After the closing of Carmike's Cinema 5, students looking forward to catching the releases of 27 Dresses or Cloverfield tomorrow will have to look outside downtown. The only other downtown movie theater won't have them.

But if their tastes run more toward indie flick Margot at the Wedding or Taiwanese production Lust, Caution, then that other downtown theater has just what they're looking for.

The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., features documentaries, foreign films and independent films, giving viewers the chance to see something besides what Mike Negra calls "the typical fluff movies."

"We're bringing the best and most diversified films to the theatre," said Negra, State Theatre's executive director. "They are more adult-oriented films."

Even with the closing of Cinema 5, the State Theatre plans on doing nothing different with their film selections for this semester. "We don't want to be pigeonholed into showing Pirates of the Caribbean 10," Negra said.

Negra said a committee of people from the community chooses the film of the week.

The films are usually out four to six weeks prior to bringing them to The State Theatre. This allows the committee to see how well the films did in other areas.

"We read a lot to see what's out and look at the box office numbers," Negra said.

Films that were screened this past semester included: This Is England, No End In Sight, Once, and Into The Wild.

The films are shown on a 31-foot screen with 34 surround-sound speakers. Negra said most movies at the State Theatre are on 35-mm film instead of digital film, which is now the industry standard.

"It's like an old-time movie theatre and it is a great experience for watching a film," he said.

Wes Carroll (senior-economics) has seen about six films at the theatre and said it definitely has an "old vibe" to it.

Carroll also said the price of seeing a film at the State Theatre is cheaper than the movie theatres near his home. Most movie tickets at the State Theatre cost $5 for students and seniors and $7 for the general public.

"It's not overpriced and they're not just trying to take your money," Carroll said. "Back where I'm from it's usually $8 to $10 to see a movie."

With the rising popularity of independent films, such as Little Miss Sunshine, or more recently, Juno, Carroll said it's no surprise The State Theatre is becoming more popular with students.

"I think kids are tired of the standard movie," Carroll said. "It seems like mainstream movies are getting dumber and dumber. Movies in the 70s had more of an edge and indie films sort of have the same vibe."

Penn State film professor Rod Bingaman also said independent films offer something special not always found in the traditional Hollywood blockbuster.

"Indie films step outside the perceived corporate mentality that comes with Hollywood films," said Bingaman. "These films have the license to deal with material that is more compelling, challenging, and provocative."

Bingaman applauded the theater's willingness to try something different.

"The State Theatre does a courageous thing by showing these types of films," he said. "They are stepping outside the box in a marketing perspective and it shows their passion and understanding for films as an art."

In March the theatre will show more films that were nominated for Academy Awards, such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

For more information about show times and film descriptions visit the State Theatre's Web site, http://thestatetheatre.org/.