Ames residents no longer have to make the long-haul to Des Moines’ Varsity Theater to see the less-than-blockbuster films. Central States Theatre Company is launching a new series of art films at one of its new theatres in the North Grand Mall.

Movies on deck are Cold Comfort Farm, Walking and Talking, Trainspotting, Stealing Beauty and Emma. All of the indie films have won critical acclaim, but are considered less profitable than big-budget flicks.

Greg Teubert, manager of the North Grand Five Theatres, said there is definitly a market for such movies here in Ames.

“We’ve had people express a lot of interest in these movies,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of people call saying they were glad we’re showing them.”

Teubert said that although the film series is not yet a permanant fixture, it will continue for now. He said that all scheduled movies are tentative, though, and are subject to change.

Cold Comfort Farm opens Aug. 30. The comedy, set in 1930s England, revolves around a strong-willed woman who loses her parents and wealth. She then leaves London to live in the rural countryside with her eccentric relatives.

The movie is based on the novel by Stelly Gibbons.