To outsiders, South Florida appears to be a place for vacationing financiers, online influencers and Cuban coffee. But bubbling beneath that gilded glow lies a community eager for the arts—and another eager to provide. In honor of the upcoming Miami Film Festival, here’s a profile of some of the most distinctive movie theaters in the area.
Bill Cosford Cinema
Moderately close to Padrón Campus and Kendall Campus, the Bill Cosford Cinema can be found at the University of Miami at 5030 Brunson Dr, Coral Gables. But don’t feel excluded—all are welcome.
Though the theatre may have a meek exterior, the inside will dazzle you. The screen curves, the sound booms. This is a gorgeous and baroque movie palace, like the great cinematheques of the silent age.
The theater’s programming is similarly spectacular. The theater often screens contemporary films free of charge, yes, free—and for their classics series, “Sundays at the U with Movies,” everyone who isn’t a UM student pays a measly $5. The cinema will occasionally screen new films early, too.
Admittedly, the screenings are limited. The theater shows practically nothing during the week, and it is essentially closed during the school’s summer semester. However, if you have a free day on a weekend, the Bill Cosford Cinema is a wonderful place to spend it.
Coral Gables Art Cinema
In Coral Gables at 260 Aragon Ave., closest to the Eduardo J. Padrón Campus, stands the shining city-on-a-hill of the Miami cinemas.
Movies here are grouped into themed programs; the standouts are “After Hours,” which screens cult films every weekend based on a monthly theme—currently, it’s Y2K horror flicks like Blade—and “Movies We Love!,” which exhibits classics like Fellini’s 8 ½, typically with pre and post-film discussions. Great contemporary films are also shown, many of which are absent from traditional multiplexes.
Audiences are diverse. At screenings of classic films like Swedish treasure Fanny and Alexander, you may be the only person present whose hair is not white. Love & Pop, a quiet drama by anime director Hideaki Anno, might be filled with giggly cartoon nerds. If you can’t appreciate a responsive crowd—it’s best to go somewhere else.
Tickets are affordable: standard showings are $11.75, but students, seniors and military pay just $10—though prices can jump to $25 for special exhibitions.
Dead Media Society
The scrappy and out of the way Dead Media Society is found at a tiny screening room in the MAD Arts museum at 481 S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach. This is the most unassuming of all the cinemas in South Florida. The screen is a cheap wall projection and the sound is a basic, store-bought surround system. There are perhaps thirty seats, maximum. So, why go?
Simply put—there are movies shown here that you may otherwise never see with a group.
In May, they showcased their double feature screening of Tetsuo: The Iron Man and 964 Pinocchio. Both movies are known for their excellence and their unflinching brutality. If not for the Society, these films would have to be watched alone, perhaps off a low-quality internet copy. Instead, the theater provides the space to experience the transgressive power of these sorts of films as intended: in a crowd horrified and dumbfounded.
If you want to watch something wild, $7 buys a double feature ticket, admission to the venue’s—admittedly AI filled—museum, and an opportunity to enter a raffle for some themed goodies. I’d say you won’t regret your purchase, but the great thing is, you might.
O Cinema
Nestled in the Old City Hall at 1130 Washington Ave #200, Miami Beach, is the quaint O Cinema a bit farther out from Wolfson Campus. This is a gorgeous little venue, with charming film memorabilia covering its warmly lit halls.
Unfortunately, that daintiness does no favors for the theater’s screen and sound, which feel remarkably small and underwhelming. However, the more intimate experience is an attraction.
Until Oct. 13, the O Cinema is screening only the new satire Digger, a film already screening worldwide. This is a common trend for this theater—though lesser-seen movies are occasionally exhibited, the majority of their fare is new films seeing wide release. Ticket prices range from $14.10 for adults and $11.60 for students, older adults (62 and up) and military.
If you’re looking for a novel date spot, here’s your place. If you want to see a movie, take your money elsewhere.
