Alfreda's Cinema

Alfreda’s Cinema enables access to the arts. BIPOC film and video art culture in NYC isn’t affordable for working and low-income communities

Alfreda’s Cinema is working towards becoming the only independent cinema in Brooklyn led by a Black woman whose mission is to screen and celebrate films by Black and non-Black people of color. It provides an urgently needed platform for marginalized films, filmmakers, and cultural experiences. Founded by Melissa Lyde in 2015, Alfreda’s Cinema screens films that tell Black stories that reverberate with depth and love, the richness and culture of our history, our dynamics, our shapes, colors and our truths. By strategically operating in a predominantly low-income neighborhood in Brooklyn, Alfreda’s Cinema directly connects BIPOC audiences with their own cinematic culture.

We envision Alfreda’s as a place where filmmakers, cinephiles, and everyday people can make their way, a layover between work and home where they can gather, build community and find a sanctuary for rest and wonderment. Black films have historically been undervalued or altogether overlooked by NYC arthouses and white film programmers, and though this trend is slowly reversing, there is still no operating cinema that prioritizes these stories. We present BIPOC films to Black/brown people in the comfort of their own neighborhood, creating a shared space for audiences who have been disenfranchised and displaced.

Through our lovingly curated merchandise and apparel, we aim to preserve films by Black women as wearable keepsakes, creating revenue and drawing new generations of filmgoers to their work. These pieces, which have already proven to be popular and profitable, will also help promote our efforts domestically and internationally. Alfreda’s Cinema defies the dominant discourse that associates BIPOC films with traumatic exchanges. We present these films caringly, with an artful eye that magnifies their beauty and appeal for all audiences.