“Showdown in Secret City” Premieres July 25

Many long-time Oak Ridge residents have fond memories of watching movies at the Historic Grove Theater. While the movie screen in theater 3 still sees the occasional indie film or documentary, the Grove “theater” of today tends to be known for art genres other than cinema.

But did you know—in 2025, the Historic Grove Theater was used by no less than four different crews for indie film productions!?! That’s right! Clearly, the indie film scene is alive and well in East Tennessee—and this July, Oak Ridge will get the opportunity to attend the premiere of one of those films in very place where (a few parts of it) all began!

“Showdown in Secret City” is a 1 hour 35 minute film that is part of the Smoky Mountain Chronicles series—a collection of “seven Southern fables” produced by the East Tennessee film company, Big N Funky Productions. Directed by Travis Graves, Vinnie Vineyard, and Luke Walker, the PG-13 movie blends comedy and horror to tell the story of four filmmakers forced to meet the absurd demands of a movie executive. The clash between “artificial intelligence vs. low intelligence” emerges as the characters struggle to create the next blockbuster with the help of Oak Ridge’s AI supercomputer. In the course of the film, eagle-eyed viewers may recognize footage shot at the National Laboratory, the Historic Grove Theater, and other locales around Oak Ridge.

While the film will be available for purchase and streaming on platforms like Plex starting June 30, 2026, a special premiere showing of “Showdown in Secret City” is scheduled at the Historic Grove Theater on Saturday, July 25th at 8:30pm (doors open at 8pm). A $10 suggested donation is requested for the funding of a future movie.