Arts

Pacific Cinémathèque

An art-house cinema through and through, Pacific Cinémathèque has the eclectic lineup that can’t be seen on any other screen in Vancouver.

By Kristen Hilderman /

Credit: Kristen Hilderman

Pacific Cinémathèque in downtown Vancouver is the city’s true art-house cinema

An art-house cinema through and through, Pacific Cinémathèque has the eclectic lineup that can’t be seen on any other screen in Vancouver

 

Bringing you the “essential cinema experience,” Pacific Cinémathèque focuses on the kinds of movies that stick with you even after you’ve left. The classics. The films that inspire. Movies with insight and relevance. The theatre’s ever-changing, year-round lineup wields cinematic power like no other venue in town.

 

A theatre and a film society

Pacific Cinematheque

Pacific Cinémathèque

www.cinematheque.bc.ca

1311 Howe St, Vancouver

604-688-8202

Because Pacific Cinémathèque is recognized as a film society, they are able to screen movies that have not been reviewed by the B.C. Film Classification Office. The good news: they can show films that you can’t see elsewhere. The bad news: all patrons of the theatre must be 18 years or older. So be sure to leave the kiddies at home—which maybe isn’t necessarily a bad thing for one evening?
 

However, private rentals and sponsored screenings—like the Cinema Sunday monthly film program for families—are always an all-ages affair.  

 

Pacific Cinémathèque Program Guide

Part of Pacific Cinémathèque’s mandate is to promote and encourage filmmakers at all levels, and their diverse screenings reflect that. All of their upcoming films can be seen in their bi-monthly Pacific Cinémathèque Program Guide.

 

The guide puts the spotlight on each of their upcoming films with summary information and details that put it in context. The guides also feature local arts and culture ads, keeping the readers current with Vancouver happenings. It’s ostensibly the cinema buff’s shopping guide. Thirty years of the Pacific Cinémathèque Program Guide are archived in the theatre’s Film Reference Library and serve as a great movie-database reference.

 

The theatre itself has undergone improvements since it was established as a film society nearly 40 years ago. It features newly installed, ultra-comfortable seating and a snack bar with baked goods—and yes, plenty of popcorn.