Like films? Then you’ll fall head over heels with Anthology Film Archives. Located less than a 20-minute walk from the apartments for rent at EVGB, this East Village gem preserves, archives, and screens films and videos—in particular those that are independent, experimental, and avant-garde. Let’s grab some popcorn and explore.

The story begins
Opened in 1970 by Lithuanian artist Jonas Mekas, along with a group of like-minded film lovers, the Anthology Film Archives, among other offerings, boasts the Essential Cinema Repertory, which set out to become a definitive collection of art cinema films in the 1970s. Since then, Anthology has flourished into a national (and international)
treasure trove, housing a staggering 20,000 films and 5,000 videotapes and becoming one of the places in the country for film buffs and the culturally curious.

A cinema like no other
Located in a former municipal courthouse, this is a cinema like no other. You won’t find many Hollywood blockbusters on the schedule, but you will discover an alluring world of alternative cinema—projected using 35mm, 16mm, and Regular- and Super-8mm film. One day, you can watch Sergei Eisenstein’s seminal Battleship Potemkin; the next day, Green Card: An American Romance. Among prized films in the collection are works by Stan Brakhage, Shirley Clarke, Joseph Cornell, Maya Deren, George and Mike Kuchar, and founder Jonas Mekas himself. The East Village venue is also home to the world’s largest collection of paper materials—books, periodicals, documents, letters, manuscripts—on avant-garde and independent film.

Making the most of the Archives
Anthology Film Archives screens over 900 programs annually—it’s the cinephiles’ gift that keeps on giving. And with your luxury EVGB apartment just around the corner, it’s well worth considering a membership. For $70 a year, you’ll receive discounts on screenings, free admission to all “Essential Cinema” screenings, and a 20% discount on Anthology materials, including rare and out-of-print books, journals, tote bags, and t-shirts. You can also bookend film nights at Anthology Film Archives with the glut of drinking and dining options in this part of the East Village: for example, a tasting menu at nearby gastro Indian restaurant Baar Baar and a Casamigos Margarita or two for a finish at cocktail bar Mr. Purple. Talk about a happy ending.

Be part of this incredible East Village neighborhood. Contact EVGB’s rental team today.