Art and Indie Film Venues in NYC

I've seen some incredibly good foreign and art films in this city, as well as little-known documentaries and indie films that don't get big-budget releases at major theaters. As a film connoisseur, I can wholeheartedly recommend these venues for the kinds of films you wouldn't see anywhere else: sometimes weird, edgy, off the beaten path, obscure and thoughtful works from filmmakers who treat film not as entertainment but as a social medium, or simply as art. Paris has a lively film culture and I'm glad that New York City can at least hold its own in that department.

Anthology Film Archives
32 Second Avenue at 2nd Street
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/
Conceived and long operated by Jonas Mekas, anthology has been an epicenter of sorts for avant garde filmmakers in the city. They regularly screen classics, and devote a substantial amount of programming time to new filmmakers. If you're making films in a basement somewhere, this would be the place you go, get friendly with the film lovers who work there, and probably get to screen your work.

Film Forum
209 West Houston Street near Varick Street
http://www.filmforum.org/
One of the leading movie houses for independent screenings. They specialize in NYC theatrical premiers of American independent and foreign art films. They have a strong curatorial emphasis on work that deals with social and political issues, and also offer a good documentary programming.

Film Society of Lincoln Center
165 West 65th Street near Broadway
http://www.filmlinc.com/
Founded to celebrate American and international cinema, the film society is immensely popular and lends a certain prestige to the indie films it chooses for screening.

French Institute Alliance Francaise
55 East 59th Street near Broadway
http://www.fiaf.org/calendar/calendar.asp?vw=2&evt=FILM
Well, yeah, it seems fitting that the film-loving French would have an outpost in this city too. Some incredibly good selections of contemporary and classics of French filmmaking.

IFC Center
323 Sixth Avenue at 3rd Street
http://www.ifccenter.com/
Excellent, excellent independent films from all over the world, screened daily.

Museum of Modern Art
11 west 53rd Street near Fifth Avenue
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/filters/3
The MoMa has a huge archive of films and is an incredible place to get your film history education. With screenings several times a day, and and free access to all films with the purchase of a membership. That's a veeery good deal if you're intending to see a lot of films.

Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm
Excellent arthouse cinema with not a Hollywood blockbuster in sight.

Angelika Film Center & Cafe
18 West Houston
www.angelikafilmcenter.com
Features independent foreign and domestic films, and has an excellent waiting area with cafe for socializing before and after the films. It's well-attended and on weekends many shows sell out, so it's better to book tickets in advance.

Cinema Village
22 East 12th Street
http://www.cinemavillage.com/chc/cv/
Three-screen cinema specializing in provocative independent and foreign films.

Tribeca Cinemas and Tibeca Film Institute
375 Greenwich Street
54 Varick Street
TC: http://www.tribecacinemas.com/calendar/
TFI: http://www.tribecafilminstitute.org/sloan/
Tribeca Cinemas is home to the Tribeca Film Festival and regularly screens other films and documentaries throughout the year. Tribeca Film institute is connected to the cinemas and gives grants for the production of important documentary film projects.