Missoula, Montana: Local Neighborhood Revitalized Due to Outdoor Movies in Missoula, Montana

Missoula Outdoor Cinema (MOC) is a community film series held in the playfield at the Headstart school — the old Whittier School — on the corner of Worden and Philips Avenues in Missoula’s historic Northside neighborhood. Films are projected on a 12 × 25-foot screen after dark. MOC operates on a donation-only basis; all proceeds support the North-Missoula Community Development Corporation’s neighborhood projects, including Project Playground, Whittier Court, the Moon-Randolph Homestead, and the local food co-op.

The series launched in summer 2002 with a weekend event that drew about 500 people to see Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The 2003 full season brought approximately 2,000 attendees, with Star Wars and Young Frankenstein as highlights. Programming spans classic films, shorts, animation, and locally produced work.