Best Video Film & Cultural Center

11/06/2026

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!

The Anne Marie Menta Trio and Inner Groove share a singer-songwriter bill at Best Video Film & Cultural Center this Sat., Nov. 7. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $15.

Anne Marie Menta hails from New Haven, CT., where she has been a long time favorite singer/songwriter. She comes from a family of three brothers, where playing and listening to music was their great passion. Her musical credits include fronting various rock & roll, folk, and country bands as a singer/guitarist, including The Wanderers, Sugar Moon, Sky Riders, and Rodeo Radio. In the mid 90s, she decided to concentrate on her own original music, and those tunes of hers that she “snuck” into her cover band repertoire now became her main focus. But, the country, folk, and pop music that she loved continued to be an influence in her writing.

Anne Marie will be joined by Armand Morgan on guitar and Dan Martin on bass.

Denise Jones and Tom Sekscenski founded Inner Groove in 2010. Initially, the band started as a bar/cover band, but they soon began to add original songs to their setlist. Their songs are emotional portraits of people, love and faith, drawing inspiration from various genres such as folk, pop, rock and country. Since their inception, Inner Groove has created three albums (available on CD and streaming platforms) and is currently working on their fourth. They have played at coffee houses, clubs, bars, festivals and concerts and their distinctive style is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression.

11/03/2026

MOVIE TRIVIA TOMORROW NIGHT!!!
Join Best Video Film & Cultural Center for the best trivia night in the area. Get here early, as tables fill up quick! Make sure to RSVP: https://secure.givelively.org/event/best-video-film-cultural-center/movie-trivia-hosted-by-michael-domangue-11-4-26

10/31/2026

10/30/2026

Radhika Jones at The New York Times:

"In an era of entertainment abundance, I’ve been watching less and less. The streaming environment has become tedious. It feels that there is both everything on and nothing on.

That all changed for my family when we got an exciting new device in our home. It doesn’t respond to voice commands, but we are totally in control of it. We can see deleted scenes and director’s cuts. We can watch the end credits all the way through. You might have heard of this magical machine. It’s called a DVD player."

I like that our DVD player is neither smart nor intelligent. You put in the disc, and the movie appears.

10/28/2026

THIS THURSDAY — 11th ANNUAL HALLOWEEN MOVIE SCREENING WITH LIVE SCORE !!

The improvisational collective Light Upon Blight, led by Jeff Cedrone and frequent collaborator Peter Riccio, will be performing their 11th annual Halloween live score this Thurs., Oct. 29, at Best Video Film & Cultural Center. The show starts at 8 PM and the cover is $10. This year's film is the 1989 "found footage" sci-fi cult film "The McPherson Tape."

Always led by musician Jeff Cedrone (guitar and analog synthesizer), this iteration of Light Upon Blight also features Peter Riccio (drums), and Ben Hecht (bass).

Written, produced, and directed by Dean Alioto, "The McPherson Tape," also known as "UFO Abduction," is a 1989 "found footage science-fiction horror film. The movie purports to present found footage of a 1983 birthday celebration for a young child shot by her brother that, through happenstance, documents an alien invasion. The movie was one of the first to use the "found footage" concept, preceding "The Blair Witch Project" by about a decade.

Costume wearing is welcomed, even encouraged.

10/28/2026

A special Halloween children's music singalong at Best Video with Robert Messore (Toddler Tunes New Haven), starting at 10:30 AM!

10/27/2026

SPECIAL JAZZ/IMPROVISATION SHOW THIS WEDNESDAY !!!

The Perfido-Humbert Duo plays Best Video Film & Cultural Center this Wed., Oct. 28. The show starts at 7 PM and the cover is $15.

The Perfido-Humbert Duo, based in France, features Dominique Humbert on alto and soprano saxophones and Peter Perfido on drums, gongs, and small percussion instruments.

Their repertoire covers a fairly expansive musical palette that is multi-directional in concept. Their influences range from tunes by some of the great modern jazz composers such as: Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman and Paul Motian. They also like to experiment with wide open improvised pieces, exploring areas as diverse as meditative/minimal atmospheres to African-inspired folk sounds. There are also more energetic, charged up excursions that come into play in their « terra incognito » explorations. They have a number of original pieces and a few compositions written by friends who are excellent composers. All this to say: The Perfido-Humbert Duo can cover a wide range of sounds in an exchange that is quite intimate between two instrumentalists who enjoy the challenge and sense of spaciousness in performing as a duo.

10/10/2026

JAZZ *** VOCALS *** THIS *** SUNDAY *** AFTERNOON !!!

The Mimi Lines Trio plays a Sunday jazz matinee at Best Video Film & Cultural Center on Oct. 11. The show starts at 4 PM and the cover is $10. Jazz vocalist Mimi Lines will be accompanied by Martin Carter on piano and David Chevan on bass.

Mimi Lines is a New Haven based cabaret and jazz vocalist whose performances blend timeless standards, heartfelt storytelling, and elegant musicality. She’s performed with jazz musicians Eric Comstock, Jeff Fuller, Darren Litzie, Ben Bilello, Josh Catania, David Chevan, Alvin Carter, Allen Lowe, Mark Kaplan and Michaela Coppola in clubs and theatres in Connecticut and New York City, including The Side Door, Café Nine, Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Cabaret, University Theatre, Lyric Hall, Best Video, Don’t Tell Mama and The Triad.

Dr. David Chevan is a bassist, composer, and educator whose work bridges jazz with African American and Jewish musical traditions. He co-leads The Afro-Semitic Experience, directs the Nu Haven Kapelye—Connecticut’s largest klezmer orchestra—and leads Bassology, his swinging jazz ensemble. His compositions range from liturgical jazz pieces to big band and klezmer works; all rooted in a deep commitment to cultural dialogue and community connection. A longtime advocate for music education, David has served on the board of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation for over 25 years.

Connecticut-based jazz pianist Martin Carter brings a deep appreciation for the jazz tradition to his performances, blending melodic expression, harmonic sophistication, and a strong sense of swing. With a repertoire spanning jazz standards, bebop, blues, and contemporary jazz, Martin brings sensitivity, spontaneity, and a spirit of musical collaboration to every performance.