Bring the T movies downtown
here has never been a more exciting time for film in Central Arkansas than now. The Little Rock film festival last May, in just its third year, screened to more than 15,000 By Brent Renaud people in just five days. The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival continues to cultivate a national reputation and Christopher Crane at the Arkansas Film Office is working hard to bring big-budget Hollywood films and television shows to our state, which is great for jobs and tourism. Couple this proven enthusiasm for film with the continued development of the waterfront on both sides of the river, and the time is perfect for a flagship film center that would show the best in independent and foreign films and host film festival screenings and special events. Maybe something hip like the Alamo Draft House in Austin, Texas, where you can order beer and chicken wings delivered to your seats as you watch an independent new release on a big screen; or something a bit more upscale like the Epicenter Theater in Charlotte, N.C., where there are four theaters with large plush seats and a lobby occupied by an upscale restaurant and bar. Downtown development, on both sides of the river, has begun to attract a young and sophisticated group of people to either stay in Little Rock or move to the city. Many already understand that the success of this urban experiment is tied directly to the economic and cultural future of each city. A film center would go a long way toward helping to cement a permanent sense of community along the river.
Brent Renaud is a filmmaker and a founder of the Little Rock Film Festival. His latest film is “Warrior Champions.”
Encourage green homes
M
any people are looking for ways to “green” their lives. We know that buildings and homes are the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. While some people fear that taking energy efficient measures in their homes will amount to a drastic change in lifestyle, that’s typically not the case. Plus, it can put
saving opportunities. The city then pays up to $12,000 for any and all of the improvements the resident wants to pursue. After the work is complete, the homeowner makes monthly payments to the town. Payments By J.D. Lowery are structured to be less than the energy savings projected by the money in your pocket. audit, ensuring immediate savings for the We know the cost of consumer. energy will continue The pool of money for a program like this could to rise. So what is with come from many sources: city, county, or state governthe holdup to going ments, stimulus funds or even from a portion of the green? It is that certain millions of dollars that go to utility bill assistance in shade of green known Arkansas each year. It seems far better to treat the sickas upfront costs. So, ness and not just the symptoms. how do we do it? Furthermore, there are many partnership opporO n e N e w Yo r k tunities with any of the above entities and non-profit town offers a model groups, churches or a number of other local organizafor Central Arkansas to tions dedicated to empowering individuals and famifollow. Located in Long Island, the town of Babylon lies. We know that increasing one’s disposable income introduced a residential retrofit program that requires is a sure-fire way to support the local economy. We have little to no out-of-pocket costs for home owners. the ideas and the resources right here. So what’s the This simple revolving loan fund is issued when holdup? residents obtain an energy audit by a town-approved J.D. Lowery is the project manager for Viridian USA. contractor who prepares a detailed report on costArkAnsAs Times • nATives guide 2010 9