The Cinematheque

What The Cinematheque does

The Cinematheque (legal entity: Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique Society) is a Vancouver-based, non-profit film institute and media education centre founded in 1972 and self-described as the largest film institute in Western Canada. It operates a single 153-seat theatre at 1131 Howe Street in downtown Vancouver, equipped with a Christie CP2220 Digital Cinema Package (DCP) projector that also supports 35mm film prints, alongside a Dolby Surround 7.1 audio system. Year-round curated programming — featuring themed retrospectives (e.g., Film Noir 2026, Maurice Pialat 101), classic and contemporary cinema, and a family Film Club matinee series — is the core audience-facing activity, complemented by a Film Reference Library (2,400+ books, 150+ periodicals, 7,500+ stills) and a West Coast Film Archive holding approximately 2,000 Canadian motion pictures including NFB and B.C. collections.

The organization monetizes through tiered ticket sales ($15 general, $13 seniors, $11 students, free for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples), a mandatory membership model required under the B.C. Motion Picture Act for adult programming, multi-film ticket packs (5/10/50 packs priced $55/$100/$450 and valid 24+ months), venue rentals to filmmakers and corporate clients ($225–$300/hour with a 2-hour minimum), gift shop merchandise, and concessions. Revenue is materially supported by donations and three core government funders — the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver — making it a hybrid ticket/fee plus public-grant institution. The Cinematheque is currently in process of reinstatement as a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.

The company is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Leah Mallen (All In Pictures), with Eric Wyness as Vice Chair, Rudy Bootsma (founder of arts-accounting firm Compendia) as Treasurer, and David Legault as Secretary; additional members include film industry professionals and nonprofit leaders. Senior management comprises Executive Director Kate Ladyshewsky (in role since 2022 after seven years as Managing Director) and Artistic Director Shaun Inouye (in role since 2022, previously Programming Associate). The broader staff of 19 includes a Learning & Outreach team running award-winning media-literacy and filmmaking education programs for youth and adults. Marketing reaches audiences via a bi-monthly print and digital Program Guide, the weekly Cinemail newsletter, and social channels on Vimeo, Instagram, Letterboxd, and Issuu.

Name

The Cinematheque

Legal name

Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique Society

Website

https://thecinematheque.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cinematheque (Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique Society) is a Vancouver-based non-profit film institute founded in 1972 that operates a 153-seat theatre showing curated film retrospectives, runs media-literacy education programs, and maintains a Canadian film archive and reference library, serving cinephiles, families, students, and filmmakers in Western Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Cinema and Film Exhibition

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

Keywords

• Film exhibition
• Cinema programming
• Media literacy education
• Film archive
• Venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from admission fees to film screenings. General admission $15, seniors $13, students $11, with free admission for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Film Club family matinees have reduced pricing.
2. Membership: Patrons automatically become members of Pacific Cinémathèque Pacifique Society upon ticket purchase. Membership is required for screenings under the B.C. Motion Picture Act.
3. Donations: The Cinematheque is a non-profit organization supported by donations. Note: Currently in process of reinstatement as a registered charity with Canada Revenue Agency.
4. Venue Rental: The 153-seat theatre is available for rent for private screenings, film premieres, community events, conferences, and work functions. Daytime rate $225/hour before 4pm; evening rate $300/hour after 4pm on Tuesdays.
5. Merchandise and Concessions: Gift shop sales including apparel (t-shirts, caps, totes), ticket packs, and concession items (popcorn, chocolates, candy, beverages).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Cinematheque operates a 153-seat cinema in downtown Vancouver that screens curated, year-round film exhibitions of classic and contemporary Canadian and international cinema. It complements exhibition with Learning & Outreach programs in filmmaking and media literacy, a Film Reference Library, and the West Coast Film Archive, and it earns revenue through tickets, memberships, venue rental, concessions/merchandise, and donations.

