The Art House Convergence (AHC) is a coalition of independent exhibitors that connects, amplifies, and advocates for its community.
We provide networking opportunities, resources, and best practices for the AHC membership. We value difference in thought and experience, and we embody this by championing a diversity of voices and promoting inclusivity, sustainability, and equity within our industry. Collectively, our members serve over 30 million patrons annually.
History
In 2006, a group of fourteen independent cinemas were brought together by the Sundance Institute’s Art House Project to discuss independent film and independent film exhibition, opening dialogues and lines of communication between cinemas around the US. In 2008, this group formally cohered into the first iteration of Art House Convergence (AHC), an organization that grew into a year-round entity that hosted an annual conference, regional seminars, Art House Theater Day, the Visiting Members Program, and other key initiatives that connected the art house exhibition industry. During this time, AHC was run as a project of the Michigan Theater Foundation.
In late 2021, AHC parted ways with the Michigan Theater Foundation in order to establish itself as an independent organization. During this transitional period, AHC was a fiscally sponsored project of the Sundance Institute and managed by a transitional working group composed of members of the art house industry.
Thanks to the support of Sundance and the guidance of the Transitional Working Group, as of 2023 the current iteration of AHC operates as a fully independent and incorporated organization with approximately 2,000 members across North America and Western Europe, and managed by a member-elected Board of Directors.