Bleecker Street Cinema

The Bleecker Street Cinema began in 1960 when filmmaker and social activist Lionel Rogosin transformed the space to exhibit his own film, Come Back, Africa. This documentary, filmed on location in South Africa, was a pointed piece of social commentary against apartheid that struggled to find a commercial venue. By establishing his own theater in this Greenwich Village row house, Rogosin created a home for cinema that mainstream theaters ignored. This choice set the tone for the building's next three decades, as it became a premier destination for experimental films, international works, and midnight screenings that defined the city's independent film culture.