The historic Silver Theatre was designed and built by movie palace architect John Eberson in 1938. Decades later, it was saved from the wrecking ball by a joint community effort and landmark designation. It reopened as the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in 2003. This effort was made possible through an ambitious and unique public-private partnership between Montgomery County, Maryland, and the American Film Institute. The American Film Institute has continuously exhibited classic films and presented film festivals and other programs in the Washington, DC, area since 1973, including operating the National Film Theater at the Kennedy Center for several decades before opening AFI Silver in 2003.

Known as one of the nation’s premier film theaters, AFI Silver champions new and classic films and filmmakers from around the world, offering a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema. A cornerstone of the downtown Silver Spring community and a gathering place for a diverse regional audience, AFI Silver provides the best the art form has to offer in a state-of-the-art screening environment. As a leader in screen education, AFI Silver’s groundbreaking Educational Screenings Program has served more than 150,000 middle and high school students and has trained hundreds of teachers to use filmmaking as an educational tool to engage students across all subject areas and disciplines.

The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a leading example of how a combination of civic leadership, architectural vision and excellence in the arts can result in community revitalization.