Fine Arts Theatre

Fine Arts Theatre Dedicated To First Run Art & Independent Films. Reopened in 1997, the Fine Arts Theatre features Art & Independent films.
(624)

John Cram renovated Asheville's last remaining downtown cinema as part of his Adventure in the Arts. Premiering over 50 films a year, the Theatre is open daily with matinées, evening viewings and late shows on Friday and Saturday nights. Ticket Prices:
Matinées - $9.00
Evenings - $11.00
Seniors (60+) - $9.00

Discount tickets for evening shows:
Students / Military - $9.00
Seniors (60+) - $9.00

P

ARKING SUGGESTIONS:
Biltmore Avenue Garage (city parking deck) under the Aloft hotel - The first hour is free, then $1.00 per hour for each additional hour. Metered street parking is free after 6 pm, Monday-Saturday, and all day on Sundays and city holidays.

WHEELER WEDNESDAY this month takes us back to the Star-Studded GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD aka the beatific 1940s as he’s co...
09/04/2026

WHEELER WEDNESDAY this month takes us back to the Star-Studded GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD aka the beatific 1940s as he’s cooked up two absolutely delightful, charming, and foundational films to expound and present to y’all.

First up, on September 16th at 7:00 pm, is one of our curator’s all time favorite films - a tall measure for sure (especially if you know Michael and how much he watches). It’s A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946, aka STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN) from the lauded British directing duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (Peeping Tom, The Red Shoes, I Know Where I’m Going). Starring David Niven and Kim Hunter, A Matter of Life and Death, set amidst World War II, concerns a RAF pilot who, on a suicidal mission and anticipating dying, falls in love with a radio operator amidst crashing. He, thankfully, survives but soon finds out he was supposed to die and has now run afoul of Heaven and its sardonic operators. What follows is a hilarious and touching three days before he must prove to a courtroom in Heaven why he should be allowed to live. This is PURE CINEMA in every sense of the phrase as practical effects and technicolor are used to their full potential. Martin Scorsese calls it “a romantic, daring, and beautiful allegorical fantasy,” and if there’s one thing that guy knows, it’s MOVIES.

And then, on September 23rd at 7:00 pm, Michael swings us back even further to the pre-war America of 1940 for HIS GIRL FRIDAY, the screwball comedy yardstick to measure all other later comedies from maestro journeyman Howard Hawks. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell co-star in this madcap, riotous, and rapid-fire film that starts at 85 mph and doesn’t let up throughout its entire runtime. Bring your best pinstriped suit/dress and transatlantic accent as we take a peep at early American Journalism, gender dynamics, love, and everything in between.

Reminder - both of these are showing at 7:00 pm on their respected dates! Tickets are on sale now on our website! Michael’s leaned heavy recently with contemporary (ish) films so he’s relishing the chance to show some older stuff and hope you turn out for it!

STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE is the award winning, festival darling documentary covering working class hero AMY GOODMAN and ...
08/25/2026

STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE is the award winning, festival darling documentary covering working class hero AMY GOODMAN and her reporting on the always consistent and veritable DEMOCRACY NOW (arguably the only reliable American news source anymore).

Directed by Oscar nominees Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, this hopeful and inspiring doc is a call to arms for journalists, firebrands, and revolutionaries en masse and the lost art of actual independent reporting (and the importance of it). Goodman, who’s hosted DEMOCRACY NOW since 1996, talks about her early journalist days, being arrested several times, and the people who inspired her and the people she has subsequently inspired as well. Produced by Rosario Dawson, Tom Morello, and lifelong legend and godsend Jane Fonda, STEAL THIS STORY is a must see for fans of the documentary, DEMOCRACY NOW, journalism, leftism, and everything in between.

It’s screening ONLY ONCE tomorrow night (Tuesday 8/25) at 7:00 pm in the main auditorium. Tickets are for sale now online on our website! Whatever that’s left will be on sale at the box office tomorrow night starting at 630 pm!

