Cinema 100: Revival of Unique Cinema

Film is an intricate art of storytelling on screen to which most filmmakers aspire to have their films shown around the world. For an area like North Dakota, getting to see blockbuster films can even be a hassle. To see even rarer films like international films, short films, and even classics is a coveted pastime for film enthusiasts in the area. Cinema 100 aimed to fix such issues for North Dakota. Cinema 100 is a nonprofit organization that was started by film enthusiasts as a film society in 1951. The founder of the film society, Gaylord Conrad, wished to bring more films to North Dakota and began with the British black-and-white film Trio. Gaylord Conrad, who is the father to Dean, Rowan, and former North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad, wished to continue bringing rarer films to North Dakota after the successful showing of Trio. 

After the death of Gaylord Conrad and his wife Abigail in 1953, the remaining film society in 1956 titled themselves as Cinema 100. The “100” part of the title came from the idea of selling one hundred season tickets for about $5 a ticket to fund the society and project. During the late 50s and early 60s, the society remained active and showed foreign films, Hollywood classics, and British comedies with marginal success. In the mid 60s to early 70s, Cinema 100 died down and remained inoperative during that time.

While Cinema 100 has had years of silence and small resurgences, Cinema 100 is hoping to make a full resurgence amidst the streaming era. Marlene Anderson, the treasurer for Cinema 100 and Director of Library Services at Bismarck State College, is hoping to get college students invested in Cinema 100 once more. Streaming is more prominent in the modern age and the importance of film and theater is what Cinema 100 aims to teach.

“You are with a group of people, perhaps, but it’s you engaging with the film and then you can talk about it with others and what you both saw,” she said. “I just think that it’s a big piece of our education.” During her time as treasurer for Cinema 100, Anderson discussed the struggles Cinema 100 faced. Cinema 100 has dealt with financial struggles and licensing hassle over the years with the worst yet to come once the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the heart of 2020. COVID-19 forced Cinema 100 to go online, but it did not have the same effect.

“We all think in Cinema 100 [that] there’s something so valuable about the shared experience in a movie theater,” Anderson said. 

After the pandemic ended, Cinema 100 has still continued to push out more series for film. With each year, there is more feedback, suggestions, and community interaction. The start of 2026 is a hopeful one.

Cinema 100’s 2026 Spring series did have marginal positive feedback and a hopeful outcome. Spring series season tickets were $35 for ten films with limited showtimes and no previews. The showtimes were limited to only 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. for each movie on a singular night. The movies from the Spring series were varied and drastically different from one another. From the Oscar winner for Best Animation, “Flow”, to the critically-acclaimed documentary about Palestine titled “Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk”, each movie contains an aspect that is unseen for usual films shown in the theaters in North Dakota. 

The spring series ends as the start of April begins. As a group, the film enthusiasts will discuss what films did well and which ones were not as grand. Post-series discussion is what keeps the group from repeating films or having a lackluster series. After each series, Anderson usually goes through the finances to see the budget for the next series they will host.

“We are a nonprofit, so we’re not really looking to make money but we don’t want to lose money either because that has an impact,” she said. “We’re getting back on our feet and we actually have a little more money to work with.”

As Cinema 100 slowly makes a resurgence once more, Anderson believes younger generations will be the ones that can make it stay.

“I have hope because [of] the upcoming generation seems to be recognizing and acting on getting together with people,” she said. “It is very heartening … I think we will be okay”

For those interested, Cinema 100 still has posters and flyers of the 2026 Spring series around BSC with information on the movies and what the collection is. Cinema 100 also has a website discussing films, their history, and what the community can do to support them. Their website is cinema100.com and they also have a Facebook page. Their next series will launch in October with season tickets being $15 for five films, same showtimes, and no previews.