What is the Cinema Club?

The Cinema Club is the nation's premier sneak preview film society. On select Sunday mornings in eight different cities this winter/spring, Cinema Club members will preview and discuss the best new American independent and foreign films in distribution. Always a secret until the day of the screening, our movies are shown before their local commercial release, letting our members view and respond to them with true surprise and spontaneity.

After each screening, our distinguished moderators – local film experts, professors and critics – lead a forty-five minute discussion with club members directly in the theater. At many of our showings, our moderators are joined in discussion by fellow film scholars, esteemed film critics and occasionally filmmakers themselves.

Our distinguished group of programmers have been guiding film societies, academic programs and even popular film festivals for over a decade. We attend dozens of leading festivals around the globe, always keeping our eyes open for the next Cinema Club gem.

The Cinema Club operates in eight cities nationwide:
Atlanta, Boca Raton, Boston, Milwaukee,
New Haven, San Francisco, St. Louis & Washington DC
San Francisco Milwaukee St. Louis Boca Raton Atlanta Washington DC Boston New Haven

History

The Cinema Club was founded under the name “Key Sunday Cinema Club” in October 1992 at the Key Theatre in Georgetown by David and Seena Levy, who owned and operated specialty theaters in the Washington DC area for over 30 years. The organization expanded to the Kendall Square Cinemas in Boston in February 1998, to the Embarcadero Center Cinemas in San Francisco in September, and to the Garden Hills Cinemas in Atlanta in October of that year (the Boston chapter is currently held at the West Newton Cinemas, the San Francisco chapter at the Sundance Kabuki, and the Atlanta chapter at the Midtown Art Cinemas).

In October 2000, Arnold Gorlick of the Madison Art Cinemas in New Haven, CT, helped launch the Greater New Haven chapter. The Boca Raton chapter originated in January 2001 at the Regal Shadowood movie theater, later moved to the Mizner Park Cinemas, and now resides at the Deerfield Mall Cinemas. The St. Louis chapter opened in February 2004 at the Plaza Frontenac Cinemas and the newest chapter opened at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee in January 2007. Defunct chapters include Portland, OR, Providence, RI, San Diego, CA, Los Angeles, CA, and Burlington, VT.

After David Levy sadly passed away in September 2004, son Benjamin Levy resumed ownership of the organization through May 2009. The club is currently under ownership by Washington DC film programmer and operations director for the Key Sunday Cinema Club since its founding, Andrew Mencher, under the simplified name “The Cinema Club.” Walt Irby is the organization's current operations director and Susie Mencher is its membership coordinator.

» Cinema Club Moderator & Staff Biographies «

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How to Join:

Select your city from the drop-down menu above to join the club, renew your membership, or learn more.

Testimonials:

“The discussions provide so much insight that you miss out on as an average film-goer.”
– Atlanta Member

“I love not knowing what movie I'm going to see when I walk in here.”
– San Francisco Member

“I appreciate the exposure to films that I might not ordinarily see on my own.”
– Milwaukee Member

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