I thought that it would be a great way to give us an escape, give us an outlet and celebrate Black culture and allow us to see positive images of ourselves." "Our goal is to highlight Black filmmakers, actors and actresses," she says, "based off the racial tension that was bubbling in the country and just seeing a current news cycle of unarmed black persons being shot by a cop. The Moonlight shows everything from big popcorn films to indie creations, but all the movies have one thing in common - spurred, Ayana Morris says, by the crisis of racism against Black Americans that's gone hand in hand with the coronavirus pandemic. "We've never owned a restaurant before," she says laughingly.īut the couple worked out those issues, and now the whole evening moves very smoothly, from the time that cars are ushered through the gate until the end of the evening, when the whole staff gathers at the exit to wave and shout exuberant goodbyes and thanks to the departing audience. "Even with concession!" Ayana Morris adds. "So you know, our first two days was kind of touch and go," Siree Morris observes. And at the beginning, they didn't know to put SUVs behind smaller cars so everyone could see. For one thing, the lights from nearby skyscrapers and streetlights creates some glare. The team went broke a few years ago and the stadium was demolished last year.Īs a movie theater, the space has its challenges. And he thought of a location right downtown: on the grounds of the old home of the Newark Bears baseball team. Her husband, Sirree Morris, happens to be a real estate developer. This is cool, there's no drive-in in the area, so why not?'" "And I'm like, 'Hey, I want to bring this to my city. "I thought it was very smart, a very great way to adapt with the times," she says. She got the idea to open this place after a documentary she made screened at an outdoor festival. ![]() Ayana is cosplaying Angela Bassett's character, Queen Ramonda Siree is dressed as the Black Panther.Īyana Morris is a filmmaker herself. The drive-in staff is costumed as characters from the film, including the Moonlight's founders, a married couple named Ayana and Siree Morris. Tonight, the Moonlight Cinema is screening Black Panther. Everyone seems happy to be out of the house. ![]() Strangers are chatting with their neighbors in adjacent cars. The crowd is filled with young couples, groups of friends, families with kids in pajamas, and older folks reliving bygone days of going to drive-ins. People get out of their cars to dance - wearing masks and staying apart. This the home of the pop-up Newark Moonlight Cinema, which opened in July and celebrates Black filmmakers and actors. Hundreds of us are parked in the middle of a gravel lot. It's a warm fall evening in downtown Newark, New Jersey. But few are right in the middle of a city, next to a highway and skyscrapers. However, it closed in 1987 and sat dark for 17 years until re-opened in 2004 by J.Drive-ins have been popping up all over the country during the coronavirus pandemic. ![]() The Delsea Drive-in Theater was originally opened way back in 1949. The drive-in is owned and managed by a husband and. The Newark Moonlight Cinema is a two screen drive-in movie theater located in Newark, New Jersey. So its residents still have access to a number of quality drive-ins with a short drive. However, New Jersey is located next to New York (the state with the most drive-ins in the country) and Pennsylvania (the state with the second most drive-ins in the country). 2 drive-ins per one million residents (the average is 1 drive-in per one million residents in the rest of the country). In fact, New Jersey has one of the lowest drive-ins per capita ratio in the country at about. New Jersey has only 2 remaining drive-ins operating within the state.
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