The Ambler Theater is doing its part to keep the art of 35mm cinema alive, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.

It is one of just 23 exhibitors in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware that can still show analog films, thanks to its two working 35mm projectors.

From April 12 to April 14, the theater will hold its annual 35mm Film Festival showcasing some of the classic features that are best viewed in this format, including “The Wizard of Oz,” “Evil Dead II,” “Rififi,” and “The Naked City.”

“It’s not just the movies, but we try to bring back the whole history of film and all of the different things that used to be on film,” said Chris Collier, executive director of Renew Theaters, the nonprofit theater chain that owns the Ambler Theater.

He added that the theater is not seen by its staff as just a movie theater, but also as a cinema history museum.

“So a lot of the content that we’re showing is these custom pre-shows and things before the festival you can’t see in other places,” he said. “They don’t exist.”

Read more about Ambler Theater and its efforts to preserve a century of cinema history in WHYY.

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