Stay tuned for 40th Anniversary announcements!
35mm, 70mm, nitrate, state-of-the-art digital. Q&As, retrospectives, double-features, triple-features, marathons. We’re a year-round film festival. There’s something for everyone in our programming lineup.
Everything we do is rooted in the collective, communal experience of the movies and bringing people together around the cinematic arts. Your membership ensures access to that experience is available to everyone and includes a number of personal benefits.
The American Cinematheque is a member-donor-volunteer supported 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization whose mission is to celebrate the experience of cinema.
40 years of American Cinematheque film programming….and counting. Dive into the AC Vault to discover past Q&As and clips from our vast and newly digitized archives, old calendars and programs, new podcasts, conversations and much more.
Since it began screening films to the public in 1985, the American Cinematheque has provided diverse film programming and immersive in-person discussions and events with thousands of filmmakers and luminaries, presenting new and repertory cinema to Los Angeles.
Home / About / Membership FAQs
The American Cinematheque is a 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural arts organization. Member support directly helps to sustain the non-profit’s ongoing public film programming throughout the year.
Like most non-profit specialty cinemas, the AC’s primary source of funding is the box office, where the box office and concessions are responsible for about 60% of the budget – leaving the remainder to be raised through our Membership program and General Fundraising to support our repertory cinema programs and events, and the continued retro-format exhibition of celluloid film (35mm, 70mm and nitrate).
In order to provide the high-quality programming and theatrical exhibition at our theatres, we depend on memberships and donations. We appreciate our members and the vital support their dues provide.
Apart from helping to support the American Cinematheque(!), benefits are dependent on the membership level. All memberships (regardless of level) share the following benefits:
To browse through all Membership levels and benefits, click here.
Membership benefits are subject to change without notice.
To join online, click here to purchase. Ticket discounts are valid immediately once logged into your active member online account.
Essentially, you will go through the steps of buying a Membership – except you’ll have a Coupon Code to Apply during checkout.
There are no refunds or exchanges for Memberships and Memberships cannot be prorated. Memberships are charitable contributions for the American Cinematheque 501(c)(3). They are tax-deductible, to the fullest extent of the law.
We do offer a 72-hour grace period initially after purchasing a membership, for switching to a different membership level, provided that you have not already utilized the membership for screening discounts or other benefits.
You can login to your American Cinematheque Membership account using the same email you used to purchase the membership originally.
Click here to sign in or reset your password.
No. Memberships are non-transferable.
You are allowed to bring a non-member guest to a Members’ Only event if as a member you have secured the appropriate number of RSVPs for the screening and are able to present your digital membership card for validation. However, please bear in mind that your guest must be present with you for entry to the event.
No, membership benefits (including additional time) does not carry over to the following membership year. Memberships are not prorated. Please note that the date of your renewal will reflect your new expiration date for the following year.
Additionally, expired Members are not able to redeem Membership Benefits retroactively. Benefits can only be used and applied for active members.
Once you login to your online member account, click ‘MY MEMBERSHIP‘ tab of your account dashboard. You can view all your account details, including expiration date.
Be sure you are signing in using the email address you originally used to purchase your membership. You can click to reset your password if it’s the correct email, but the password isn’t working.
Do NOT click reset multiple times! It takes up to a few minutes for the reset notification to come through to your inbox.
Still having issues? Email member[at]americancinematheque[dot]com with as many details as possible (including original date of purchase) and someone will get back to you soon.
First, be sure you are logged into your account. Click your NAME and QR icon on the top bar – the link will take you directly to your Digital Member ID card.
When you renew your membership, the Digital Card will automatically update with your new expiration date and membership level.
We do not offer upgrades to active and existing memberships. As the AC is a non-profit, each membership is categorized as a charitable contribution, and is tax-deductible as allowed by law. Existing Memberships are not refundable or prorated.
In order to upgrade (even before your current membership has lapsed!) you’re more than welcome to purchase the new membership by visiting the Membership page.
Your new Membership will be effective immediately and will replace the old membership in the system. Your new Membership will be valid for 1 year from the date you purchase it.
We do allow a 72-hour grace period if you would like to upgrade your new membership to a different membership tier.
Be sure you’re logged in before you click to add tickets to your cart, or RSVP to members-only events. The Membership discounts and benefits will apply automatically during the checkout process.
When at the theatre, line up in the “Member Line” for entry. Be sure to have your Digital Membership Card handy!
Your Member card will be checked at the door to authenticate your membership.
Yes. If a screening is advertised as members-only and has sold out, there will be a members-only standby line for that event.
In Bulk Membership Mode