Bantam Cinema & Arts Center

Bantam Cinema & Arts Center Bantam Cinema & Arts Center is a non-profit theater and arts space located in Litchfield County Live acts occasionally performed on the theater's stage.

The Bantam Cinema was opened in 1929 as "The Rivoli" by Dominic Evangelisti. For its first year or so, the Cinema showed silent movies accompanied by a Wurlitzer organ. In the 1960's, the Cinema was owned by the Duvall family, who also owned the restaurant next door (now Wood's Pit BBQ). In 1968, the Duvall's sold the Cinema to Michael Mabry (former head of the Ford Foundation's Theater Communicat

ions Group and Intern Program) and his wife Patricia, an artist's agent. They remodeled the building inside and out, renamed it "Cinema IV Bantam" and began showing foreign, independent and classic films. Pat opened an art gallery, "The Images Gallery," in the lobby. Their projectionist, George Shaunessy, had been with the theater since it opened in 1929. In 1985, the Mabrys sold the Cinema to Jim Bohnen, a stage director (Hartford's TheatreWorks, Seattle's Repertory Theater, among others). Jim continued the Cinema as an art house and remodeled the lobby, adding the concession stand. In 1990, Jim sold the Cinema to Lisa Hedley, an entertainment lawyer. Lisa renamed it "Bantam Cinema" and modernized the projection equipment, as well as adding a second screen in 1997. Lisa started the "Meet-The-Film-Maker" series, in which writers, producers, directors and actors, including Arthur Miller, William Styron, Campbell Scott, Mia Farrow and Joan Rivers, appeared to discuss their films. On January 2, 2007 Lisa Hedley sold the Bantam Cinema to David Koch, Sidney Koch, and Elizabeth Merz. On November 12, 2020, after a temporary closure due to Covid-19, a group of local film enthusiasts joined forces to save the historic theater and turned it into a non-profit cinema and arts center slated to re-open September 2021.

IN ONE WEEK! We are kicking off our Saturday morning programming with two amazing picks!TAHLEQUAH THE WHALE & PRINCESS M...
06/13/2026

IN ONE WEEK!

We are kicking off our Saturday morning programming with two amazing picks!

TAHLEQUAH THE WHALE & PRINCESS MONONOKE
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In the aftermath of her newborn baby’s sudden death, orca mother Tahlequah carries her daughter’s body across the Salish Sea in the incredible true story that captivated the world.

This film short will play 15 min before the showing of Princess Mononoke.
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A beautifully realized tale of civilization versus nature, PRINCESS MONONOKE is a true epic by Japan’s master animator Hayao Miyazaki.

While protecting his village from a rampaging boar-god, the young warrior Ash*taka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse. To find the cure that will save his life, he journeys deep into the sacred depths of the Great Forest Spirit’s realm where he meets San (Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolves. It’s not long before Ash*taka is caught in the middle of a battle between iron-ore prospecting humans and the forest dwellers. He must summon the spirit-powers and all his courage to stop man and nature from destroying
each other.

Runtime: 2h 13m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

06/12/2026

TONIGHT!

DISCLOSURE DAY
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If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?

Runtime: 2h 25m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

06/11/2026

OPENING TOMORROW!

TUNER
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A talented piano tuner’s life is turned upside down when he discovers that his meticulous skills for tuning pianos can equally be applied to cracking safes in this jazz-infused crime drama about love, loss, and the lengths we’ll go to for the people who matter most.

Runtime: 1h 49m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

06/05/2026

Our popcorn is so good, even the chickens can’t get enough! 🍿🐔

A huge THANK YOU to Susan from Why Not Farm and her feathered friends for helping us put our leftover popcorn to good use. We’re proud to share a tasty treat that keeps both movie lovers and chickens happy!

Next time you’re at the cinema, grab a bucket and see what all the clucking is about! 🎬🍿❤️

IN ONE WEEK! Thursday, June 11th at 7:10 PM YOU GOT GOLD: A CELEBRATION OF JOHN PRINE•••“You Got Gold: A Celebration of ...
06/04/2026

IN ONE WEEK!

Thursday, June 11th at 7:10 PM

YOU GOT GOLD: A CELEBRATION OF JOHN PRINE
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“You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine” captures a star-studded tribute to the legendary songwriter, filmed in October 2022 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The event brought together acclaimed artists, friends, and family to share behind-the-scenes stories and perform classic songs, honoring Prine’s enduring legacy.

Runtime: 1h 30m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

05/30/2026

ONE WEEK ONLY!

From now till Thursday we will be playing…

🐑THE SHEEP DETECTIVES🐑
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In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

05/29/2026

OPENING TONIGHT!

PRESSURE
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In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, PRESSURE follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg as they face an impossible choice—launch the largest and most dangerous invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

Runtime: 1h 40m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

05/27/2026

TOMORROW !

GET READY TO KICK OFF THE NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE LINEUP WITH…

THE AUDIENCE
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Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren, plays Queen Elizabeth II in the Tony Award®-winning production of The Audience. Captured live from London’s West End in 2013.

For 60 years, Queen Elizabeth II has met with each of her 12 prime ministers in a private weekly meeting. This meeting is known as The Audience. No one knows what they discuss, not even their spouses. From the old warrior Winston Churchill, to Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher and finally David Cameron, the Queen advises her prime ministers on all matters both public and personal. Through these private audiences, we see glimpses of the woman behind the crown and witness the moments that shaped a monarch.

15 minute Intermission

Runtime: 2h 28m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

Celebrate Pride Month with us for a special one-night-only screening on Thursday, June 4th at 7 PM 🎬✨🌈 Back by popular d...
05/26/2026

Celebrate Pride Month with us for a special one-night-only screening on Thursday, June 4th at 7 PM 🎬✨

🌈 Back by popular demand 🌈

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
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In 18th-century France young painter Marianne, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse without her knowing. Therefore, Marianne must observe her model by day to paint her portrait at night. Day by day, the two women become closer as they share Héloïse’s last moments of freedom before the impending wedding.

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

OPENING TONIGHT!BLUE HERON•••In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver ...
05/22/2026

OPENING TONIGHT!

BLUE HERON
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In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island, but their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behavior from the eldest son, Jeremy. At wit’s end, their parents are presented with a shattering choice. Award-winning director Sophy Romvari’s feature debut is a lyrical and profound testament to the things we carry with us, masterfully chronicling the haze of a languid summer and the hyaline clarity of the moments that defined it.

Language: English & Hungarian with English subtitles

Runtime: 1h 30m

Tickets are available at bantamcinema.org or at the box office!

Address

115 Bantam Lake Road
Bantam, CT
06750

Opening Hours

Wednesday 3:30pm - 9pm
Thursday 3:30pm - 9pm
Friday 6:30pm - 9pm
Saturday 1pm - 9pm
Sunday 1pm - 9pm

Website

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