Cinestudio

What an amazing gem hidden right in the middle of Hartford. But you won’t feel like you’re in the capital city. It’s like stepping into another country, another time. You have to experience it for yourself.
Recommendations: bring your own food, but there is a soda vending machine. Saw a movie in the winter and it was very very warm up in the balcony, so don’t overdress. Oh and bring a date here– I guarantee you will earn many points for style and creativity.

My favorite place to see a film — whether its new release in HD/​4k, a classic that’s been remastered, an independent, student film or a foreign film that provides context (or a distraction) to the day to day life we are lost in at times… As a former student worker who saw his first concert film (Stop Making Sense) many years ago and now a repeat visitor who frequently «heads over» to see a film I would never have heard out without the curation of quality films James & Peter are committed to.
Bottom line — beautiful theater, phenomenal sound & projection and great people.

Oh, Cinestudio… how I miss you… especially on those cold nights when cuddling up on the couch to watch a cult classic on my own just feels sad. I used to spend a night or two a week here when I lived in Hartford. These days, I’m rarely able to catch a show when I’m in town, though I still receive their schedule and promos.
Good movie mix of classics, indie films, docs, and new-​ish fare (never any stinkers, except those selected for their pungency, specifically)…which is tough when you realize that (at least for the most part) they book months out and publish their schedule at the beginning of each semester.
Sight and sound is better than you’d think it would be when you walk up to the collegiate gothic building attached to dorms, I promise.
Not the most comfy of theaters, to be sure, but appeals to the ‘curtain wave’ and old-​school indie film viewing world. As an average sized woman, I don’t have much issue with their old-​timey seating… I can imagine that anyone super-​sized, either height or weight-​wise would far less comfy, though, so, be warned.
Incredibly fond and visceral memories… A good place to catch an unexpected flick…

With lots of bicycle parking on campus, this makes for an enticing place to spend a few hours.

Gorgeous theater, sumptuous sound, good films. If I lived nearby, I’d be addicted.

I’ve volunteered here at Cinestudio for a couple of years now and enjoyed films here since I was a kid. What a wonderful place and community! Get here early and listen to the great music playing before the curtain lifts. If you stare at the curtain before the show starts the lights on the ripples make it look like it’s melting!!! So cool.
Seen too many films here to count. I love their traditions — like playing Baraka & It’s a Wonderful Life every year during the holidays, and The Graduate on the weekend before Trinity’s graduation. They play remarkable films — they have both a digital projector and a film projector. The balcony is the best for viewing purposes for sure, but during the summer it can get very hot and the downstairs is a lot cooler.
7 dollars for students & seniors, 8 for adults. Showings are at 7:30PM daily and there are typically weekend matinée showtimes as well. No concession stand. This place is not to be missed! Just beautiful.

A/​V QUALITY: the sound system is very good, clear, and crisp. The screen is not huge, but is proportional to the theater.
SERVICE: is friendly and relaxed, since the theater is often staffed by students.
LOCATION/​AMBIANCE: it’s nice to come onto a beautiful college campus to watch films. The theater has a vintage feel which is wonderful and rare nowadays. The fact that they feature independent and art house movies makes them a destination in the Hartford area. They also feature current or recently release movies.
VALUE: movies are $ 8 or $ 7 for Friends of Cinestudio, which is a pretty good deal. There are no real concessions, but I did find a soda machine in the back room of the lower level. I think they allow you to bring your own snacks, but don’t hold me to it.

I don’t know how else to put it– in its college campus location, Cinestudio is a gem among marbles.
Set on Trinity College’s campus, this nonprofit independent movie theater is so unique to the Hartford area, and yet still relatively unknown by many folks outside of the college campus. Apart from Real Artways on Arbor Street, there are few, if any, local theaters that will screen documentaries, independent films, classic movies, and critically acclaimed foreign films at ALL, let alone all in the same month.
I’ve seen Casablanca, Howl, and a few other films there so far. With its 1930s film house ambiance, Cinestudio allows for the perfect cinema experience. If you want to see this season’s hyped up current blockbusters, you’ll probably need to go elsewhere! Scope out Cinestudio’s schedule to see what’s coming up. The only downside is the cost– it’s $ 8.00 for a ticket– still less than the $ 11 you’d pay elsewhere, but still not cheap.

Cinestudio on Trinity’s campus is a great place for film buffs. It has a great sound system, good prices and a great ambiance. That old style stage curtain is delightful, and they usually play good music while you are waiting for films to start. You won’t find anything like this in the Hartford area. Cinestudio offers a wide variety of films. You can watch classic movies in a theater or films that are in their second release. Whether you choose the balcony seats or to sit down in front you won’t regret visiting this theater. Watching classic movies in this Trinity theater will make you feel as if you have travelled back in time. Whether you choose the balcony seats which I never do, or to sit down front you won’t regret stopping here. The audiences are usually very respectable, no talking during the film. I absolutely loved the recent Kurosawa Film Festival; it was the first time I had ever seen Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece «Rashomon» on the big screen. Most recently, I really enjoyed watching the remastered print of Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 masterpiece «Battleship Potemkin» with friends; after the film we went over to the Wood n’ Tap to discuss the film, using my iPhone for research. I also like the idea of getting a second chance to see a film that I missed in the regular film houses. If you live in the Hartford area and haven’t visited this theater, you are missing a wonderful film experience.

best place for independent films, and the gay & lesbian film festival this is the BEST of the year. at the end of May…

You really can’t beat the ambiance here. You won’t find anything else like this in Connecticut either.
You can see classic movies in a theater that will make you think you’ve travelled back in time. Whether you choose the balcony seats or to sit down front you won’t regret stopping here.
Now if people would just stop bringing their dinner with full-​on silverware and grocery bags of loud snacks it would the best cinema experience anywhere.

Cinestudio is one of Hartford’s treasures. One of my fond memories of my years living there was trudging across Trinity’s campus on a Friday or Saturday night towards the red lantern at the doorway to the theater. I saw a lot of really cool movies there — Bullets Over Broadway, the cleaned up re-​release of Vertigo, Le Cercle Rouge (!) — made all the cooler because I could watch them from a balcony seat in a theater with a lot of character.
Bravo, Cinestudio!

A not-​for-​profit 501c3 since 2002 or so, Cinestudio has been a staple on the Trinity campus since the 70s after students converted a large lecture hall into a recreation of a 1930s film house. From just-​out-​of-​theaters-​not-​yet-​on-​film flicks to classic hollywood that you won’t find anywhere else, Cinestudio movies are a must-​see for anyone unwilling to pay $ 11 for tickets (it’s only $ 7 here for students) or interested in expanding their cinematic horizons. It’s open to Trin students and non-​students alike, and I’m thrilled I happened upon it.