Trylon Cinema
A volunteer-oriented repertory movie theater in Minneapolis known for specialized film programming, intimate presentation, and historic film formats.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Trylon Cinema is a 90-seat repertory movie theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, operated by Take-Up Productions, a nonprofit group that grew out of the volunteer community around the former Oak Street Cinema. The venue occupies a converted warehouse in the Longfellow neighborhood and is associated with programming that larger commercial theaters generally do not offer, including director and performer retrospectives, second-run films, cult cinema, B movies, classic Hollywood, kung fu, rare music documentaries, and screenings sourced from 35 mm and 16 mm prints. Take-Up Productions was formed after financial pressures led Oak Street Cinema to reduce its regular schedule. The collective initially presented outdoor screenings and rented cinemas around the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, including the Riverview, Heights, and Parkway theaters. Some of those programs, including screenings of Lawrence of Arabia and Alfred Hitchcock films, attracted audiences beyond the capacity of a small experimental venue. The group eventually established a permanent home in a former warehouse on Minnehaha Avenue. The space was rented in 2009, and Barry Kryshka oversaw its conversion into a small cinema with projection equipment, a compact concessions area, and seating assembled from reclaimed theater chairs. The venue opened in July 2009 as Trylon Microcinema. Its name referred to a theater in Queens, New York, and ultimately to the Trylon sculpture associated with the 1939 New York World's Fair. The opening program paired Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. with live musical accompaniment by the local duo Dreamland Faces. The first twelve screenings sold out, establishing the venue's reputation as a distinctive destination for film enthusiasts. A substantial renovation in 2017 transformed the venue from a 50-seat microcinema into a more accessible 90-seat theater. The project moved the entrance to 33rd Street, added an outdoor courtyard, created a new lobby and concessions area, improved wheelchair accessibility, and installed a larger screen and updated sound system. After the work, the organization dropped the Microcinema name and reopened as Trylon Cinema in September 2017 with screenings of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. The cinema's schedule is generally issued on a quarterly basis. Its recurring programs have included Trash Film Debauchery, focused on unusual and disreputable genre movies, and Sound Unseen, which presents documentaries and other work connected with musicians and creative production. The venue also serves as a home for the Cult Film Collective, an organization concerned with exhibiting and preserving 35 mm and 16 mm film prints. Take-Up Productions continues to use larger partner venues when a program requires more seats, while Trylon itself remains staffed largely by volunteers. Trylon temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, from mid-March 2020 until July 3 of that year. During the closure, the organization retained its employees and installed a digital projector. It reopened with a reduced capacity of 20 seats and a screening of Attack the Block. Critics and local publications have repeatedly recognized the theater for its unusual programming, atmosphere, intimate scale, and combination of highbrow and lowbrow film culture. City Pages named it the best movie theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area in 2011, 2012, and 2018.
History
Trylon Cinema emerged from the volunteer repertory-film culture surrounding Minneapolis's Oak Street Cinema. When financial constraints forced Oak Street to reduce its programming, a group of volunteers formed Take-Up Productions to continue presenting films that were unlikely to receive sustained runs in commercial theaters. The organization began with outdoor screenings, including a projection of Watermelon Man onto a wall behind a coffee shop, and later rented established venues in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. Large-attendance presentations of films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Alfred Hitchcock works demonstrated that there was an audience for carefully curated repertory programming. In 2009, Take-Up Productions established a permanent venue in a former warehouse in Minneapolis's Longfellow neighborhood. Barry Kryshka managed the conversion, working with Bright Star Systems, Inc. on the technical retrofit. The original theater included approximately 50 reclaimed rocking seats, a 20-foot screen, two 35 mm projectors, and a very small concessions operation. The venue was named Trylon Microcinema, after a theater associated with Kryshka's native Queens and, indirectly, the Trylon sculpture from the 1939 New York World's Fair. It opened during the weekend of July 17–18, 2009, with Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr. accompanied live by Dreamland Faces, an accordion and musical-saw duo. All of the first twelve programs sold out. The theater's identity developed around close audience interaction and programming breadth rather than scale. Its schedules have combined second-run films with retrospectives devoted to directors, actors, and writers, as well as B movies, cult films, classic Hollywood, kung fu, independent work, and music documentaries. Recurring programs such as Trash Film Debauchery helped establish a space for deliberately eccentric and disreputable genre cinema. The Cult Film Collective has used the venue for the projection and preservation of 35 mm and 16 mm prints. When an event requires a larger auditorium, Take-Up Productions has continued to use other Minneapolis–Saint Paul locations, including the Heights and Riverview. The most important physical change came in 2017. The venue closed for roughly three months while Kryshka supervised a renovation and expansion projected at $175,000. MSR Design prepared updated architectural plans on a pro bono basis. The entrance was moved from Minnehaha Avenue to 33rd Street, an exterior courtyard was created, and the lobby and concessions area were rebuilt. Accessibility was improved, the auditorium grew from 50 to 90 seats, and new screen and sound equipment were installed. The theater reopened in September 2017 as Trylon Cinema, dropping the Microcinema label, with screenings of The Great Dictator. Trylon's operations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The venue closed from mid-March 2020 until July 3. During the shutdown, employees were not laid off and the organization installed a digital projector. Reopening began at a sharply reduced capacity of 20 seats with Attack the Block. Despite its small scale, Trylon has received sustained local critical approval for its atmosphere, concessions, intimate setting, and programming choices. City Pages named it the best movie theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area in 2011, 2012, and 2018. The theater remains a primarily volunteer-staffed cultural venue serving audiences interested in repertory, archival, experimental, and cult film.
