In Bryn Mawr, the movies are a shaker

Since opening six years ago, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute has gone from a leaky vacant mess to the second-largest independent art house in the country. It's close to meeting its goal of raising $5.5 million to finish restoring the old Beaux Arts movie theater, which will get one or two more screens, new seats, and new projectors. We spoke to president and chief executive officer Juliet J. Goodfriend about the impact of a film "salon" on the suburbs.

 Question: How do you create a sense of community around a movie theater?

Juliet J. Goodfriend: Creating a sense of membership and ownership is part of it. Also, the variety of programming that is really geared to what the community wants - the educational programs, the one-night special cinematic offerings that bring back repertory films and classic films, the discussions, and sharing our facility with all kinds of community organizations. We partner with hundreds of nonprofits, showing movies to which they invite their members and have discussions.

Last month, we showed Gasland [a documentary about natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania], partnering with the Lower Merion Conservancy and Historical Society and the League of Women Voters, and had five speakers at the end of the movie. This is something we do all the time.

Q: The economic morass of 2009 left Bryn Mawr and other Main Line towns struggling to fill empty storefronts. How does the film institute fit in?

Goodfriend: Picture what Bryn Mawr would look like without us! We're the only public cultural center on Lancaster Avenue as far as the eye can see. We bring 2,500 to 3,000 people a week to Bryn Mawr. That is every week, all year long. As soon as we get more parking meters that allow people to stay more than two hours - and I'm working on that; we now have about 50 percent long-term parking - we're going to get more.

We can't solve the economic problems of the world or the region. But Bryn Mawr has several new restaurants, new shops, and more are coming in. Yes, there are vacancies. But compared to Ardmore, which lost its movie theater, it's even worse there.

Q: With movie attendance continuing to plummet, how do you convince people to leave their elaborate home theaters and Netflix subscriptions and go out to see a movie?

Goodfriend: People who have the most elaborate home theaters are the heaviest movie-theater attenders. That's from a survey. This is our sixth year, and every year our attendance has grown. We're not experiencing a downturn in any manner. What makes us exempt is the environment that people get to watch movies in and the variety of programs we have. And we'll have 50 percent more movies to show when our new theater is designed. I recently went to a multiplex, and I remembered after all this time why I don't go.

Making a movie is a collaborative effort, and watching a movie is a collaborative experience. I can't tell you how many people say they moved to Bryn Mawr or they did not move away from Bryn Mawr because of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. I kid you not. I never expected that.

Q: Last year, the state gave you $2.5 million toward your capital campaign to carve out three smaller auditoriums from two 300-seat theaters, build a state-of-the-art projection booth, and improve restrooms and climate control. What is the status of the rehab project?

Goodfriend: We've raised all but just under a million and are in the final phase, which includes restoring the glass atrium and plaster work [in the lobby]. Much to my surprise and delight, Bryn Mawr Hospital has agreed to swap our parking lot for space that has been vacated by the hospital, enabling us to build an addition with two great, up-to-date screening rooms, which would give us 100 percent more programming. After the two new ones are built, we would renovate the existing theaters. The great thing is we wouldn't have to close to do it.

But it's not a done deal.

Q: How many more seats would you have?

Goodfriend: Not that many because we would be taking out seats from the two existing theaters to make room for the addition. But the way this business operates, success is not in the number of seats but the number of screens you operate.

Q: You used to personally introduce nearly every movie but aren't around as much anymore. Where have you been?

Goodfriend: I introduce them whenever I can. We have a minimum of three shows a day in two theaters. There can be eight and sometimes 10 shows a day. The first year I did it every day. I still love to do it. It's the best mood elevator you could possibly imagine. I love greeting people. But raising this money has not been easy. I have to spend my time doing that!