East Hampton Film Society Targets Youthful Audience

Josh Gladstone can authoritatively state that, for the majority of high school students, Guild Hall and the John Drew Theater might as well not exist. The East Hampton cultural institution is simply not on their radar, the artistic director suspects.

So when a pitch email from 17-year-old Will Stoecker found its way into Mr. Gladstone’s inbox over the winter, he was intrigued.

“It was like he stumbled across Guild Hall,” Mr. Gladstone recalled. “He had an idea that would aggressively promote us among the high school crowd. I was, like, ‘Yes, please!’”

Will’s vision was the East Hampton Film Society—the first-ever series of screenings devoted to revered classics and underappreciated independent films, kicking off on Thursday night with “The Godfather.”

“I thought, for the grand opening, I’d want to show the most well-known movie that could be appealing to kids and adults,” explained Will, a junior at East Hampton High School. “And once it got off, I could show lesser-known movies.”

The film buff has plucked four films from his personal collection, which he began building at a young age. “I would collect every movie I could get my hands on. I still have most of them,” he said. “That’s how I pick the movies we’re showing. I go through my collection and think about what other people would want to see.”

While “The Godfather” and Roman Polanski's classic “Chinatown”—screening April 2 at Guild Hall—are widely recognized, it is Wes Anderson’s directorial debut in “Bottle Rocket” and the Sundance-acclaimed “Brick,” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, that may surprise audiences. They will screen Thursday, March 19, and April 16, respectively.

“I think it’s so exciting that a young, entrepreneurial guy is willing to get involved in cultural programming,” Mr. Gladstone said. “A junior in high school? I’m not going to tell him what he should or shouldn’t program—that’s the fun of this. He can either sell it, or he can’t. He’s going to find out.”

He laughed, and added, “It’s kind of like the [John Drew Theater] Film Lab. Can you curate a film series? Good luck.”

The East Hampton Film Society will make its premiere with “The Godfather” on Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m. at the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall in East Hampton. Tickets are $8, or $6 for members. The series will continue with “Bottle Rocket” on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m.; “Chinatown” on April 2 at 7 p.m.; and “Brick” on April 16 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit ehfilmsociety.com.