"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm, as you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others."
- Audrey Hepburn
As a non-profit arts organization, the Philadelphia Film Society depends on financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations to fulfill our mission of promoting film as a powerful means for strengthening community education, understanding, and outreach.
What does that mean exactly? That means, with your generous help, PFS is able to do the following…
Connect our community.
We love film, and we love the people that love film. Through our year-round film programming, we bring people together to discover and discuss unique films from around the world. When we do this, we create a stronger community that is more actively engaged with the world around it.
Transform film-lovers into filmmakers.
PFS creates year-round education opportunities for those interested in the cinematic arts. Aspiring screenwriters can take one of our quarterly Screenwriting Courses, film students can learn the skills necessary to succeed during our Film Industry Panels, and amateur cineophiles can create movies that become Official Festival Selections via the Knight Arts Challenge Short Film Competition.
Produce the Philadelphia Film Festival.
The pinnacle of our annual programming, the Philadelphia Film Festival is the largest film festival in the city, annually attracting 16,000 attendees. This year’s Festival screened over 140 films for 15 days at 6 city-wide venues. Featuring thought-provoking short, narrative, and documentary content, the Festival represents the best of the local, national, and international cinema circuit.
…and keep it cheap!
We believe that everyone deserves access to great films. Our programming staff produces critically-acclaimed film programs for PFS, many of which are FREE, while ticketed screenings are only $5-$12 an event. Producing these screenings, paying film fees, and increasing awareness of the events is costly for our small organization, and we rely on the support of patrons like YOU to make these programs possible!