New York City is Getting Its First Independent Cinema Theater in 10 Years

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Metrograph, a two-screen movie house, is opening its doors at 7 Ludlow Street (at Canal Street) in New York City this February. Complete with a restaurant, cinema-dedicated bookshop, café and lounge, the indie theater will feature world-class independent and international movies, repertory films and exclusive premieres. Jacob Perlin and Aliza Ma will head the theater as film programmers, while both digital film projectors and 35mm film will be installed.

“Growing up in Manhattan, I fell in love with movies in theaters which are now sadly gone, like The Beekman and The Plaza,” says Metrograph founder and New York-based director Alexander Olch. “To bring glamour, excitement, and prestige back to the exhibition experience has been my longstanding goal.” 

Perlin, currently Programmer-at-Large at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, will join the theater as Programming & Artistic Director. Perlin was Associate Programmer of BAMcinematek for eight years, founded the distribution company The Film Desk and remains Executive Director of Cinema Conservancy/Artists Public Domain.

Aliza Ma will join Metrograph as Head of Programming. As both a programmer and writer, Ma has worked at Museum of the Moving Image, Toronto Film Festival, TIFF Cinematheque, AFI Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival. She specializes in Asian cinema.

Full details on Metrograph’s opening film programs, as well as the unveiling of the restaurant and bookshop, will be available in the fall. Visit the Metrograph website for more information.

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