On a recent evening in Syracuse, a small crowd gathered not for the latest Marvel release or a streaming premiere, but to watch a movie the way it was meant to be seen — projected from a physical strip of 35mm celluloid, the projector clicking and humming in the back of the room.
This is Emery Cinema, and it’s the brainchild of Sam Johnston, a 24-year-old Syracuse native who grew up on Emery Road in Fulton, graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School in 2024, and decided that the best way to build a film community in CNY was to do it the old-school way.
No digital projection. No streaming links. Just film.
The Origin Story
The name comes from Johnston’s childhood. On Emery Road in Fulton, an old farmer named Woodward Emery built a house decades ago. In 1995, Johnston’s father bought that house — and it’s where Sam grew up. The home’s history became the namesake, and a picture of the childhood home became the club’s logo.
Johnston and co-founder Pranathi Adhikari spent six months developing the concept while Johnston was working as a freelance production assistant on film sets in New York City. He’d previously gained hands-on production experience in Syracuse, working as a PA on American High movies including the coming-of-age comedy Summer of ’69 and the indie drama Plainclothes.
“We wanted to build a community around film through screening movies the old school way,” Johnston has said. The club launched in January 2026 with its first screening: Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove.
EMERY CINEMA — FAST FACTS
How You Screen a Movie Without a File
In 2026, almost every movie theater in America projects films digitally — a hard drive or satellite feed piped into a digital projector. The physical film print, once the only way to show a movie, is essentially extinct in commercial exhibition.
Emery Cinema operates differently. Johnston acquires actual film prints — physical reels of celluloid — by “sleuthing around” eBay, estate sales, and collector networks. Each print is a unique physical object, often decades old, with its own scratches, splices, and personality. No two screenings look exactly the same.
The club doesn’t have a permanent venue. Instead, it books local spaces for each event, turning ordinary rooms into temporary cinemas. The upcoming May 1 screening of The Simpsons Movie on 35mm will take place at the historic Palace Theater in Syracuse — a fitting venue for a format that predates digital by nearly a century.
Why Analog Matters in 2026
This isn’t just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. There’s a genuine movement among younger cinephiles — Gen Z and late Millennials, in particular — to experience film as a physical, communal, imperfect medium. In an era of infinite streaming options watched alone on laptops, the act of gathering in a room to watch a single film projected from a fragile strip of plastic feels almost radical.
The appeal is multifold:
- Visual warmth — film has a grain structure and color depth that digital can approximate but never truly replicate
- Imperfection as character — scratches, color shifts, and the occasional splice add texture that a pristine 4K stream lacks
- Commitment — you can’t pause, rewind, or check your phone without missing something; it demands presence
- Scarcity — these prints are finite objects; each screening is genuinely unique
- Community — it gives people a reason to be in the same room, watching the same thing, at the same time
Part of a Broader Syracuse Film Revival
Emery Cinema isn’t operating in isolation. Syracuse has a quiet but genuine film culture that’s been building momentum:
- Brew & View 35mm film series — ongoing screenings that pair celluloid with local craft beer
- Salt City Horror Fest — an annual celebration of horror cinema with a growing following
- Syracuse Film Office — the city’s official resource for film production, which has supported productions like the American High slate
- Syracuse University’s Newhouse School — one of the country’s top communications programs, continuously producing new filmmakers
Emery Cinema adds something specific to the mix: a dedicated analog exhibition practice with a regular schedule and a curatorial voice. Johnston plans to host 10 screenings in 2026, with celluloid events booked through the fall.
How to Follow Along
Emery Cinema maintains a presence on Instagram, Letterboxd, and a newsletter. Co-founder Adhikari noted that the newsletter exists specifically to reach people beyond Instagram — “so anyone can keep up with upcoming screenings, even if they’re not on social media.”
Johnston currently lives in New York City but travels back to Syracuse regularly to host screenings. He’s also looking to coordinate future events with local businesses — so if you own a bar, coffee shop, or venue in the Syracuse area and want to host a film night, reach out.
WHY IT MATTERS
Syracuse doesn’t need another streaming service or multiplex. What it needs — and what Emery Cinema is providing — is a reason for people to gather around shared culture. In a city where young people often leave for bigger markets, projects like this create the kind of arts infrastructure that makes a place worth staying in. It’s small, it’s scrappy, and it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes Syracuse interesting.
The Bottom Line
Sam Johnston grew up in Fulton, studied at Newhouse, and is now hauling 35mm film reels back to Syracuse to screen movies the way they were meant to be seen. Emery Cinema is three months old, has screenings booked through fall, and is building a community of film lovers who want more than a Netflix algorithm. The next screening — The Simpsons Movie on 35mm at the Palace Theater on May 1 — is the kind of event that doesn’t happen in most cities this size. Syracuse is lucky to have it.
Sources: This Is CNY, The Daily Orange, Emery Cinema
