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LIGHTBOX

FILM CENTER
Support Philadelphia's premier exhibitor of film and moving image art.
  • The Cathedral of New Emotions
    The Cathedral of New Emotions
    Wed, Nov 13
    The Living Room at Bok
    Nov 13, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin St. Philadelphia, PA 19148
    Nov 13, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin St. Philadelphia, PA 19148
    East Coast Premiere German director Helmut Herbst’s utterly insane The Cathedral of New Emotions follows a commune of Berlin stoners and intellectuals who get set adrift in space...
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  • Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers
    Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers
    Wed, Nov 20
    The Living Room at Bok
    Nov 20, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin St. Philadelphia, PA 19148
    Nov 20, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin St. Philadelphia, PA 19148
    New Restoration Eternal trans icon/Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn (Trash, Women in Revolt) is a total riot in this newly-uncovered, freshly-restored Seventies sketch comedy musical...
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  • Let's Get Lost
    Let's Get Lost
    Wed, Dec 11
    The Living Room at Bok
    Dec 11, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin St, Philadelphia, PA 19148, USA
    Dec 11, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    The Living Room at Bok, 800 Mifflin St, Philadelphia, PA 19148, USA
    New Restoration Renowned photographer Bruce Weber traces the career of iconic jazz artist Chet Baker through to his final years in the Oscar nominated documentary Let’s Get Lost...
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ABOUT

Lightbox Film Center is Philadelphia’s premier exhibitor of film and moving image art. Beyond the traditional movie theater experience, Lightbox presents an unparalleled slate of repertory, nonfiction, experimental and international cinema that would otherwise not be screened theatrically in Philadelphia. We are dedicated to preserving and exhibiting films that are historically relevant along with contemporary films that have yet to become widely available. Building a community around a shared reverence for cinema, Lightbox celebrates the projected image as a framework for diverse ideas and perspectives. Our programs inspire discourse, invite exploration and challenge the status quo.

HISTORY

Lightbox Film Center draws on a rich history as a regional resource for cinephiles for almost fifty years. Initially known as The Neighborhood Film/Video Project, the program was established by Linda Blackaby in the 1970s and was housed at International House of Philadelphia starting in 1979. As the city’s first cinema to focus exclusively on independent and international films, The Neighborhood Film/Video Project played an important role in advancing local access to emerging filmmakers and engaging audiences around social, cultural and political issues—defining aspects of the work it continues to do today.

 

In 1992, International House launched the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, the first major regional film event of its kind. In the late-’90s, the program underwent a period of transition and reemerged with a renewed focus on year-round film programming and an expanded scope of moving image presentation that included experimental film and video works, artist’s cinema, digital art and other emerging forms across an array of formats.

 

In 2017, the program was renamed Lightbox Film Center to create more visibility and better position itself for the next era of moving-image presentation. When International House announced the sale of its iconic building, Lightbox sought out a new institutional partner. The University of the Arts officially took on Lightbox in 2020 and helped the program expand into film restoration while continuing to be a major exhibitor of unique and innovative films. In 2024, following the demise of UArts, Lightbox became an independent non-profit organization in order to continue our mission of providing a cinema space for diverse, innovative, and sometimes overlooked films so that the public can engage with the broader context of moving image culture.

FILM RESTORATION

In 2020, Lightbox was presented with a major financial gift from Ronald and Suzanne Naples. In an effort to support the rescue and preservation of “lost” films, Lightbox initiated a series of film restorations that include;

Life is Cheap…but Toilet Paper is Expensive 

(Wayne Wang, USA/Hong Kong, 1989/2022)

 

Household Saints

(Nancy Savoca, USA, 1993)

 

Naked Acts

(Bridgett M. Davis, USA, 1996)

 

Time of the Heathen

(Peter Kass, USA, 1961)

 

Nightshift

(Robina Rose, UK, 1980)

 

The Innerview

(Richard Beymer, USA, 1973/2024)

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