About Us

The Bill Cosford Cinema is the longest running art house cinema in the city of Miami. Its history dates back to 1947 when it was erected as the Beaumont Lecture Hall. The space was transformed into a theatrical space in the 1950s and renamed the Beaumont Cinema. As a cultural venue, the space was instrumental in delivering the most significant cinema from around the world that was otherwise unavailable to local patrons.

In 1994, the cinema was rechristened the Bill Cosford Cinema, in memoriam for Bill Cosford, the respected film critic of the Miami Herald and a professor of cinema at the University of Miami. Always a champion of the Beaumont Cinema, Cosford was instrumental in renovating and supporting the space, which Cosford believed Miami desperately needed. More than 60 years after its initial launch, the theater has played a crucial role in the recent renaissance of art cinema in the area. The Bill Cosford Cinema continues to serve its public with the world’s best films and an open space to study, discuss and love cinema.

Dedicated to offering a diverse and discerning program, the Bill Cosford Cinema showcases a variety of independent, international, experimental, and classic cinema. As a non-profit art house space, the Cosford Cinema screens its programs at little-to-no cost, ensuring that audiences have substantial access to alternative forms of cinema (including documentary, experimental, and classic) as well as international films. The Cosford, since its founding, strives to both entertain and educate. Our mission is to promote the artistic and social value of the cinematic medium and to encourage critical reflection and serious consideration of film.

Housed under the auspices of the School of Communication, the cinema benefits from the many educational resources of the School, including the Media Resource Center and the Norton Herrick Center for Motion Picture Studies, as well as a host of academic departments and units located across the University.

The Bill Cosford Cinema offers ramps, elevators and special seating for wheelchair access. Accessible seats have a decal with the ADA logo on it. These seats are intended for accessible users (in wheelchair, scooters, walkers, etc.) The seat beside an ADA seat can be used by the disabled user or their Patient Care Assistant, depending on whether the user wants to transfer from their wheelchair to a theater seat.