About Palo Alto Independent Films Group

Welcome to the Palo Alto Independent Films Group!

We are a group of friendly people who enjoy independent and foreign films (and of course the occasional major studio production too) and love to discuss the films after seeing them. We meet about every other week in theaters in and around Palo Alto (preferably the independent theaters - Aquarius in Palo Alto and Guild in Menlo Park) and usually go out for dinner/drinks either before or after the film, depending on showtimes.

RSVPs
We're not really strict about the RSVPs, and we don't take headcounts :). We try to keep the organizational overhead minimal. That said, the RSVPs do help us a little in planning what we're going to do before/after the film and how much organization an event needs (it's a bit easier to handle a 10 person meetup than to find a place for drinks with a group of 30 :) ).
So, I would really appreciate it if you try to keep your RSVP current so that the organizer of the event knows how many people to expect.

Tickets
Everyone is responsible for getting their ticket. I usually alert in the meetup description if we're going to a show that I think might sell out (and thus it might be worth to spend an extra buck to get your ticket online in advance), but I have been wrong with my assessment before :) ... so make sure to be at the theater early enough in any case :)
For screenings at the Guild or Aquarius theaters we are also offering discounted tickets that you can purchase directly when you RSVP for the event. This will make sure that you won't get sold out, and your purchase of a discounted ticket also helps us cover the cost that Meetup charges for maintaining the group.

How will you find the group at an event?
The organizer of the event will be at the box office of the theater at least 15-30 minutes before the show starts. Try to be there early enough, we have had sold out shows, plus there's usually plenty of interesting folks around to chat with before the film.

After the film
We try not to put too much organizational overhead on things ... after the movie we usually just meet outside and decide on the spot where we are going to go to have a nosh/drink and discuss the film.

Meetup matinees
On November 15 we have had our first meetup matinee. We have rented the Aquarius theater in Palo Alto, and showed a film that we have selected ourselves, the german drama "Aimee & Jaguar". After the film we went out for lunch to discuss the movie. The event was very successful and will be back on a regular schedule (every other month).

Movie suggestions
Please, bring them on!! I usually have a list of films that are coming out or I feel we need to have an eye on, but a lot of the selection and choice is based on my personal preferences, so the more suggestions you have the broader and more balanced the films that we watch will get. I am also always looking for people who would be willing to organize meetups for the group (there's really not that much to it :) ... put a meetup on the calendar, be at the theater with a little meetup sign to gather everyone, that's pretty much it) ...

Other events
From time to time I've been hosting DVD nights in my home to show films that either don't make it to the big screen or are out of theaters. This is a great way to meet your fellow group members for chats and discussions, watch a good film and have a snack & drink. This format has been very successful, so I'm always looking for volunteers who would be willing to organize such an event at their place.
If you have ideas for other events that would be a fit for the group, please let one of the organizers know!!

I hope to see you soon at one of our events !!

Stefan