Call it a non-work perk!
The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s movie theater is offering a free workday pass to federal employees who find themselves at loose ends while the government is in stasis. Staffers at the Fort Greene arts institution hope the free films will give the workers a temporary diversion from the uncertainty that they face while waiting for Washington officials to agree on a budget, said the man behind the offer.
“After getting the sense that this may take weeks or longer to get resolved, I asked myself, ‘Is there anything BAM can do to make things better?’ ” said John Lanasa, vice-president of communications for the Academy. “A free ticket to a film at BAM won’t pay the rent or cover child care but if we can provide them with a two-hour respite, we’ve done our job.”
Any government worker who is currently on furlough just needs to show a Federal Employee ID at the box office to get a free ticket. The offer applies to the day’s first screening (usually between 4 pm and 5 pm) of any of the four films playing at the BAM Rose Cinema, on Mondays through Thursdays while the shutdown lasts.
Furloughed Feds might relate to the political maneuvering of the Victorian court in “The Favourite,” or check out the Washington intrigue of “Vice,” about former vice-president and supervillain Dick Cheney. Other offerings this week include the drama “If Beale Street Could Talk” and the Polish-language love story “Cold War.”
The government shutdown has left about 800,000 federal employees either off work, or working without pay. So far it has lasted 25 days, and it shows no sign of ending soon.
Feds get free movies at BAM Rose Cinema [30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636–4100, www.bam.org]. Mon–Thu during the government shutdown. Free.