Tonight we open TWO BRAND NEW MOVIES that y’all have been clamoring for all summer long!!! Both TEENAGE S*X AND DEATH AT...
08/20/2026

Tonight we open TWO BRAND NEW MOVIES that y’all have been clamoring for all summer long!!! Both TEENAGE S*X AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA and TONY premier this evening in a dastardly artistic two-fer of monumental, late summer proportions.

FIRSTLY, the truly groundbreaking, ambitious, and artistic Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, I Saw the TV Glow) directs the incredibly titled TEENAGE S*X AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA starring TV’s Hannah Einbinder (HACKS) and Gillian Anderson (that’s MISS DANA SCULLY to you). This deconstructionist and meta examination of the horror slasher film (particularly the Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp movies) involves a young female director being hired to remake a classic horror movie and her seeking out the reclusive, bizarre leading actress of the original film (Anderson in full Blanche DuBois/Norma Desmond mode). What follows is a sapphic love story, a fourth-wall breaking analysis of the Slasher film, and an erotic study of s*xual awakening via the blood-soaked carnage of Eighties Horror. It’ll be opening TONIGHT at 7:00 pm in the downstairs auditorium and will have the full run of showtimes starting tomorrow (1:20 and 4:20 upstairs, 7:00 downstairs).

Also starting tonight is yet another biopic involving a surly, quarrelsome, and infamous young man: one Anthony ‘Tony’ Bourdain. TONY, the newest feature from Matt Johnson (BlackBerry), details the first few years of everyone’s favorite travelogue and chef before he became the star of such shows as No Reservations and Parts Unknown. It stars Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) as Bourdain and has an additional cast of Antonio Banderas, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, and Emilia Jones. It’ll be starting tonight at 7:20 (upstairs) and also get a full slot starting tomorrow (1:00, 4:00 downstairs, 7:20 upstairs).

So begins our end of summer push into the always busy and wall-to-wall AWARDS SEASON AUTUMN, and we’re happy to have two new films from two fresh-faced, creative directors!

Summer School (with Headmaster Wheeler) rolls on this Wednesday as we continue our investigation into Japanese Cinema wi...
08/16/2026

Summer School (with Headmaster Wheeler) rolls on this Wednesday as we continue our investigation into Japanese Cinema with what critic Tom Mes calls “a horror film in the purest sense of the word,” and trailblazing gallows humor auteur Ari Aster (Eddington, Beau is Afraid) has labeled “the best film ever made.” Next up, in a wildly tonal shift that only someone as unbalanced as Michael could conceive of, is 1997’s atmospheric, clinical nightmare CURE directed by the multifaceted and cerebral Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Serpent’s Path, Charisma, Seance, Pulse).

Starring Koji Yakusho (who played the Man in White in last weeks TAMPOPO) and Masato Hagiwara, CURE details a detective investigating a series of brutal murders where the suspects, seemingly normal individuals, suddenly snap and have no inclination or recollection why. What follows is a psychological descent into end of Millennium panic, post-Bubble malaise Japan, and one of the most unsettling (but not gory) depictions of horror ever put to screen. This is THE FILM that christened and defined the infamous ‘J-Horror’ boom long before stuff like Audition and Ring became all video store Weebs talked about (and, honestly, CURE blows those out of the water).

Michael will be on hand once again to pick up where we left off last week. He’ll be discussing J-Horror, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Mesmerism, and the American Tradition of Ripping Off Better Films for a Sub Par product (here’s looking at you, Longlegs) amongst many other subjects. CURE will screen this Wednesday (8/19) at 9:30 pm in our downstairs auditorium. Tickets are on sale now on our website.

And, once again, a big thank you to Jamie for once again providing a design as enigmatic and haunting as Kurosawa’s masterpiece itself and one that fittingly taps into the sparse, unflinching reality of the film.

CAT VIDEO FEST 2026 is NOW PLAYING!!!!Cat Lovers and Crazy Cat Ladies (never a derogatory term in our eyes) unite as our...
08/14/2026

CAT VIDEO FEST 2026 is NOW PLAYING!!!!

