Footcandle Film Society

What Footcandle Film Society does

Footcandle Film Society is a private nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Catawba County, Western North Carolina. The society's core function is curating and screening alternative cinema — documentaries, foreign narratives, and award-nominated films — that is not otherwise available in local theaters, with each screening including a moderated discussion. Operations are anchored by a monthly screening cadence (continuously maintained since inception) hosted across partner venues including New State Cinema in Newton, NC and Carolina Theater in Hickory, NC, supplemented by an annual Footcandle Film Festival and Children's International Film Festival.

The business model is community-supported and multi-stream. Annual memberships (sold via Eventive) provide free admission to all regular screenings. Non-members pay $7 per ticket at regular screenings, $5 for Silver Screen Sundays, $10 for Science After Dark events, and $50 for premium events like International Film & Fare Night. Donations are accepted through PayPal. The organization also runs a Filmmaker Grant Program that disburses up to $10,000 annually to North Carolina-based productions, with grant recipients publicly premiered at the annual festival.

There is no proprietary technology. The technical stack is composed of standard third-party platforms: Eventive for membership and ticketing, Eventbrite for the Oscar Party, PayPal for donations, Blackbaud for partner venue ticketing, and standard calendar integrations (Google Calendar, iCalendar, Outlook 365). Marketing is conducted through a website, Facebook, YouTube (hosting the Footcandle Films Podcast), Apple Podcasts, and email. The founder is Alan Jackson, and the organization operates with 1-10 employees in a community-led go-to-market motion deeply dependent on local arts and venue partnerships across Catawba County.

Name

Footcandle Film Society

Legal name

Footcandle Film Society

Website

https://footcandle.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Footcandle Film Society is a nonprofit founded in 2008 that screens documentaries, foreign films, and award-nominated cinema unavailable in local theaters for citizens of Catawba County and Western North Carolina, operating through partner venues, memberships, and annual festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Film Society / Arts and Culture Programming

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Arthouse film screenings
• Community film society
• Film festival events
• Filmmaker grant funding
• Membership film program

Headquarters

HQ city

Hickory

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program providing free admission to all regular film screenings. Members access screenings at multiple venue locations.
2. Ticket Sales: Single-screening tickets sold at $7.00 per guest for non-members at regular screenings; $5.00 for Silver Screen Sundays; $50 for special events like International Film & Fare Night.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Footcandle Film Society is a nonprofit community film society that curates and screens arthouse, documentary, foreign, and award-nominated films at monthly moderated screenings held at partner theaters in Catawba County and Western North Carolina. It supplements its core screening program with annual festivals, special themed event series, a podcast, and a Filmmaker Grant Program providing up to $10,000 annually to North Carolina-based filmmakers.

Product overview

Footcandle Film Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 that provides the citizens of Catawba County with opportunities to view and discuss films traditionally unavailable in local theaters. The organization operates a portfolio of film-related offerings centered around its core Monthly Film Screenings program, complemented by two major annual events—the Footcandle Film Festival and Children's International Film Festival. The society also supports filmmakers through its Filmmaker Grant Program (offering up to $10,000 annually for NC-based productions), engages audiences via its Footcandle Films Podcast, and hosts special events including the Oscar Party, Behind the Music Series, Silver Screen Sundays, International Film & Fare Nights, and Science After Dark movie nights. A Membership Program provides free admission to all regular screenings. Screenings are held at partner venues including New State Cinema in Newton, NC and Carolina Theater in Hickory, NC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Monthly Film Screenings Regular monthly film screenings of documentaries, foreign narratives, and award-nominated films of all genres at partner venues in Catawba County, with all screenings including moderated post-screening discussions. Targeted at citizens of Catawba County and Western North Carolina seeking alternative cinema.
• Footcandle Film Festival Annual film festival organized by Footcandle Film Society in Western North Carolina, featuring public presentation of Filmmaker Grant awards during the last weekend of September.
• Children's International Film Festival Annual film festival event for children and families, organized by Footcandle Film Society in Western North Carolina.
• Filmmaker Grant Program Annual financial support program providing up to $10,000 total per year to filmmakers aged 18+ with projects where at least 51% of production work is completed in North Carolina. Intended to help filmmakers complete projects for submission to national film festivals or to secure distribution.
• Membership Program Annual membership program offering free admission to all regular film screenings at all venue locations, managed through the Eventive platform.
• Footcandle Films Podcast Podcast available on Apple Podcasts and YouTube featuring discussions related to film and the organization's activities.
• Oscar Party Annual Academy Awards viewing party event hosted by Footcandle Film Society, with tickets sold through Eventbrite.
• Behind the Music Series Special screening series presented in collaboration with Western Piedmont Symphony, featuring films with notable scores and pre-screening conversations with music directors about the music in films.
• Silver Screen Sundays Sunday afternoon classic film screening series held at New State Cinema, featuring classic films at $5.00 admission.
• International Film & Fare Night Culinary and cinema event combining international cuisine with film screenings, such as the Italian-themed evening featuring 'C'e Ancora Domani' (2023) with a specially prepared meal and wine reception.
• Science After Dark Movie Nights

