PACKED MOVIES THE NORM SANTA CLARITA HAS JUST 22 SCREENS TOTAL, WANTS TO DRAW ART THEATER.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Could the city use a few more movie screens -- or maybe an art theater that shows the kinds of films residents now have to drive far away to see?

With 22 movie screens for a Santa Clarita Valley population of 250,000, theaters can get packed -- especially for a well-advertised blockbuster.

``My wife and I go every Sunday,'' said Larry Mankin, president and chief executive officer of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce. ``It's always full. I don't think I've ever lived in a place where there's so many butts in seats in theaters.''

But Mankin said he believes the marketplace rules. If there were a need for more theaters, a company would fill it, he said.

At the same time, fans of independent and art-house films would like to attract a theater of that type to the city. Santa Clarita has two Edwards Theaters complexes, but their movie fare tends to be of the big-budget variety.

``We've heard from the community time and time again that they'd like to see an independent movie theater up here, something like the Arclight or the Laemmle,'' said Jason Crawford, film and tourism associate for city government.

``Plus, I just think that there's definitely demand for movie theaters in general,'' he said.

``The movie theaters that we have, both Edwards, are constantly packed, and shows are sold out. So I think it would be great for the community to have more options in going to the movies.''

A representative from Regal Entertainment Group, the parent company of Edwards, could not be reached for comment.

Burbank, with a population of about 100,000, has 30 movie screens located at three separate theaters, all in the downtown area.

Simi Valley, with a population of about 122,000, has 26 screens, with the Edwards Simi Valley Plaza 10 and the Regal Civic Center Plaza 16.

Last year, sponsors of the International Family Film Festival that was founded in Santa Clarita announced they would move the event to Hollywood for the 12th annual event, to be held next month.

Festival organizers said there was no longer space at the local Edwards theaters to accommodate them.

That isn't a problem for the Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival because its organizers use local stage theaters for their annual event. At monthly screenings at the Repertory East Playhouse, the three-year-old organization also shows the kinds of independent movies that wouldn't otherwise reach Santa Clarita.

Those screenings usually draw 20 to 35 viewers, said Ramon Hamilton, executive director of the festival.

``We get enough commercial films out here with the two Regal theaters,'' Hamilton said. ``But I think an art-house theater would be a great benefit to Santa Clarita.''

Hamilton, who is an independent filmmaker himself, wants to see the nightmarish fantasy ``Pan's Labyrinth,'' but it's not playing in the city.

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