Film Forum
209 W. Houston Street, New York, NY 10014
Open · verified by Lumina November 2026
A four-screen nonprofit cinema on West Houston Street pairing new independent releases with repertory series and restorations, including 35mm prints. Film Forum Jr. runs family matinees.
Quick facts
- Type
- Art house, Repertory, Nonprofit
- Address
- 209 W. Houston Street, New York, NY 10014
- Phone
- (212) 727-8112
- Screens
- 4
- Opened
- 1990
- Hours
- Open daily
What to expect
On screen
- New independent releases
- Classics and revivals
- Documentaries
- International film
- Family films
- Special events
At the theater
- 35mm projection
The story
Film Forum began in 1970 as a loft screening room on West 88th Street with about 50 folding chairs and one projector, founded to show films outside the Hollywood mainstream. It moved to Vandam Street in 1975, then to a twin-screen space on Watts Street in 1980. Since 1990 it has occupied 209 West Houston Street, opening with three screens and gaining a fourth in a renovation completed in 2018. Its longtime director led it from 1972 until 2023, and leadership has changed twice since. The cinema is a nonprofit and plays roughly four hundred to five hundred films a year, split between premieres and repertory programs. It closed for about thirteen months during the pandemic and reopened in April 2021.
Good to know
- Is Film Forum a nonprofit?
- Yes, it describes itself as a nonprofit cinema and offers memberships.
- How much are tickets?
- The site lists $18 general and $12 for members.
- Do they show 35mm film?
- Some programs do. The site says films are projected digitally unless noted, and several series use 35mm prints.
- Where is Film Forum?
- Film Forum is at 209 W. Houston Street, New York, NY 10014. Phone: (212) 727-8112.
- How do I buy tickets for Film Forum?
- Buy tickets directly from the theater using the Showtimes & tickets button on this page. You can also call (212) 727-8112.
- What independent theaters are near Film Forum?
- IFC Center in New York (0.3 mi), Roxy Cinema Tribeca in New York (0.7 mi), and Quad Cinema in New York (0.7 mi).
- IFC CenterRoxy Cinema TribecaQuad Cinema
Getting there
209 W. Houston Street, New York, NY 10014 · Get directions · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Independent cinemas near Film Forum
IFC Center
New York, NY · 0.3 mi
A five-screen Greenwich Village cinema showing new independent and foreign releases, documentaries and late-night favorites, often with director Q&As. It is the main venue for the DOC NYC festival and offers open-captioned shows.
Roxy Cinema Tribeca
New York, NY · 0.7 mi
A basement art-house cinema in a Tribeca hotel, styled after 1920s movie palaces, showing independent releases, archival prints and 35mm cult favorites with Q&As. It sells popcorn, beer, wine and cocktails.
Quad Cinema
New York, NY · 0.7 mi
A four-screen Greenwich Village cinema that plays themed retrospectives and new independent releases, with 35mm prints and a long-running Rocky Horror program. The current series is Femme Noir.
Cinema Village
New York, NY · 0.7 mi
A three-screen Greenwich Village cinema in a converted firehouse, playing independent releases, documentaries and small film festivals, often with filmmaker Q&As. Private screenings can be booked.
Metrograph
New York, NY · 1.2 mi
A two-screen Lower East Side cinema that blends director retrospectives and repertory classics with new releases and filmmaker Q&As. It has a restaurant and bar upstairs and a film-focused shop.
Spectacle Theater
Brooklyn, NY · 2.5 mi
A collectively run Williamsburg microcinema, founded in 2010 and staffed by volunteers, that programs overlooked, offbeat and cult films in themed series every day of the week.
More art house cinemas in New York
BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Academy of Music's film program, combining new independent and international releases with retrospectives and a summer film festival, in screens inside the Peter Jay Sharp Building.
Jacob Burns Film Center
Pleasantville, NY
A nonprofit three-screen film center in downtown Pleasantville, showing independent and documentary releases with filmmaker discussions. It also runs education programs and a wine bar and cafe open Thursday to Sunday.
Hours
Open daily
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