Bryn Mawr Film Institute relies on innovation to set itself apart from many other movie theaters which helped it survived COVID, writes Paul Jablow for Main Line Today.

In 2021, BMFI launched a “VacCinema” program requiring attendants to show proof of COVID vaccination before entering, becoming the first Philadelphia-area movie theater to provide a fully vaccinated, in-person experience for patrons. It also developed an online system for safe-distance seating.

When the big-screen comedy American Fiction started playing in theaters across the country last winter, BMFI executive director and CEO Samuel Scott said attendance at Bryn Mawr Film Institute was among the best in the nation.

The efforts to provide value for attendees have only accelerated since the dark days of the pandemic.

When BMFI was closed from 2020 to 2021, it was crucial that “shuttered” didn’t mean “forgotten.”

“We wanted to make sure we were still in the hearts and minds of our constituents,” said Scott, a Jenkintown native.

To this end, Andrew Douglas, BMFI’s deputy director, spearheaded an array of online seminars and film discussions.

Currently, BMFI has about 6,000 members and hopes to return to its pre-COVID high of 9.000.

“People are busy—they’re finding it hard to commit,” Scott said. “We’ve carved a niche and built a following. We’re also a business—and it’s a competitive one.”

Read more about the Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s successes at Main Line Today.

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