacs and newcomers alike to enjoy.

“It is a nationwide initiative to celebrate the power and magic of cinema, to bring people out to cinemas,” said Wilkerson.

Cinemas like The Kentucky Theatre have dealt with multiple hurdles in the past years, specifically shutting down for the COVID pandemic.

However, attendance has seen a boom, thanks to the Barbie and Oppenheimer craze - bringing in more theater attendees. Now in the face of the Writers and Actor’s strike, the Theatre might be on shaky ground once again.

“A lot of films that are out there, that are ready to be released, they are holding - because actors aren’t allowed to do publicity tours during the strike,” said Wilkerson. “So, our fall season is a little uncertain on what it’s going to look like.”

One thing that is certain is the appreciation that managers like Hayward Wilkerson want to express for the work that goes into filmmaking. This fall, The Lexington Theater is starting Lexington’s first-ever international film festival - drawing in movies and short films from around the globe.

“You can travel into the future, you can travel into the past, so I think there is just a magic to it - and that magic is magnified when you are sharing that experience with other people… something you can’t do at home,” said Wilkerson.

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