Screen Time

Q. What's been the greatest accomplishment during the past 25 years?

A. Surviving this long. On top of that, it's the wealth of movies that we've shown here. Virtually all of them are movies that would not have been played in Cleveland if the Cinematheque were not around to show them. We're talking about important, first-run international and independent films, classic films, new film prints, touring retrospectives of films from different countries.

Q. What makes the Cinematheque different?

A. You're going to see great and rare films. I'm still an advocate of 35 mm film projection. It's still the gold standard when it comes to projected images on a screen. ... [A] 35 mm film print is essentially the original work of art.

Q. Should we read into your Aug. 8 film, A Useful Life, which tells the story of a cinematheque and the life of its administrator?

A. There aren't many movies about cinematheques, and the film has received great reviews, and it's quite funny and touching. It seemed like the perfect choice for the anniversary, but it wasn't inspired by anything we did. However, all places like the CIA Cinematheque have faced the same challenges.