Full Breakdown
Seattle Filmmaker’s Documentary Reveals Hope Amid Small-Town Theater Decline
7/14/2026, 2:11:47 AM
Documentary’s Journey and Findings
Documentarian Rustin Thompson, an Emmy-winning University of Washington graduate, traveled the American West in the summers of 2023 and 2024 to film “The Last Picture Shows.” He visited 123 theaters in towns with fewer than 10,000 residents, discovering roughly half were closed, demolished, or repurposed. The film juxtaposes these losses with thriving venues such as the Desert Theatre in Burns, Oregon; the Barnyard Cinema in Winthrop, Washington; the Ruby Theatre in Chelan, Washington; the Washoe Theatre in Anaconda, Montana; the Eltrym Theater in Baker City, Oregon; and the Auto Vue Drive-in in Colville, Washington.
Profiles of Featured Theaters and Operators
Owners like Tiny Pedersen of the Desert Theatre, who also holds a full-time day job, explain that they stay open “because we enjoy doing it and the community needs it.” In Winthrop, a young couple launched the town’s first cinema in 10 years, while the Washoe Theatre’s Jerry Lussy has managed the historic venue for 36 years. The Eltrym Theater retains its original owner’s name spelled backward, and the Auto Vue Drive-in continues family operation after half a century, despite recent ownership changes.
Thompson’s Mission and Film’s Reception
Initially intending a bleak portrait of disappearing moviegoing, Thompson shifted focus after meeting Pedersen, deciding to highlight community resilience. The documentary has screened at more than a dozen U.S. film festivals, earning a special jury award at the Arizona International Film Festival, and secured theatrical runs in New York and Los Angeles for August. Executive producer Rachel Price arranged free benefit screenings to aid theaters seeking nonprofit status or fundraising.
Impact and Community Support
Thompson offers his film at no rental charge for theaters holding fundraisers, stating his goal is to help them stay in business. The project has already generated several benefit events and aims to sustain the cultural role of small-town cinemas.
Verbatim Quotes
- “No one sees my movies anyway.” — Rustin Thompson
- “I turned to my wife, and I said, ‘You know what, I think I’ve got to make this movie a little more hopeful.’” — Rustin Thompson
- “Because we enjoy doing it and the community needs it.” — Tiny Pedersen, Owner/operator, Desert Theatre
- “It’s a building that’s supposed to be used, like all buildings.” — Jerry Lussy, Washoe Theatre manager
- “That’s part of my mission here.” — Rustin Thompson
- “If they’re having fundraisers, they’re probably transitioning (to nonprofit) or already nonprofit, and if my film can help, I’ll do that.” — Rustin Thompson