Product overview

The Cinematheque is a film institute offering a unified portfolio centered on film exhibition and education. Its core offerings include year-round curated film screenings and exhibitions featuring classic and contemporary cinema, supplemented by Learning & Outreach programs for media literacy and filmmaking education. Supporting services include the Film Reference Library (2,400+ books, 150+ periodicals), the West Coast Film Archive (16mm/35mm prints), and a bi-monthly Program Guide. Add-on services include Film Club family matinees, venue rental of its 153-seat theatre, ticket packs, and gift shop merchandise. The organization operates as Western Canada's largest film institute, combining cultural programming with educational initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Screenings & Exhibition Year-round curated film exhibitions featuring classic and contemporary Canadian and international cinema, including special series, restorations, and themed programming (e.g., Film Noir 2026, Maurice Pialat 101, Maiku Hama Trilogy). Screenings take place in the 153-seat theatre at 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver.
• Learning & Outreach Programs On- and off-site community learning programs offering interactive opportunities in film appreciation, filmmaking, media literacy, and critical thinking for youth and adults. Programs include youth filmmaking workshops, media arts instruction, and outreach to schools and community organizations.
• Venue Rental Rental of the 153-seat theatre with Christie CP2220 DCP projection, 35mm capability, and Dolby Surround 7.1 sound for private screenings, film premieres, community events, corporate functions, and DCP testing. Minimum 2-hour booking; rates $225/hour before 4 pm and $300/hour for Tuesday evenings after 4 pm.
• Ticket Packs Discounted multi-film ticket packs available in 5-pack ($55), 10-pack ($100), and 50-pack ($450) configurations, plus matching Gift Ticket Packs, valid for a minimum of 24 months.
• Film Club Family-friendly movie matinee series featuring all-ages titles with free popcorn and badges for junior cinephiles, at reduced admission rates ($7 ages 13 and under; $18 parent/guardian + child under 13).
• Gift Shop Merchandise Cinema-themed merchandise including t-shirts (Cinematheque Tee $28 in-person/$32 shipped; Film Noir 2026 T-Shirt $32), caps ($30), and tote bags ($24), plus concession items (popcorn, chocolates, candy, beverages), available online and in-person.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SEARA (Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts) FundminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Community Fund Partner with SEARA Fund, supporting The Cinematheque's equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
• Canada Council for the ArtscoreOthersGovernment arts funding body providing operational support for The Cinematheque's programming and education initiatives.
• BC Arts CouncilcoreOthersProvincial arts funding organization supporting The Cinematheque's activities in British Columbia.
• City of VancouvercoreOthersMunicipal government providing support for The Cinematheque's operations and programming.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IFC Center: New York City independent cinema showing independent, documentary, and repertory films with programmed series and retrospectives. Closely matches The Cinematheque's curated independent/art-house exhibition model at a similar single-venue scale, though for-profit.
• TIFF Bell Lightbox: Toronto's flagship film institute operates year-round curated programming, retrospectives, education, and a major film reference library in a multi-screen venue. Directly comparable to The Cinematheque by mission, programming model, and nonprofit cultural-institute positioning, though at a larger scale.
• American Cinematheque: Los Angeles-based nonprofit operating the Egyptian and Aero Theatres with curated classic, independent, and repertory programming. Direct namesake peer with the same nonprofit film-institute structure, curated repertory screenings, and educational programming.
• Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema: Toronto documentary and curated cinema venue operated by the Hot Docs festival. Compares as a Canadian specialty/art-house cinema with public programming, educational screenings, and venue rental in a comparable urban non-profit model.
• BAMPFA (Pacific Film Archive): Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive operates a film archive and curated screenings within a university arts institution. Directly comparable given The Cinematheque's dual archive + exhibition focus and similar West Coast cultural-institute positioning.
• Cinémathèque québécoise: Montreal-based cinematheque and film archive offering curated screenings, an extensive film archive, and educational programming. Direct peer: nominally identical institutional model (cinematheque + archive + education) and overlapping French-Canadian/international curation focus, though based in Quebec.

Others

• Light House (Vancouver queer arts cinema, formerly Pacific Cinematheque): Wait — Light House Vancouver is a music venue; the correct close Vancouver peer for film/cinema discussion is the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). Substituting. VIFF operates an annual festival and year-round cinema programming in Vancouver, sharing the same local audience and partially overlapping programming/education.

Regional players

• Northwest Film Forum: Seattle-based nonprofit cinema and media arts center offering curated independent and repertory programming plus filmmaker services. Comparable mission and Pacific Northwest nonprofit cinema model, though focused slightly more on independent media arts adjacent to film.
• Metro Cinema: Edmonton-based nonprofit arthouse cinema operating repertory and independent film programming. Comparable as a Canadian prairie/mountain-west nonprofit art-house cinema, though at a smaller scale and serving a different city.

Broad incumbents

• BFI Southbank: British Film Institute's flagship London cinema complex with multiple screens, major archive, and extensive education programming. Comparable as a national-scale film institute with exhibition+archive+education, but operating at a far larger scale and as a national institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thecinematheque
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cinematheque

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cinematheque