The grant from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program will drive a $5.5 million campaign to carve out three smaller auditoriums from two 300-seat theaters, build a state-of-the-art projection booth, and improve restrooms and climate control.
Goodfriend, president of the institute at 824 W. Lancaster Ave., sees the added viewing space as a huge bonanza, allowing the institute to expand viewing opportunities from 250 to 400 films a year, she said.
"Right now, we have 2,500 people here a week on average," Goodfriend said. "We'll have 50 percent more things to show them, and they're going to be distributed better throughout the year."
Under her guidance, the institute has emerged as a center for film appreciation and education, with 6,100 paid subscribers, who come from the Main Line and beyond to see independent, foreign, and first-run cinema. Subscribers can stay for post-film discussions or return for film-education courses.
"Juliet is a visionary who imagined reinventing a movie palace as a center for independent film and film education, serving film lovers of every age and taste," said Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. "Undoubtedly, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute is the envy of film disciples nationwide."
Offerings have run the gamut from a Mary Poppins sing-along to Forks Over Knives, a documentary about the dangers of eating animal-based foods, and Mic Macs, a new French release about a brain-damaged video clerk who takes on two Parisian arms dealers.
"We get some dinner and come here. My wife loves it," said Greg Matusky, an institute board member and head of an Ardmore public relations firm. "It's a very nice evening."
