American Cinematheque

American Cinematheque
Name	American Cinematheque
Type	Film exhibition and cultural institution
Founded	1981
Founder	Jacques Rivette
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Location	Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, Egyptian Theatre (Los Angeles), Aero Theatre

American Cinematheque is an independent, non-profit film organization based in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of cinema from around the world. It programs archival film and contemporary motion picture series, retrospectives, and festivals featuring works by internationally recognized directors and studios, while operating historic venues associated with Hollywood exhibition history. The institution's activities intersect with major preservation, archival, and cinematic communities including festivals, museums, and academic programs.

History

Founded in the early 1980s amid revitalized interest in repertory programming and retrospective exhibition, the organization emerged contemporaneously with institutions such as the Film Forum, Museum of Modern Art, and the British Film Institute. Early programming drew upon relationships with directors and distributors tied to Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival. Over subsequent decades the institution mounted retrospectives devoted to auteurs associated with Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Stanley Kubrick, and Orson Welles, collaborating with archives including the Library of Congress, the Academy Film Archive, and the British Film Institute National Archive. The organization has also engaged with regional cultural projects tied to Los Angeles County Museum of Art and downtown revitalization initiatives near Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard.

Facilities and Locations

The Cinematheque programs screenings at historic movie houses and contemporary cinemas. Venues have included the landmark Grauman's Egyptian Theatre (also called Egyptian Theatre (Los Angeles)), the seaside Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, and partners such as the Paramount Pictures screening rooms and university auditoria at University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles. Exhibition spaces have hosted premieres and archival presentations featuring prints from the Criterion Collection, the Packard Humanities Institute, and studio vaults maintained by Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Studios. The Cinematheque’s location history intersects with preservation efforts at sites like the Cinerama Dome and programming venues associated with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Programs and Screenings

Programming emphasizes retrospectives, director-focused series, and themed festivals. Regular offerings have showcased the works of filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodóvar, Billy Wilder, Hayao Miyazaki, Yasujiro Ozu, Jean-Luc Godard, Satyajit Ray, and Agnes Varda, alongside curated festivals spotlighting national cinemas from Japan, France, Mexico, Italy, and Iran. Special programs often coincide with appearances by actors and auteurs including Paul Thomas Anderson, Greta Gerwig, Spike Lee, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Sofia Coppola, David Lynch, Robert Altman, and John Huston, and with collaborations involving institutions like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American Film Institute, and the Museum of the Moving Image. The Cinematheque also programs restoration premieres linked to distributors such as Janus Films, The Criterion Collection, and Shout! Factory.

Film Preservation and Restoration

The institution plays a role in preservation advocacy and the presentation of restored materials. It screens archival prints, 35mm and 70mm presentations, and newly restored digital transfers produced in partnership with organizations including the National Film Preservation Foundation, the Academy Film Archive, the British Film Institute, and the Library of Congress. Restoration premieres have involved collaborations with studios and foundations such as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, the Film Foundation, and the Packard Humanities Institute. Presentations have featured significant restorations of works connected to Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Marlene Dietrich, Murnau, and Fritz Lang, and revivals of contemporary classics associated with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Ridley Scott.

Educational and Community Outreach

Educational initiatives include panel discussions, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, and youth programs developed with partners like the Los Angeles Unified School District, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, USC School of Cinematic Arts, and community organizations including FilmAid International and local cultural centers on Hollywood Boulevard and in Santa Monica. Public programs have featured scholars from institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago, and collaborations with advocacy groups like the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. Outreach efforts extend to film literacy projects and curated series aimed at broad audiences, often coordinated with festivals such as Sundance Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Governance and Funding

The organization operates as an independent non-profit with a board of directors, advisory committees, and executive staff drawn from exhibition, archival, and academic sectors. Funding sources include ticket revenue, private philanthropy from foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, corporate sponsorships from studios and media companies like Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, and support from public entities including the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. The Cinematheque has also received in-kind contributions and partnerships with archives including the Academy Film Archive and the British Film Institute National Archive to support screenings, restorations, and educational programming.

Category:Film organizations in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles