Pictured Above: Green Light Cinema is located at 221 Second Ave. N in downtown St. Petersburg.
Patrick Tobin | The Crow’s Nest
By Annalise Anderson
St. Petersburg’s thriving arts scene helped put the “Sunshine City” on travelers’ bucket lists. Ironically enough, the city never had its own independent film theater – until now.
Green Light Cinema opened its doors last month, making it the city’s first indie arthouse movie theater.
After relocating from Boston five years ago, owner Mike Hazlett and his wife, Sue, recognized the community’s need for an independently owned theater.
Patrick Tobin | The Crow’s Nest
The theater had been in the works for more than a year. Though Hazlett finished the project earlier this year, he was forced to delay its grand opening due to COVID-19.
Green Light Cinema aims to offer an intimate experience with limited seating, exclusive films and a community centric mindset that its customers can’t get at big-name theaters
“The idea is to make people feel like it’s part of the community,” Hazlett said. “It’s our little downtown theater.”
A humble concession stand, walls lined in movie posters and an oversized mid-century modern couch flanked by light-up palm trees greet guests before entering the 50-seat screening room.
Green Light’s theater seats may look familiar to local movie buffs. In keeping with the cinema’s community interest, its classic red velvet seats were procured from AMC Sundial 12 after the corporate theater underwent a renovation.
Hazlett plans to add final touches to the cinema in the future, like installing more seating and an inclined back row for optimal viewing throughout the theater.
Despite the theater’s size, it houses top-of-the-line technology for superb projection and audio quality during screenings.
“I’m going to keep it small and get creative with programming,” Hazlett said. “Part of this, too, is to get the community involved, you know? I’ve got some local filmmakers who are going to be doing some stuff here.”
In addition to local productions, Green Light will regularly show award-winning indie films during the weekends.
“You can’t see these movies (anywhere else) in St. Pete. You can’t see them in Tampa either,” Hazlett said.
Shithouse, an SXSW award-winning coming-of-age film, was on view over the weekend. Next weekend will host classic horror films like Psycho, An American Werewolf in London and the 2018 reboot of Halloween.
“They’ve been talking about how movies are going to die for 100 years,” Hazlett said. “But there’s something about this experience that is very relevant.
“I think there is going to be a kind of reconfiguring of the movie business. You have to be able to be creative and evolve.”
Standard tickets are $10 each and student tickets are $8. Tickets can be purchased in-person or online at greenlightcinemastpete.com. Guests are required to preselect their seats, so be sure to plan accordingly. Popcorn, candies and soft drinks are also available for purchase.
Face coverings are required, seating is socially distanced and the theater is sanitized after every show to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
