New York's Independent Film Culture is One of the City's Greatest Assets
New Yorkers have a particular fondness for smaller, local cinemas that offer a much greater variety of films overall than the mega theaters throughout the city. While I am not saying that there isn’t an appeal for locals or tourists to hit up the big theaters for the new releases, there is something special about the neighborhood cinemas that have popped up over the decades. Maybe it is just trendy to go to the less commercial houses to catch a new indie movie, documentary, or a screening of an old classic that wouldn’t have a chance to be seen on a huge screen in Times Square.
New York has also grown to be a perfect location for independent filmmakers, who are able to capture the edginess and speed of life in New York City. There was a time when it seemed that in order to have a career in film you needed to be on the West Coast but if you have spent a day strolling the streets of NYC, you are bound to see film vans and crews all over town, and not just for the blockbuster movies and television shows but independent filmmakers too. As the need for these smaller and more intimate spaces to screen these films has grown too. There are dozens of independent movie houses scattered throughout NYC, and I have chosen a few that I love best to highlight for this article.
The Film Forum is located at 209 West Houston Street and was built in 1990. It had started back in 1970 as a space to play independent films, with folding seating for 50 and only one projector. Even more improvements to the theater were made in 2018 to improve the seating as well as the sightlines and a fourth screen was added during this period. The Film Forum is exceptional for many reasons. First, it is open every day of the year, and employs around 50 people throughout the year. As a sustainable non-profit, they manage to raise about 45% of their operating income and are funded by both NYC agencies, corporate entities, and private donations. They offer both NYC theatrical premiers of American independents= and foreign art films and also American and foreign classics. There is always something screening there that is both stimulating and entertaining.
The IFC Center in the West Village at 323 6th Avenue is another favorite of mine. The last film screening I saw there was for Judy, with Renee Zellweger, and there was a fascinating talk-back with Renee and another cast member. This space opened in 2005, having formerly been the historic Waverly Theater. While fully modern with five cinemas, it is still maintaining an intimate feel. It offers theatrical premieres of new independent, foreign and documentary films, and has the largest American documentary festival every November. If you are up for late night screens, they offer cult movie classics at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It is also a great place to catch some lesser-known movies from the underground and seldom played movies about queer history.
I spent many years living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and one of my favorite theaters was the Cobble Hill Cinema at 265 Court Street. The neighborhood has a really old, authentic vibe still, and this theater is very much a local favorite. The original space offered just two screens in the 1960s. Its success ebbed and flowed over the years, but as the neighborhood started to become more popular, the theater reopened and added more screening rooms. Today, this still quaint building housing the Cobble Hill Cinema offers a combination of first run, foreign and independent films. I have seen many movies there over the years, and eaten as many bags of their popcorn. It will also be on my list of places to go when I am back in my old neighborhood, and I will always gravitate towards these smaller independent cinemas for their intimate feeling, thoughtful programming and because of their place in the hearts of the community.