The Film Society of Lincoln Center's new landmark state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a multi-screen theater and cultural venue opened to the public in the heart of Lincoln Center’s campus in June, 2011.
Additionally, the FSLC announced the appointment of veteran film executive Bingham Ray as the Film Center’s first run strategy consultant.
The new Film Center, named after FSLC board member, and award-winning filmmaker and designer Elinor Bunin Munroe, is part of the 16-acre Lincoln Center campus redevelopment and has been designed by David Rockwell and Rockwell Group who also collaborated with Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the exterior. The 17,500 square foot venue will house 2 theaters, an ampitheater and a café. The 150-seat Francesca Beale Theater will show specialty film releases, and the intimate 90-seat Howard Gilman Theater will screen a combination of new film releases and special programs. The amphitheater, with a 152” Panasonic Plasma screen (the largest of its kind on public display in the country) will house lectures, panels and educational programs.
The new Film Center will allow the FSLC to extend its reach from the current facilities of the Walter Reade Theater in the following ways:
• The Film Center will be able to offer the public a complete cultural experience – the opportunity to see films; experience installations, emerging digital technologies and digital art which will be featured in the amphitheater; participate in lectures and panels; attend live presentations and performances, and midnight programs; visit a Wi-Fi equipped café open throughout the day from early morning breakfasts to late night snacks; and find a setting to gather together with friends and families or encounter other culturally minded visitors.
• The Film Center will be a space where the FSLC will explore new ways that filmmakers and other artists are using the moving image, particularly transmedia storytelling that embraces other platforms and formats, as well as projections, installations and exhibitions.
• The Film Center will partner with schools and educators for educational programs and special screenings for adults and children.
• The Film Center will be equipped with the latest internet technology to facilitate real-time participation and interaction at an international level, making it uniquely accessible in global terms. The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a collaboration between the Film Society and Lincoln Center, is a state-of-the-art, interactive media destination with acoustic and aesthetic elements. David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group artfully turned existing, underutilized office space and a parking garage into a series of street-level spaces that will catch the eye of visitors with cinema-inspired design and the comforts of modern theaters.
The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, a collaboration between the Film Society and Lincoln Center, is a state-of-the-art, interactive media destination with acoustic and aesthetic elements. David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group artfully turned existing, underutilized office space and a parking garage into a series of street-level spaces that will catch the eye of visitors with cinema-inspired design and the comforts of modern theaters.
An audience is perhaps the most important part of the cinema experience. And right now, you can become a permanent part of the Lincoln Center by naming a seat in one of our two new art-house cinemas or our state-of-the-art amphitheater. Make a donation to The Film Society of Lincoln Center today to name your seat. And remember, the name of your seat can also serve as a tribute to a loved one or be a celebration of a marriage or a family.
