Bryn Mawr Film Institute

About BMFI Bryn Mawr Film Institute ( BMFI ) is a non-profit community theater founded in 2002 by the region's academic, business, and civic leaders. The Mission of BMFI is to strengthen our community by providing the opportunity for diverse segments to meet, learn, share ideas, and develop talents and understanding through the catalyst of film. Film Exhibition BMFI shows the best in independent, international, documentary, art, and repertory films. These fine films form the nucleus around which the community development and educational programs of the Institute revolve. Over 2, 000 patrons visit BMFI weekly for films, classes, and special events. BMFI's film programming is anchored by two first-run films which are screened approximately 40 times a week. In addition, weekly programming includes between three and five repertory films or cultural presentations such as simulcast opera and theater. In 2009, there were about 100, 000 admissions. The One Night Only films and Film Series often include new and independent films presented with filmmaker discussions; repertory films are often presented with introductions by film scholars or subject matter experts. BMFI provides Going Gaga screenings for parents with babies and a Kids Matinees film series specially geared toward children. On the first Monday of every month, BMFI holds Open Screen Mondays, a chance for area filmmakers to screen their films at our theater on the big screen, free of charge. BMFI presents filmed performances of operas from prestigious venues, including La Scala and the Salzburg Festival, as well as live simulcasts of operas from around the globe. Opera presentations include talks with staff from Opera Company of Philadelphia. Patrons may purchase tickets for an entire series or for individual performances. BMFI also presents plays via live-delay simulcast from the National Theatre in London. Film Education BMFI educational programs serve approximately 800 adults per year. A robust, in-house film education department, with faculty and guest lecturers, offers seminars and courses on film history, screenwriting, film appreciation, and many other film-related topics. Throughout the year, several month-long educational courses run concurrently; on average, 15 to 20 courses per year are offered. One-day seminars and full semester courses are also offered. Pennsylvania educators may be able to receive Act 48 credit when they attend BMFI's course, The Language of Film, thanks to our partnership with the University of the Arts. In 2005, BMFI launched the Jacob Burns Film Center's See, Hear, Feel Film program, which brings visual literacy and critical viewing education to third-grade students in the Delaware Valley. The program has grown since its inception and now an average of 800 school children enjoy the program annually. Additionally, BMFI serves junior high, senior high, and college students through a variety of film literacy and appreciation curricula. Screenwriting and filmmaking courses are offered for various age groups. BMFI is also home to the George Rehrauer Collection, a gift from the Haverford School, in our Film Studies Library. This collection of over 2, 000 books is available for loan to Bryn Mawr Film Institute members. Select films are followed by moderated discussions that take place in the second floor Multimedia Room. A partial list of these interactive programs includes: Friday afternoon discussions run by in-house faculty for particularly inspiring or provocative films currently being screened, e.g., An Inconvenient Truth and Precious Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia's character-based discussions following the screening of a newly released film one Sunday a month BMFI also hosts Talk Cinema, a film series which offers its subscribers a unique selection of quality films independently curated by film critic Harlan Jacobson, a 30-year industry veteran. Each series previews independent and foreign films before their release. Screenings are