The Cinematheque
Photo by Silmara Albi
Founded in 1972, The Cinematheque is a film institute and media education centre devoted to understanding the art and history of Canadian and international cinema and the impact of moving images and screen-based media in our lives. It houses a 155-seat cinema with film programming throughout the year.
Its public activities include a year-round calendar of curated film exhibitions devoted to important classic and contemporary films and filmmakers; and an array of community outreach programs offering interactive learning opportunities in film appreciation, filmmaking, media literacy, and critical thinking.
Cinephiles look forward to the organization’s compelling series, which have included such subjects as the movies of masters like Federico Fellini, Abbas Kiarostami, and Agnès Varda; British folk horror and film noir; and spotlights on Indigenous and queer filmmakers. Other curated offerings span national retrospectives, exclusive first runs, documentaries, and independent films.
The Howe Street facility values cinema as a communal and transformative experience. It’s committed to the importance of inclusivity and diversity in programming and to showcasing the finest achievements of local and national artists along with the best cinema from around the world.
The Cinematheque’s collections include a Film Reference Library housing thousands of film-related books and periodicals, and a West Coast Film Archive holding some 2,000 Canadian motion pictures, including a core collection of historically and artistically significant British Columbian works. The West Coast Film Collection is devoted to preserving the heritage of independent filmmaking on Canada's West Coast. Holdings include more than 200 significant B.C. films dating from 1968 to 1978—the first major wave of independent and avant-garde filmmaking in the province. Most of the major artists who first shaped B.C.’s distinctive cinema are represented: Phillip Borsos, Tom Braidwood, Sturla Gunnarsson, Al Razutis, David Rimmer, Al Sens, Krik Tougas, Sandy Wilson, and many others. There’s also an impressive National Film Board Collection, consisting of more than 800 film titles produced from 1960 to 1985.
The Cinematheque also offers interactive programs that explore film and visual media, with courses for community groups, school-age kids, and members of the public. One program, called Reaching Out and run with Out on Screen, encourages young activists in Gender and Sexuality Alliances to produce and share high-quality videos aimed at making change.
The Cinematheque acknowledges that Vancouver is located on the unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples, including the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
Learning and outreach with The Cinematheque
Find The Cinematheque at:
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6Z 2L7
