Thomas Breeden
    Staff  Writer

Walking into Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema feels much like taking a step into a Wes Anderson film: both are full of a diverse cast of characters in a quirky, offbeat environment where anyone—even the oddest of oddballs—can belong, with no one so much as batting an eye.

It was an easy move, then, to blend the two so seamlessly to create Geeksboro’s Wes Fest—an eight-week long film festival and corresponding art show paying homage to the works of the acclaimed independent filmmaker.

The festival, which starts on Aug. 14 and runs through Oct. 8, will feature eight of Anderson’s works. Admission is $6.50 and the films are screened daily at 2:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

It wouldn’t be a Geeksboro event without the added touch of a community as passionate about the films as the filmmakers are themselves. At each showing, guests will receive an exclusive Wes Anderson trading card inspired by the characters from the movie showing that day.

“That’s one of the things we decided to do,” explained Geeksboro owner Joe Scott. “We’re giving everybody collector cards just to make it special. They have original artwork by Natalie Andrewson on the front, and on the back they have little bios for the characters as well as power ratings on Wes Anderson-like attributes like fastidiousness, backbone, creativity and things like that. Things that maybe wouldn’t serve them well in a fight but make them uniquely Wes Anderson characters.”

Natalie Andrewson, an illustrator and North Carolina native, will also have four of her newest works featured in the Wes Fest Art Show on Sept.12, alongside the Anderson-themed works of 300 artists from around the country.

Her illustrations of iconic characters from Anderson’s eight films proudly stand as the promotional poster for the event. It’s a particularly proud moment for her.

“I love knowing my work is being featured in North Carolina and it means a lot,” Andrewson beamed. “To know that I’m creating my own new story in my home state is both important and humbling.”

Andrewson felt a connection to Wes Anderson’s films from a young age. She was especially inspired by the aesthetic of the films, which she feels “really drew the bar in the sand in terms of quality.”

“I wanted to make sure my work had a similar feel, something that was completely and entirely me, something I’d worked especially hard on with meticulous craft and could be extremely proud of when it was completed,” Andrewson reflected.

Anderson and Andrewson both embody the type of creative spirit that is essential to Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema. Scott and his creative team meet every other week to discover and program relevant films, TV shows and other events to bring together a community of creators and fans who love enjoying and celebrating art.

The inspiration for his business, Scott says, comes from his early days when he would often watch films, like Wes Anderson’s “Bottle Rocket” (1996), by himself or maybe with a couple of friends. Though he felt a deep connection to the oddball characters of Anderson’s fiction, he grew increasingly tired of his lack of opportunities to connect meaningfully with his real-life friends.

The usual social scene at the time consisted of dark, dreary bars playing sports games all day, every day. His solution? Creating a bright, upbeat space for lovers of all types of geekery to come together and enjoy themselves.

“My goal is for everyone to have a chance to realize and experience the community of fans that surrounds these films, and to know that they’re not alone— that they share this love of this wonderful thing with a lot of interesting, talented people,” Scott explained.

Scott keeps a finger on the pulse of his community by involving himself in the coffeehouse as a barista on a regular basis. It gives him the chance to make conversation with his customers while he makes their coffee.

“Sometimes they’ll talk to me about what things are really getting them excited,” Scott mentioned, “and a lot of those conversations definitely help inspire what we do.”

Scott and his team members work to make everyone feel invited, welcome and excited about being at Geeksboro, and it shows. Visitors travel from all over North Carolina, and from out-of-state, to experience the coffeehouse’s one-of-a-kind atmosphere and events. They all come for the same basic ingredients: coffee, cinema and community.

Wes Fest Film Showings:

Bottle Rocket: 8/14 – 8/20

Rushmore: 8/21 – 8/27

The Royal Tenenbaums: 8/28 – 9/3

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: 9/4 – 9/10

The Darjeeling Limited: 9/11 – 9/17

Fantastic Mr. Fox: 9/18 – 9/24

Moonrise Kingdom: 9/25 – 10/1

The Grand Budapest Hotel: 10/2 – 10/8

Wes Fest Promotional Poster by Natalie Andrewson

(yes, she gave us permission to publish it)