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Catawba Science CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 June 2026Community film screening venue partner. Hosted Family Movie Night events including 'The Land Before Time' screening at Drendel Auditorium at the SALT Block (243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC).
• NoCo ARTScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Co-organized International Film & Fare Night | Italy event. NoCo ARTS hosted Italian meal and wine reception while Footcandle organized film screening at New State Cinema. Event featured Italian film 'C'e Ancora Domani' and cuisine by Chef Jason Trivette.
• Ciao HickoryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 May 2026Participated in International Film & Fare Night | Italy event. Executive Director Maria Grosso provided information about meal, wines, and film featured for the event.
• Greater Hickory International CouncilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 May 2026Acknowledged for support of International Film & Fare Night | Italy event. Organization supports international cultural programming in the Hickory area.
• Western Piedmont SymphonycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Collaboration on 'Behind the Music: CASABLANCA' event. Western Piedmont Symphony Music Director Matthew Troy joined Footcandle founder Alan Jackson for pre-film conversation exploring the iconic score by Max Steiner. Event held at Carolina Theater in Hickory, NC.
• Hickory Museum of ArtminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 January 2026Collaborative venue partner for 'Sight + Sound' series featuring concert films. Hosted 'CHARITY CASE' documentary screening as part of their audio/visual programming at the museum.
• Linda RoyalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Filmmaker Linda Royal produced and directed 'Minnie Evans: Draw or Die', a documentary that received a Footcandle Filmmaker Grant in 2025. The film was screened at New State Cinema as a special event.
• New State CinemacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary screening venue partner in Newton, NC (117 North College Ave.). Hosts regular Tuesday film screenings for Footcandle Film Society. Venue website: www.newstatecinema.com
• Carolina TheatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary screening venue partner in Hickory, NC (222 1st Ave NW). Hosts Wednesday and Thursday film screenings for Footcandle Film Society. Venue website: www.footcandle.org (as venue host).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Asheville Film Society: Regional North Carolina nonprofit film society that curates arthouse, independent, and repertory cinema programming with community screenings and educational events, directly comparable to Footcandle's monthly screenings-with-discussions model in a nearby Western NC market.
• Ragtag Cinema: Nonprofit independent theater in Columbia, MO focused on curated independent, foreign, and documentary films with community programming and educational outreach, paralleling Footcandle's repertory screening and discussion model.
• Coolidge Corner Theatre: Nonprofit independent cinema in Brookline, MA offering curated arthouse programming, festivals, and education-driven film events with a membership model—closely mirrors Footcandle's mission-driven repertory exhibition approach.
• Charlotte Film Society: Long-running North Carolina nonprofit film society hosting monthly screenings of independent, foreign, and classic films, with a comparable subscription/membership-based exhibition model serving a larger but regionally adjacent audience.
• The Belcourt Theatre: Nashville-based nonprofit arthouse cinema operating a membership-supported repertory and independent film program with special series, festivals, and educational events—comparable to Footcandle's nonprofit, community-driven exhibition model.

Broad incumbents

• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: National independent theater chain known for repertory and curated arthouse programming alongside new releases, offering a broader-scale comparison point for Footcandle's curated film programming approach.
• IFC Center: New York-based nonprofit-affiliated independent cinema operated by AMC, specializing in arthouse and repertory programming with curated retrospectives—provides a larger-scale blueprint for what a community-focused independent exhibitor can become.

Regional players

• Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: Durham, NC-based annual documentary film festival, comparable to the Footcandle Film Festival's annual event format and shared North Carolina regional film community, though focused specifically on documentary.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCX4K0xedXNND7wJue-Xwu-g
• Facebookfacebook.com/footcandle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Footcandle Film Society