Gateway Film Center’s membership program is worth the price

Let us do some quick math: for the price of $14.95 a month, members at the Gateway Film Center can watch an unlimited number of films with free popcorn. Discounted tickets for students without popcorn is only $7.50.

So if a member watches two films a month, they make their money back. If you watch even half as many films as me, you will make your money back in a week. In short, getting a membership at the Gateway Film Center was one of the best decisions I made since coming to college.

In a world where streaming is taking over, and the cinema experience is fading out of existence, my membership has led me to some of the most unique and fun films I have ever seen, in the audio and visual environment that these films were designed for.

Located just minutes away from The Ohio State University campus’s south entrance, Gateway has proven to be a crucial part of Columbus’s community. Even casual moviegoers are familiar with the center.

Gateway operates on a sustainable, nonprofit model of film screening and distribution. For the team there, presenting the work of artists in the best way possible is just as important as entertaining audiences, and it shows in their programs. Having partnered with groups like WOSU and

Ohio Arts Council, Gateway describes their work as curating on their website. That is the key: Gateway is essentially an art museum which also serves as a space for community building.

Gateway has more than a few big things coming up on their schedule:

The ongoing Broadcast News program is celebrating the field of journalism by screening films about journalists. From April 6 to June 25, the center will feature the animated masterpieces by Studio Ghibli. Starting April 7, Cult 101 will return, which will showcase the top-ranked cult movie classics of all Mid-April will see a collection of horror films with the Fright Club

Gateway’s approach to film distribution, aided by their nonprofit business model, has allowed for more access to international films as well as a better insight into the history and process of filmmaking itself.

For those like me who are in love with cinema, the Gateway Film Center is a gold mine. For those who are not, it will at the very least provide great entertainment on a budget.

The film center, located in the heart of Columbus, is removing the barriers between genres and countries. In addition to screening newly released American productions, there will almost always be screenings of foreign, independent and festival releases at Gateway. Some programs also bring back old classics for a modern audience.