Art houses & film societies / Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor I & II (Fifth Forum)
Closed – archive entry · 1966–1999
Ann Arbor's art and foreign film house on South 5th Avenue opened in 1966 as the Vth Forum with a Godard film, later became the two-screen Ann Arbor Theatre and ran until 1999.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1966
- Closed
- 1999
- Architect
- Lester Fader
- Seats
- 480
- Screens
- 2
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Vth Forum opened on December 9, 1966, as an art and foreign film house with Godard's The Married Woman. Lester Fader designed it, and it was run by the Robinson family, who also owned local drive-ins. Goodrich bought it in 1979, renamed it the Ann Arbor Theatre and twinned it a year later. Its two auditoriums held 480 people. It showed first-run, art and foreign films until it closed in July 1999.
- Opened with Godard's The Married Woman
- Designed by Lester Fader, 1966
- Two screens, 480 seats
Plan your visit
The theater closed in 1999, so there are no screenings here. For an art-house night, pick one of the open cinemas in our guide.
Cinemas nearby
Back to cinemas ↗
Art houses & film societies / Ann Arbor
State Theatre
C. Howard Crane's Art Deco movie house on State Street, right next to the Michigan Theater. Once a 1,773-seat palace, it now shows art-house and independent films on four screens.
Film festivals / Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor Film Festival
It calls itself the oldest avant-garde and experimental film festival in the world: since 1963, six days, about 40 programs and more than 180 films from over 20 countries.
Film festivals / Ann Arbor
Cinetopia Film Festival
Ann Arbor's independent film festival at the downtown Michigan Theater and State Theatre: indie features, visiting filmmakers with Q&As, workshops and Michigan-made shorts.