Discrete Item F2712 - National Film Theatre poster by Janet Cardiff

Started in 1977, with the help of Queen's University, the National Film Theatre (NFT) was formed. The purpose of the group was to increase the number of quality films available to students in Film Studies. The Theatre was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1980 and presented screenings in Ellis Hall on Queen's University campus for a number of years. In February of 1988, the group opened their own cinema space in the old Oddfellows Lodge at 394 Princess Street in collaboration with the Kingston Artists Association Inc. Relocating to the downtown core of Kingston was done with the hope of better fulfilling what the NFT saw as one of their key tenents, performing a community service to the general public and downtown residents, not just Queen's students and faculty.
The Princess Court Cinema, as the newly renovated space was named, run by the NFT, continued as a non-profit corporation until 1998, when, due to distribution issues, it closed its doors.