Detroit Film Theatre Continues to Captivate Cinema Enthusiasts After 50+ Years
Since 1974, the Detroit Film Theatre has served as Detroit’s living room, showcasing the best of classic and contemporary cinema. Now, as the theater begins its 51st year, attendance and interest remain as strong as ever.
Elliot Wilhelm, curator of film at the Detroit Institute of Arts, said audience sizes have returned to pre-pandemic levels despite changes in the film industry’s exhibition format and competition from streaming and other entertainment services. During the 2024 holiday season, more than 2,000 people attended a program of four silent films with live musical accompaniment, he said.
While several area arthouse theaters have closed over the last several years, the Detroit Film Theatre has remained open for Detroit cinema enthusiasts.
The theater’s current season includes several notable film titles, including the annual Academy Award-nominated short film program. An Oscar shorts program will run several weekends in February and into the first weekend of March.
Upcoming films include “A Traveler’s Needs” (Jan. 24-26), a South Korean comedy featuring Isabelle Huppert, and “Oh, Canada” (Jan. 10-12), featuring actor Richard Gere. “Oh, Canada” is the work of 78-year-old Paul Schrader, a filmmaker and screenwriter from Grand Rapids. “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (Jan. 17-19) is a Johan Grimonprez documentary about the 1961 assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba and the events that preceded it.
“We have become the venue in the United States that attracts the most people to see (the shorts program) in a single theater,” Wilhelm told The Detroit News. “We’re either No. 1 or No. 2, based on certain years, between Detroit and New York. People love seeing them. And I think what they really love about it is the audiences get the chance to discover (these films) for themselves.”
