IFC Center
May 14, 2014
In a way, the IFC Center located slightly north of Carmine Street on 6th Avenue, is the perfect type of movie theater for the community that occupies the streets of the West Village. Although it’s big (gasp!) and new (gasp! x 2), usually two characteristics that natives of the village hate to see (see IHOP), it has been welcomed by the people of the neighborhood because they invite New Yorkers who seek out the best in independent films.
The IFC Center opened in 2005 in the same building as the historic Waverly Theater. It features independent foreign and documentary films. It shows classic movies on weekend mornings. It shows cult movies at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. It boasts the “Short Attention Span Cinema” where they show short film screenings before every movie. Another aspect of the IFC Center that makes it unique is the Posteritati Gallery which is an exhibit of movie posters from around the world.
Often times in the city, people find themselves bitter about the current state of movie theaters. With ticket prices north of 15$, it seems sometimes that the customer is being overlooked. IFC Center wants to break that mold by trying to appeal to a lot of different types of groups ranging from college students to senior citizens. They want people to embrace the history of cinema as well as welcome in the current state of it. These qualities have allowed the IFC Center to flourish in a neighborhood that’s not always easy on its new inhabitants.
