Bryn Mawr Film Institute

The Theater Challenge Campaign: A Twist Ending


Twist endings are hard to beat for excitement—just ask Alfred Hitchcock! Now Bryn Mawr Film Institute (BMFI) has a very exciting plot twist to the on-going fund raising campaign!

The story so far. . .

In just seven years, BMFI has saved an architectural gem from destruction and transformed it into one of the nation's top film institutions attracting filmmakers, patrons, and critics from around the world. We show the best in internationally distributed first-run films along with independent, documentary, international, and repertory films and simulcast opera, concerts, ballet, and theater. These fine cinematic works are the nucleus around which our community development and educational programs revolve.

Over the past months, the Theater Three Challenge Campaign has been raising funds for the important work that is yet to be done. Resulting benefits will include:

  • The competitive advantage to be able to bring our audiences the best possible films;
  • The space to present more films of an even wider variety as well as a broader educational program; and
  • The furtherance of a financially sustainable business model with prudent operating costs, increased revenues, and strengthened balance sheet.

And then, suddenly. . .

With the need to commit to construction plans fast approaching, BMFI President Juliet Goodfriend's final inquiry to Main Line Health Systems about the availability of vacant land next to the theater met with a positive response. For years, design and planning professionals have pointed to the option of new construction on Central Avenue as the optimal solution to BMFI's need for additional screens. Until a few months ago this solution was out of reach. The sudden availability of the land is good news for several reasons:

  • We can add two new screens for a total of four auditoria;
  • Programming opportunities will double;
  • The theater will not have to close during construction. The two current theaters can remain fully operational during construction of the new theaters and then close for renovation when the new theaters open;
  • Renovation dollars can be used most efficiently. New construction eliminates the expensive engineering required to retrofit the existing building.

So, while many of the plot points and characters remain the same, the conclusion of BMFI's story has suddenly become even more exciting!

Our Opening Sequence

In 2005, Bryn Mawr Film Institute pioneered a new model for nonprofit, community-based movie theaters rich in education. As our community knows, the idea of the Institute took shape over several years and was made concrete in December 2004 when BMFI purchased the derelict Bryn Mawr Theater at the heart of the town. Bank financing allowed BMFI to acquire and begin renovating the theater. Working under a very tight schedule, basic upgrades were completed, and the theater re-opened on March 12, 2005 with Sir Ben Kingsley cutting the "ribbon" of 35mm film.

Sir Ben spoke eloquently of cinema as a "tribal mechanism by which we communicate profound aspects of humanity," and described Juliet Goodfriend, President of Bryn Mawr Film Institute, as "a defender of the primitive right to tell stories." As visual media become ever more important to our society's communication, BMFI takes seriously our responsibility to educate the public about visual literacy. This educational function is the core of our pioneering programming model.

You have lit up Bryn Mawr and all of our lives.

— BMFI Member

In addition, we have always considered the preservation and restoration of the theater building an integral part of our mission, particularly because of the proven power of a downtown movie theater to drive economic development and stimulate job creation in surrounding retail businesses. Due to our careful restoration efforts, the building has been awarded a place on the National Register of Historic Places and has received a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission toward the restoration of our atrium skylight. Despite many changes to the building, the mystique of the old Seville, as the theater was originally known, lives on today at Bryn Mawr Film Institute.

The enclosed is a token of my support for your miracle on Lancaster Avenue. You have worked wonders.

— BMFI Member

Our achievements in six years of operation are remarkable-in large part because of tremendous support from our audiences and the community at large. Testimonials from our patrons and media acclaim reveal what BMFI has come to represent:

You are the best thing to have happened on the Main Line since I have lived here (That stretches back, by the way, to 1978).

— BMFI Member

Our mission is about the community we serve every day. We are the only public cultural center on Lancaster Avenue, drawing 2500-3500 viewers to Bryn Mawr each week. And our reputation goes way beyond the local scene. Unique in the region, BMFI serves patrons and students of all ages-from children attending movie discussions and visual literacy programs; to middle, upper, and college-age students receiving film-enhanced instruction and taking filmmaking courses; to lifelong learners taking film appreciation classes. We bring in large groups of concerned citizens who use the screen itself as a mode of communication to learn about and understand social, economic, and moral issues. We have helped over 90 non-profit organizations raise money and awareness of their causes with more than 250 events at the theater.

A Look at the Future

The community's overwhelmingly positive response has confirmed our instincts about the compelling nature of the moving image. This success has convinced us to pursue plans to create two new theaters to offer more programming within the most sustainable business model possible.

I am so pleased to work with you and excited that together we will introduce new moviegoers to Bryn Mawr Film Institute… as a resource for both excellent entertainment and opportunities to learn about film, directors and much more. I am so grateful you are now here bringing foreign and independent films to the area.

