The Downing Film Center—founded in 2006 by Brian and Sharon Burke and their son Kevin—is located in Newburgh, New York, in the Yellow Bird building, the former Burger Furniture warehouse, which was restored in 2005 by Dick Polich, owner of Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry. The building is at the south end of the Newburgh waterfront, near many fine restaurants and the Newburgh–Beacon Ferry dock. The Downing’s lobby and screening room are on the lower floor, in the space formerly occupied by the Yellow Bird Gallery store.
The Downing—which opened in July 2006 with the film Water—specializes in small-box-office independent films that rarely come to the local multiplexes. We also offer foreign and classic films, as well as documentaries. We invite you to experience a film in an intimate setting unlike that of any other theater in the Hudson Valley. Our staff aims to foster a warm, welcoming, social atmosphere, and our patrons, many of whom have been with us from the start, have come to feel like family and friends.
We’re generally open Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with matinees on Saturdays, Sundays, Thursdays, and some Tuesdays. On some Mondays, we screen special-event films, such as National Theatre Live productions and films by local filmmakers or with local themes.
We make our popcorn fresh, and we offer a selection of coffees, teas, and soft drinks, along with traditional movie candy varieties and fine chocolates, Zora Dora frozen treats (in season), and fresh baked goods—all for considerably less than you would pay at the local multiplex!