- 2020
Pandemic-era reopening
[1]Trylon reopened after a temporary COVID-19 closure with a 20-seat capacity and a new digital projector.
- 2017
Expansion and accessibility renovation
[1]The venue expanded from 50 to 90 seats and received a new entrance, lobby, courtyard, screen, sound system, and accessibility improvements.
- 2017
Reopens as Trylon Cinema
[1]Following renovation, the theater dropped the Microcinema name and reopened with The Great Dictator.
- 2011
First City Pages best-theater recognition
[1]City Pages named Trylon the best movie theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.
- 2009
Take-Up Productions establishes a permanent cinema
[1]The organization opened Trylon Microcinema in a converted Longfellow warehouse after earlier outdoor screenings and temporary programs at other Twin Cities venues.
- 2009
Opening weekend sells out
[1]The venue opened with Sherlock Jr. and live accompaniment by Dreamland Faces; each of its first twelve showings sold out.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit-oriented, volunteer-supported repertory cinema offering distinctive, intimate, and often archival or cult-focused film programming unavailable at mainstream multiplexes.
Cinema programming · 2009
Repertory film screenings
Trylon presents curated repertory programs rather than relying primarily on current multiplex releases. Schedules may center on a director, actor, writer, genre, historical period, or particular film movement, giving local audiences access to films that are rarely shown in conventional commercial theaters.
Cinema programming · 2009
Cult and genre cinema
The theater regularly presents cult films, B movies, kung fu, B-horror, and other unconventional genre works. This programming is central to Trylon's identity and extends from knowingly eccentric entertainment to historically important films that have been marginalized by mainstream distribution.
Film exhibition · 2009
35 mm and 16 mm presentations
Through its relationship with the Cult Film Collective and its own repertory activities, Trylon supports the projection and preservation of photochemical film prints. The venue was originally equipped with two 35 mm projectors and continues to be associated with film-format presentation alongside digital exhibition.
Film series
Trash Film Debauchery
This recurring series focuses on unusual, obscure, and often disreputable films, including B movies and works described as films that mainstream repertory venues typically overlook. It exemplifies Trylon's willingness to treat eccentric genre cinema as a communal event.
Documentary and music programming
Sound Unseen
Sound Unseen programming explores documentaries and related work concerning musicians and the creative process. It broadens the theater's schedule beyond conventional narrative cinema while connecting film exhibition with Minneapolis's music and arts communities.
Brand decisions
2020
Reopen at reduced capacity during the COVID-19 pandemicStrategyBackground
The theater closed from mid-March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and faced the operational constraints affecting cinemas during the reopening period.
Action taken
Trylon reopened on July 3 with capacity reduced to 20 seats. During the closure, the organization retained employees and installed a digital projector.
Aftermath
The theater resumed screenings with Attack the Block while operating under substantially restricted attendance conditions.
2017
Convert the microcinema into a larger, more accessible theaterStrategyBackground
The original venue had roughly 50 seats and limited facilities. Take-Up Productions undertook a substantial renovation to improve audience access and increase the theater's ability to support regular programming.
Action taken
The organization moved the entrance, added a courtyard and rebuilt lobby, improved wheelchair accessibility, expanded seating to 90, and installed new screen and sound equipment. The venue was renamed Trylon Cinema.
Aftermath
The renovated theater reopened in September 2017 and retained its specialized repertory identity while offering greater capacity and improved visitor facilities.
Projected renovation cost. $175,000 (2017 project estimate)
Recent events
- 2020
Trylon reopens after COVID-19 closure[1]
Other · Product generation
After closing in mid-March during the pandemic, the theater reopened on July 3 at a reduced capacity of 20 seats. A new digital projector was installed during the closure.
- 2018
Trylon receives another best-theater recognition[1]
Other
City Pages again selected Trylon as the best movie theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, citing its unusual film series and selections.
- 2017
Trylon closes for renovation and expands to 90 seats[1]
Other
A major renovation added accessibility improvements, a new entrance, courtyard, lobby, concessions area, screen, and sound system. Seating increased from 50 to 90.
- 2017
Trylon Cinema reopens after 2017 renovation[1]
Other
The theater reopened under the Trylon Cinema name with screenings of The Great Dictator, retiring the former Trylon Microcinema designation.
- 2012
City Pages again recognizes Trylon as the area's best movie theater[1]
Other
The theater received the same local recognition for its programming and cinema experience.
- 2011
City Pages names Trylon the Twin Cities' best movie theater[1]
Other
City Pages recognized Trylon as the best movie theater in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.
- 2009
Trylon Microcinema opens in Minneapolis[1]
Other
Take-Up Productions opened its permanent warehouse cinema with a presentation of Sherlock Jr. accompanied by live music. The venue's first twelve screenings sold out.
Sources2 sources
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