— School District of Haverford Township

The additional theaters will help to:

  • Increase our educational program outreach from 1,000 children and 600 adults to as many as 10,000 participants a year with added courses for all ages.
  • Expand our film programming from 250 films to roughly 500 per year.
  • Meet the demand of non-profit organizations and local businesses for event rental space.

By increasing our capacity and improving our competitive position, we can continue to be the preeminent film exhibition and education center in the region.

Award-winning Voith Mactavish Architects LLP and theater specialists Mesbur + Smith are finalizing a design that will create two new theater auditoriums on the vacant land adjacent to BMFI. Ticketing for these new theaters will be handled by the existing Box Office with access through an enlarged lobby that will serve all four theaters. Two ultra-efficient, state-of-the-art projection rooms will service them. Minimal-to-no additional staff will be needed to operate four screens and show 100% more movies.

In addition, the latter stages of this renovation will address some of the limitations of our two existing theaters:

  • More comfortable seating
  • More attractively proportioned auditoriums to enhance the wide-screen experience
  • More energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and code-certified fire protection
  • Sound and light isolation between theaters and from the lobby, increasing the variety of films and enabling staggered show times and no lines

Even the most conservative analysts estimate that we will generate 33% more revenue annually when this final renovation is complete and capacity is optimized. To arrive at our new configuration and business model, we engaged an econometric consulting firm, Econsult Corporation. They evaluated BMFI's attendance patterns, operating expenses, revenues, construction estimates and schedule, and our current and future debt service to test our assumptions and arrive at the joint recommendations to do this renovation and restructure our balance sheet as the means to a sustainable future.

"… The Institute has become a vital resource for me as a filmmaker; it is a wonderful place fostering a community of filmmakers and film lovers alike.

— A filmmaker, Swarthmore

Two additional screens will also allow us the competitive advantage we have long needed to get the best possible films when we want them. With four screens we can show new filmmakers' work and the classics—at the same time as we feature new, first-run movies. Students will be able to see and to present films in appropriately sized theaters

As a responsible non-profit, we have built our support base of patrons and have gone from zero to over 6,500 members in six years. Unlike many charitable organizations in this economy, we had an operating surplus last year because our lean staff works efficiently and community support is robust. After a period of remarkable growth, this final construction and renovation give BMFI opportunities to shore up our financial health so that we can continue to be good stewards of our community's support. Our business planning consultants advised us to strengthen our balance sheet by paying down some of the bank financing we needed to buy the theater, and by creating an endowment. Reducing the mortgage saves annual interest expenses, and an endowment will provide a permanent source of support for education programs and building maintenance.

Our Big Finish

BMFI's leadership and major supporters are excited that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has awarded BMFI a $2.5 million matching grant to complete the renovation of the theater. The urgency is that this grant must be matched and construction completed before 2014. The state's recognition of BMFI and its impact on the community will help us reach our full potential and better serve all our devoted members and the broader public.

To prepare for the new construction, which we anticipate will begin in late 2012, we must not only match the grant, but raise additional funds. The goal of the campaign is to raise a total of $5.5 million—leveraging the state funds with $3 million in private support to cover the expenses of construction and related operations, and resulting in a financially stable institution.

The $5.5 million raised will:

  • Build two theaters, renovate the two existing theaters, and create new projection booths with the latest equipment

  • Upgrade fire protection and HVAC systems, and enhance restroom facilities

  • Strengthen our balance sheet by retiring and restructuring a significant portion of our initial acquisition and construction financing

  • Begin an endowment to enhance our education program and support facility maintenance.

The strength of BMFI's leadership—President Juliet Goodfriend, Chairman of the Board Samuel Scott, a Board of Directors comprised of community leaders, and an Advisory Council including filmmakers, scholars, and cultural leaders-means that BMFI will move forward in the same entrepreneurial, innovative, and responsible manner in which it has achieved its success to date. As a young organization, the opportunity to continue evolving toward a highly sustainable business model is invaluable.

"Juliet Goodfriend has dedicated herself to restoring the theater in order to provide the finest movie going experience and hopes to inspire in others the same passion for film she possesses.

— Main Line Life

Your Starring Role

As we stand poised for our grand finale, we are fortunate to have a great "supporting actor" in our project: the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has awarded BMFI a $2.5 million challenge grant toward the renovations. This support from the state is a clear indication of how vital Bryn Mawr Film Institute is to the community. The $2.5 million challenge is the lead gift towards the $5.5 million BMFI must raise.

In its start-up years, Bryn Mawr Film Institute has proven its value as an outstanding community asset, worthy of donations, membership, and grants in addition to patronage and participation. Now we are turning to the community to help us finish what we started together, and achieve this greater vision for BMFI's future.

This is our final phase of renovation—something the Commonwealth believes in, something we can all be proud of: a quartet of beautiful theaters to do justice to the programming that our audiences love, and to make Bryn Mawr Film Institute a more financially secure organization.

We invite you to join us in making this vision a reality.


Box Office