The Independent at Lowe Mill hosts Pride party with local filmmakers

The Independent is turning Studio 150 into a Pride-night hangout on Friday, June 5, with Night Camp - Pajama Pride Party! set for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, 2211 Seminole Dr SW in Huntsville. Lowe Mill lists the event at $13 and bills Night Camp as Huntsville’s own Queervangelical Variety Show, with queer and allied local comedians, improvisors, drag artists and filmmakers all packed into the same room for a cozy night in the cinema.

That lineup matters because it shows how The Independent is building something bigger than a screening room. The venue describes itself as an independent movie theater dedicated to indie, art-house and cult films, and it leans into the social side of moviegoing with a lounge, theater snacks, gourmet hot dogs and interactive events. In a city where independent film culture still benefits from regular gathering places, that kind of programming gives local audiences a place to return to between festivals, not just a place to stop in for one-off shows.

Lowe Mill’s own framing makes the connection even clearer. The event is a collaboration between The Eclectic Frog Studio RR5A and The Independent Studio 150, and the broader studio page says The Independent team is working with North Alabama filmmakers and curators while partnering with local small businesses and organizations to create a niche experience. That is the kind of setup that can turn a movie crowd into a scene, because the same people showing up for Pride, comedy and live performance are the people most likely to come back for indie screenings, conversations and future collaborations.

The setting helps. Lowe Mill says it is the largest privately-owned arts facility in the United States, with 153 working studios, more than 300 artists and makers, seven galleries, a theatre, a community garden and multiple performance venues spread across its 190,000-square-foot former textile mill. The Independent sits inside that ecosystem, so Night Camp feels less like a rental and more like a natural extension of the building’s arts network.

That ongoing approach has already shown up in the calendar. Lowe Mill has recently listed other Independent screenings, including The Faculty and Pulp Fiction, a sign that Studio 150 is being used as a steady home base for film culture rather than a novelty venue. With Pajama Pride Party, The Independent is leaning into that role again, and on June 5 it gives Huntsville film fans a reason to show up, mingle and see who else is helping build the city’s indie movie community.