AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA

Address:	8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Phone:	+1 301-495-6700
Site:	afi.com
Rating:	4.7

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 12

Leia Comenetz

It it s great place, We wanna move there soon. I understand that not always has been this way, but our experience as a family was incredible. My kids were invited to an art birthday party at an art school near the whole foods, then the party walked a few blocks and we had great fun Ice skating...we walked across the street to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant for lunch. Then we walked back to the home of the birthday child and the kids finished their birthday at the park in front of their home. We couldnt believe these folks living in Silver Spring have it so amazingly great...they have the best of all worlds,,,the excitements and fun of living in an artsy and very interesting buzzing downtown 5 minutes from DC and also the green areas and peace and safety of the classical American neighborhoods....We wanna move from Tysons to Silver Spring asap

David Best

AFI (American Film Institute)s silver theater isnt the biggest screen (thatd be uptown), though it has a big screen (and 2 smaller). And it isnt the broadest art house selection (landmark), or weirdest "Independents" (Angelika), alt cinema (Suns), international (gotta head to the burbs). But it has a bit of each, and is a great place to see them. It is probably the best place for post talkie-era classics on the big screen--from Casablanca to the Muppets. (Silent films would mostly be at the national gallery theater, though AFI dabbles) AFI seems to host more than their fair share the film festivals. (Less so E St., Atlas and rest-in-piece Visions). Broad variety of snacks both mainstream and art-house-customary (beers, tea, fancy cookies, etc), and otherwise a good location to be waiting/playing in for a few hours before or after.

Sarah Brown

I wish I could see every movie at AFI! Their staff is terrific, theaters are clean and well maintained, and the atomosphere in the lobby and concessions area is just so movie-theater-perfect. They dont show all the wide release movies here, but theyre giving so much screen time to small releases and old favorites. Thats a fair trade off! Every time we visit, we see posters or trailers for upcoming movie events that we want to check out. I recommend checking out their schedule online to plan for upcoming showings. You may get the chance to check out a classic film on the big screen, or maybe catch a Q&A session with a creator after a screening of their film. All the theaters here are great, but seeing a movie in the original Silver theater is especially wonderful. If a movie you want to see is showing there, dont miss it!

Henri de Corinth

A treasure. Its not without irony that I must travel from the city and to the suburbs to see something I would consider worth my time and money (most people have the opposite experience). It goes without saying that this is the only cinema anywhere near DC that can screen films in 16-, 35-, and 70mm. The programming feels genuine and put together by actual people instead of by committees. When Vera Chytilova died in 2014, this theater collaborated with the Czech Embassy to screen a retrospective of original 35mm prints of her films -many of which I imagine had never been seen projected by most Americans. If you can, see something thats screening in Theater 1, which is the original movie palace from the 1930s -heavily restored- that seats 400 people. Audiences here in general tend to be niche and earnest (for a change).

John Goggin

This used to be a top organization but it has been deteriorating over the past few year. I have been a member for over 10 years but I think I will cancel this year. They offer passes for free movies. At one time you actually could see a first run movie with these passes but no more. Every new movie says passes are not accepted. Also when you bought online one of the nice things was that unlike so many other theaters they did not charge a service fee but that is no more. They now charge one. Finally they have introduced an rewards program but there is one minor problem. You cannot enroll online. You can spend time filling out the online forms but nothing happens when you actually press enter to enroll. I am very disappointed in how bad this organization has become

Robert Andrews

We went to this beautiful theater for the first time last night. What a treat! The main theater is beautifully restored. Very large screen with great sound system. Image quality was terrific. We arrived late so our seats werent great, but we still had a fine, uninstructed view. And the atmosphere is "grand"--a giant art-deco gem. The snack bar has yummy and unusual treats far better than the schlocky fare at most movie theaters And they have some very interesting artifacts and exhibits in the lobby that we stayed afterward to look at. I cant comment on the other two smaller theaters as we didnt go in them.

David Pittman

Great place to catch a film. During awards season youll find a lot of the near popular movies on first-run here. But during the rest of the year you can find all manner of special showings, film festivals, collections and retrospectives. The main theater is gorgeous, and the other two showing rooms are modern and a bit smaller. Films are a 50 cents to a dollar cheaper than at the Regal Majestic a block away. Snacks too, and theres a beer and wine selection (not too shabby with some great local brews). Perfect place to see a film thats not showing at the megaplex.

Leo O

Came here for a month long course and it was a nice setup. The chairs in all the theaters were comfortable. In theater 1, they had outlets every 3rd seat (if I remember correctly). The wifi worked fairly well given the amount of people. The staff were nice. They even serve alcohol. Only issue I had was the cleaning of the tables by theater 3. Ive been sitting at the same table for almost 2 weeks now and the same stain(s) have not been removed. I find it quite odd as Im sure they clean other aspects of the theater. Just have to be more thorough.

John Livengood

The gem of Silver Spring (and DC metro) for any cinema fan. From newer releases to movie events featuring classics from a particular directors, etc. to in person director talks featuring presentations of classic films, this is what you will find at the AFI Silver Spring. All presented in the highest quality and properly calibrated picture and sound. This is one of only two American Film Institute theaters in the country, the other in LA.

Toni S

Convenient to the Metro; great stadium seating, sound, and film selections. There is also a wide variety of food and drink options, including alcoholic beverages, which is cool, and "healthier foods" menu. One food drawback is the large soda/popcorn combo, which on its face is a deal (unlimited), but the popcorn is very salty and the beverages are only carbonated...so if you dont do soda and watching your sodium, it doesnt work out.

Simon Burke

This is a great place to have. I love this theatre. There are 3 screens, one big, one medium, one small. They have a small licensed bar and they show independent and offbeat films. They do various specials throughout the year such as the European Film festival, documentary films and Latin American...etc... Its clean, you can book tickets online Nothing bad to say about this place at all and have been going for years now.

Thomas Sumner

If youre only used to big chain cinemas that only show the latest blockbusters, this movie theater should be a nice treat. The theaters themselves are gorgeous and the location offers a lot of special screenings of older pictures and hosts special events. Seats werent as comfortable as those at some other movie theaters, but I was hardly squirming to get out of my seat after our 90 minute screening.