amherst cinema

Amherst Cinema Arts Center is an independent, nonprofit arts and education center brimming with world-class programs.

The historic Amherst Cinema Building dates back to 1879, when a livery was erected on the site of the former Amherst Academy. After a major downtown fire in 1926, the structure was sold, renovated, and opened as a single-screen cinema. In 1999, after years of neglect and deterioration, the privately-owned cinema closed. That same year, a group of local visionaries and arts supporters stepped forward to form the nonprofit Amherst Cinema to save the historic structure from the auction block. Seven years later on November 22, 2006, Amherst Cinema Arts Center, the new modern, three-screen theater opened. The Cinema quickly built a loyal and dedicated audience and Membership base. In 2013, Amherst Cinema opened a fourth screen, the intimate Studio Theater, located just steps away from the main cinema building.

Amherst Cinema presents over 275 programs a year on four screens in more than 20 languages. Its comfortable, fully accessible theater offers state-of-the-art projection and Dolby sound, assistive visual and audio technology, and is a welcoming crossroads for all.

The Cinema’s mission is to inspire, inform and entertain through the universal language of cinema arts and to serve as a cultural and educational resource for all. For more information, stop in for a visit or find us online.