Best Place to Genuflect Before Seeing a Movie

The Aurora Picture Show is the Holy Grail of microcinemas, one of a handful of tiny theaters sparsely scattered around the country, showcasing noncommercial films and video. The right reverend Andrea Grover, the Aurora's executive director, is possibly the hardest-working person in the self-sacrificing world of nonprofit arts organizations. At the Aurora, the congregation files into the wooden pews of the homey converted church for a program that could include anything from Goshogaoka (a one-hour film shot in six ten-minute segments documenting the practice session of a Japanese girls' basketball team) to the country's only deaf filmmaker festival. In the rare event of technical difficulties, a round of church bingo breaks out. The popular annual "AV Geeks" series presents vintage education and training films like More Dates for Kay, a 1952 hygiene and etiquette film for young women, and The Lunatic, a cautionary tale from 1972 starring a roving syphilitic hippie. This year's Aurora awards dinner on October 10 will honor the work of pioneering video artist William Wegman, who will be in attendance. No word yet on whether his dogs will show, but we've got our paws crossed.