Film School

Supporting local students and educators
and helping the next generation fall in love with cinema

  • Educational outreach program offers free, year-round IFC Center membership benefits to teachers and high school students
  • Free admission to our regular Weekend Classics series for high school students

Giving audiences of all ages access to great films from around the world has always been at the core of IFC Center’s mission. In recent years, when we felt that the MPAA ratings given to BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR, BOYHOOD and CITIZENFOUR were overly restrictive and would block high schoolers from seeing important movies, we decided instead to allow mature teenagers to see all three titles. That decision was met with enthusiastically positive feedback from filmgoers, parents and the students themselves, and IFC Center has continued to try to improve access for high school students to see great contemporary and classic cinema on the big screen.

With Film School at IFC Center, we hope to encourage younger audiences, who are much, much more likely to watch filmed content on handheld devices than in cinemas, to discover the joys of seeing movies on the big screen—the way they were meant to be seen, in a room full of strangers enjoying a shared experience—often followed by an in-person conversation with the filmmaker. With the success of our popular membership program, which offers discounts on movie tickets, free screenings and other benefits to thousands of annual members, we’ve decided to extend membership benefits to high school students and teachers for free.

FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:

All current high schoolers are eligible to receive a free, annual IFC Center membership (free admission at our Weekend Classics repertory series returning soon).

A special HIGH SCHOOL MEMBERSHIP, similar to a standard IFC Center Cineaste membership (valued at $75), gives students a $6 discount on regular admission at all times.  During our month-plus presentation of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films, high schoolers who come to any non-school hours show of the Oscar-Nominated Live Action or the Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Films program will get free admission. (Note that monthly member screenings are not included with this membership.) Students can sign up for a High School membership at the box office with their high school ID.

FOR EDUCATORS:

All K-12 teachers are eligible to receive a free, annual IFC Center membership

A special EDUCATOR MEMBERSHIP, similar to a standard IFC Center Cineaste membership (valued at $75), gives K-12 teachers a $6 discount on regular admission at all times. EDUCATOR members will also be invited to free, monthly member screenings, and will be able to renew the annual membership each year they continue teaching. Teachers can sign up for an Educator membership at the box office with their educator ID or other proof of employment.

Restrictions may apply to each initiative and rules may change without notice. See ifccenter.com/membership for further details, or email ifccmember@ifccenter.com.