Vendor Spotlight: Kan Kan Cinema
Written by Cory Cathcart
Kan Kan Cinema’s window display for Season 3 of St’Artup 317
Kan-Kan Cinema is a new theatre experience in Indianapolis that focuses on bringing together the film and food lovers in the city. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Kan-Kan had to close their doors immediately after putting the finishing touches on their location in Windsor Park. We discussed their business and their St’Artup 317 window display on 16th and Pennsylvania. When it’s safe to reopen, we highly recommend finding yourself in a seat for a movie, dinner, or drinks at Kan-Kan. Until reopening, head to their website to watch a variety of hand-picked films.
Tell us about yourself and your business/ art practice.
The Kan-Kan Cinema is a 3-screen art house theatre in Windsor Park. Scheduled to open in March 2020, the Kan-Kan is, in the era of coronavirus, a virtual art house featuring robust content, both paid and free. The Kan-Kan is powered by the Indianapolis Film Project, a non-profit with a mission to enrich the culture of Indianapolis through independent film exhibition, education, and community engagement.
What's been the best part and worst part of owning your own business?
Raising the money to build a brand new film and restaurant complex, getting it built, planning for our opening….and then the day before, having to shut down and pivot to the virtual space has been quite a challenge. But we’ve innovated and found lots of opportunities to stay engaged with our audience and members who join us in looking forward to the day we can open our doors.
Tell us about your St'Artup 317 window display. Where did the idea come from, how long did it take you to plan and execute, etc?
We loved the 9-paned windows of the Piccadilly building and given that our design and colors are eye-catching, designed, unique posters for every pane to promote the Kan-Kan Cinema and build awareness of who we are. Riffing off our brand as designed by Matinee Creative, our talented Communications Manager created nine unique signs. DCG printed them on reusable styrene and with a lot of duct tape, we mounted them in the windows.
What do you hope to get out of this experience?
We wanted to both support the mission of St’Artup 317 and build awareness of the Kan-Kan Cinema. As the new kid in town whose physical opening was delayed by the pandemic and shutdown, we especially appreciated the opportunity for exposure.