NATCHEZ — Natchez has a new movie theater — for a week.

Beginning Sunday, the National Park Service will sponsor a free showing of the Ken Burns PBS film “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” on the big screen at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center on South Canal Street.

The film is a six-part series on the creation and evolution of the National Park Service. One 2-hour episode will be aired at 7 p.m. each night from Sunday through Friday.

Seating is available on a first come, first-served basis and the auditorium seats about 70.

The series will be broadcast on PBS stations in Mississippi and Louisiana at 7 p.m. each night, as well. But Kathleen Jenkins, superintendent of the Natchez National Historical Park, said the feature is better appreciated in a cinema-type setting.

“It’s breath taking; it is moving; it is fascinating,” she said. “It is really something where bigger is better to enjoy the beauty of cinematography.”

The series explores the beginning of the national parks in the mid-1800s and features scenes from the large natural national parks across the country.

Each episode will focus on a different aspect of national parks to chronologically tell the story through 1980.

Jenkins said the series focuses on the large parks like Yosmite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.

“I have seen scenes from each of the episodes and what it gives you is a respect for the beauty of these parks,” Jenkins said. “It really points out the people who have worked to preserve the beauty of our wilderness.”

Jenkins said while the Natchez National Historical Park is part of the National Park Service, it is not featured in the series — “A lot of our nearby parks are cultural parks, not natural parks,” she said.

The Natchez National Historical Park includes Melrose and the William Johnson House.

The Natchez Trace is also a National Park.

Jenkins said while local properties are not featured, it is exciting to see the Park Service featured in such a way.

“Ken Burns sternly believes that the national parks are American democracy laid on the landscape,” Jenkins said. “(The National Park Service) has taken our most special places and made the available to everyone.”

While each episode is independent of the previous episodes, Jenkins said the entire series is worth watching because of the comprehensive history lesson is provides as well as the beauty of the scenery.

“All of them are equally spectacular and fascinating,” Jenkins said. “It is a knock-your-socks-off visual experience.

“We all need these time-outs to get away from the everyday humdrum.”