Claudia Cook believes many film lovers are also readers; they love stories.
"They love to watch the stories they've read on the page come to life on the screen. Being able to compare and contrast a book and film is very satisfying," the Missouri River Regional Library director said. "Being able to compare and contrast a book and film is very satisfying. It can also be frustrating because so often films don't do the book justice. When filmmakers get it right, it's really magical."
A new collaborative effort between the Missouri River Regional Library and Capitol City Cinema gives residents the opportunity to discuss their favorite books and watch their film adaptations in the comfort of their hometown independent arthouse theater with the knowledge of local librarians.
With six events planned so far, "A Winter's Bone" kicked off the first in this new "From the Page to the Screen" book and film discussion series March 20 at Capitol City Cinema. Of the 16 attendees, individuals who lived in the Ozarks region of Missouri where the book and film were set shared their stories and gave first-hand knowledge.
"Claudia Cook and Madeline Matson, whose preparation and research for the discussion really encouraged the attendees to participate. We had several Ozark natives in the audience, several of whom reached out to let us know they enjoyed discussing how the film related to issues in the Ozarks today and what might be done to improve those issues," said Cara Alexander, board secretary at Capitol City Cinema.
This concept is not unknown to Jefferson City or the library. For about 11 years, the library's former reference services manager, George Dillard, hosted a book and film discussion called the "Reader's Eye." Cook said it was "wildly popular," particularly with avid reader Dillard's well-versed knowledge of film.
"When he left, we chose not to recreate it," she said, noting Dillard retired from the library in 2012. Then Matson, adult programming and reference librarian, was hired and began bringing in more speakers to present on a variety of subjects.
"We had not done as much of that type of programming during George's time, so we switched our focus and after a while started offering First Friday Films (an event where adults can watch a recently released film that may not have come to Jefferson City)."
Alexander approached the library in January with an idea to partner, and she thought librarians were "a natural choice" to lead a book and film discussion, Cook said.
"I thought it was a perfect time to rekindle this type of library program, but with a new partner," she said.
Alexander said it was important the cinema and library collaborate on film/book choices. She said the cinema wanted to focus on books made into independent films, which is the theater's niche. The library staff narrowed down a list of the cinema's suggestions based on which books would have the most educational value.
"We also wanted to offer one book/film discussion to each one of the six existing library book discussion groups (fiction, nonfiction, adults, millennial, teens and kids)," Alexander said. "After selecting a few choices for each category, we checked to see which films we could get the rights to and our list was finalized."
Four "From the Page to the Screen" events catering to children and teens will be May through August, all beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the cinema. The next book and film discussion for teens is about "A Monster Calls" on May 15. Children will enjoy talking about Roald Dahl's "The BFG" then watching the 2016 film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg on June 19. On July 17, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is the topic for teens and the "Tale of Despereaux" will be a nice end-of-summer treat for children at the Aug. 21 event.
"Kids are full of great insights and want to share them. So for the library to be able to give them the opportunity to compare and contrast a book and film only enhances their reading experience," Cook added.
Another event in the series for adults is "Seabiscuit," scheduled at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at the cinema. At each discussion, guests will have read the book, ready to watch the film and discuss both.
"Our librarians will introduce the film with some details (filmmaker, year it was made, cast and any awards it may have received), and then after the movie they will lead a 45-minute discussion," Cook said.
For Alexander, events like the discussion series is why she became involved in the cinema, feeling that a mission-driven theater that strives to educate through film can add so much value to the community.
"Bringing newcomers into the cinema is always a goal of our board and we are constantly working towards it, but the real objective behind this collaboration for me was fulfilling our mission and demonstrating to Jefferson City that we are a multi-faceted theater that is always looking for ways to improve our offerings to the community," she said. "As an avid lover of the library, I also like to think that it spreads the word about all of the things they have to offer as well.
"Besides, who doesn't love to curl up in comfy chairs and talk about books?"