Parts of Adam Carlson’s ”Athens in review” article made me laugh, but his rant about Ciné left me itching to respond ["Athens in Review," Jan. 15]. Ciné’s mission is to offer Athens audiences, and students in particular, an alternative to the multiplex and the opportunity to see specialty, art, classic and foreign films that would otherwise never come to town. Ciné aims to please, and its level of pretention is arguably quite low. The price for UGA students to attend an evening film at Cine is $7, which is significantly cheaper than either Beechwood or Carmike. The dollar theater, which is actually $2 for later showings, is cheaper, but then most of the reruns playing there are bargain basement as well. At Ciné, if you are 21 or older, you can buy a glass of wine or a beer and chat in the lobby with friends before your movie begins or after it ends. The lobby is a welcoming place with tables and local artwork on display.

Ciné works hard to offer you a state-of-the-art viewing experience, showing 35mm prints and digital masters. The theater is what one makes of it and if you attend a screening with CinéClub, a UGA club that promotes the theater to students and arranges film screenings and events in their lab space, the likelihood of seeing a grandmother dressed in L.L. Bean is slim to none. Granted if you do, you are more than welcome to look away. And if you hate audience members talking during a film, any screening at Ciné beats a Transformers screening at Carmike.

Ciné is a welcoming local non-profit endeavor. That means it works to bring the community of Athens together through films. Its executive and programming boards are composed of students, local activists, UGA professors, and film critics, whose job is to bring town and gown together, at and around the movies.

Ciné needs community support, because in essence, we are the theater. So next time the question arises about where to go see a movie, try Ciné, and should you encounter a hipster while there, consider yourself lucky — you might have a subject for your next sociology paper.

SOPHIE KOHN

Senior, Athens

Mass media arts and sociology