The Harvard Film Archive is a film-preservation collection and public cinematheque in Cambridge, with screenings at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Its year-round program and range of film formats make it a distinctive stop for cinema fans planning time around Harvard Square.
- Location: 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Screening pattern: Friday through Monday, year-round
- Theater: 188 seats; DCP, 35mm, 16mm, Super 8 and video formats
- Admission: Regular tickets are $10; discounts and free admission are available for some groups
What to expect at the Harvard Film Archive
The Harvard Film Archive presents public screenings in an 188-seat theater inside the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. The Archive is a division of Harvard Library dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting film.
Its holdings include more than 40,000 motion-picture prints, audiovisual elements and ephemera from around the world and almost every period in film history. The theater can screen DCP, 35mm, 16mm, Super 8 and video, so a program may bring together films in different formats.
The cinematheque holds public screenings Friday through Monday year-round. Check the program for the films and screening details that suit your visit; individual titles and series change.
Finding screenings and buying tickets
Find current screening details through the Harvard Film Archive’s official program, then choose a ticket option for the film you want to see.
Regular admission is $10. Tickets are $8 for non-Harvard students, current Harvard ID holders and senior citizens. Harvard students with a valid photo ID are admitted free to all screenings. Special-event screenings cost $15, and HFA members can access early ticket sales for those events.
You can buy tickets in advance online through links on individual film pages or through the HFA Eventive site. The cinematheque box office also sells tickets starting 30 minutes before showtime. Each screening has its own admission fee.
For a sold-out screening, unclaimed tickets are released at the box office 10 minutes before showtime. Late seating is not allowed, so plan to arrive before the screening begins.
How do you get to the venue from North Cambridge?
The Carpenter Center is east of the Harvard Square Red Line MBTA stop, next to the Harvard Art Museums and one block north of Massachusetts Avenue, between Broadway and Harvard Street. The archive is about 1.5 miles from A Cambridge House Inn.
If you’re staying at A Cambridge House Inn, the nearby Davis and Porter stations offer transit starting points. For a wider look at local options, see this guide to getting around Cambridge by subway, bus, bike and on foot.
For orientation around the destination, use this guide to Harvard Square. The Carpenter Center itself is a notable piece of architecture: Le Corbusier designed it, and the HFA describes it as the only building in North America designed by him.
Arrival and accessibility details
Enter the Archive through the Carpenter Center’s accessible main entrance. If you cannot use stairs, take the elevator beyond the gallery’s double doors on the right, to the right of the loading dock.
A wheelchair is available by request on the first floor near the security desk, and three hearing-assisted headsets are available for audience use. The Archive cannot support closed captioning or descriptive audio.
Before you go, check the official site for current program, ticket and access information.
Pairing a screening with Harvard Square
The venue’s position beside the Harvard Art Museums and near Harvard Square makes it straightforward to plan a screening around time in the area. You can browse the American Repertory Theater visitor guide for another Cambridge performance venue.
Keep the screening time in mind when arranging the rest of your visit: late seating is not allowed, and the box office releases unclaimed tickets shortly before showtime for sold-out screenings.
FAQs
What kinds of films are in the Harvard Film Archive’s collection?
The collection spans film history across the world, with more than 40,000 motion-picture prints, audiovisual elements and ephemera.
Which formats can the theater screen?
The theater accommodates DCP, 35mm, 16mm, Super 8 and video formats.
What is notable about the Carpenter Center?
Le Corbusier designed the building. The HFA describes it as the only building in North America designed by him.
Can audience members borrow hearing-assisted equipment?
Three hearing-assisted headsets are available for audience use. The Archive cannot support closed captioning or descriptive audio.