Cat Lovers and Crazy Cat Ladies (never a derogatory term in our eyes) unite as our downstairs main auditorium is now taken over by our feline buddies for a whole week of the beloved annual celebration of all things CAT. This bad boy will be running FOUR times a day with showtimes at 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, and 7:00 as we wanted to make sure EVERYONE has a chance to see this hilarious little block of videos! Remember that every ticket bought helps out our friends at Brother Wolf!

Make sure you also invite and bring the little ones as CVF is totally kid friendly, and we love having the next generation of movie fans roll in. Also, this years block of films is a mere 75 minutes so it’s perfect for the cat-brained attention span. This will only be playing for ONE WEEK before we bring in two new films so don’t dawdle!

This Monday (8/17), we are doing a one time only screening of the festival hit documentary SUMMER TOUR which, as you can...
08/14/2026

This Monday (8/17), we are doing a one time only screening of the festival hit documentary SUMMER TOUR which, as you can guess from the artwork, is all about THE GRATEFUL DEAD, man. For the completists in the fanbase and for the novice newcomer fan, this brand new documentary is an absolute must-see.

Filmed over the course of the ‘final’ Dead and Company tour in 2023, the story focuses on two young fans, Jerry and Annie, as they criss-cross across the country in their beloved and lived-in camper van. Along the way, they encounter various other Deadheads who all share and espouse the communal energy of the scene the bands followers are known for. This fly on the wall footage is buttressed with multiple archival clips of past shows, Jerry Garcia’s philosophy, and the optimistic chaos of their music.

Additionally, we’re lucky enough to be joined by Lindsey Driscoll and Brian Harding who both worked on the documentary as music supervisors (the people on the crew who typically help select and curate the songs and music in the film). They’ll be on hand to reminisce, provide insights into their process, and answer some questions about their work.

SUMMER TOUR, directed by Mischa Richter and produced by Chloe Sevigny (who initially met each other in high school, became fans of The Dead together, and snuck into shows with!), will be shown ONLY ONCE this Monday night downstairs at 7:00 PM. Tickets are available online now on our website and whatever tickets left will be sold Monday at the box office at 6:30 on a first come, first serve basis. See you Monday!

Our water is beginning to boil, and the broth is deliciously simmering as we near this Wednesday’s exclusive one time on...
08/10/2026

Our water is beginning to boil, and the broth is deliciously simmering as we near this Wednesday’s exclusive one time only showing of Juzo Itami’s foodie masterpiece TAMPOPO.

Released in Japan in 1985, this modern reimagining of the Spaghetti Western combines food, s*x, and comedy to create a truly unique cinematic culinary delight that is truthfully unlike any movie you’ve ever experienced. For being Itami’s second full feature (his first film THE FUNERAL is also a showstopper imo), it is an incredibly self-assured and confident look into Japanese culture, ramen, the egalitarian and democratic nature of food, and life itself.

Michael will be on hand to talk Itami’s career, his lengthy collaboration with his actress wife and star of TAMPOPO Nobuko Miyamoto, the Japan film industry, and how this eclectic and enigmatic island nation has, hands down, the best reservoir of foreign films out there.

TAMPOPO screens THIS WEDNESDAY (8/12) at 7:00 pm in the main auditorium! Tickets are on sale now on our online box office through the website. This is going to be a biggie as it’s one of the most beloved films we’ve shown in months! Trust us on this one: you’ll want to have dinner beforehand or else this is one that will make you HUNGRY. See you Wednesday.

——- also a huge tip of the cowboy hat and a slurp of the ramen bowl to our employee Jaime for delivering this absolutely gorgeous graphic for the promotion of Tampopo. They are assuredly becoming a talented artist with a distinct voice, and we are lucky to have them.

OPENING TONIGHT: to paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of the Romantic Comedy’s death have been greatly exaggerated as we...
08/06/2026

OPENING TONIGHT: to paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of the Romantic Comedy’s death have been greatly exaggerated as we open up the brand new ONE NIGHT ONLY tonight at 7:00 pm with the usual full slate of showtimes - 1:00, 4:00, and 7:00 - beginning tomorrow.

Starring Monica Barbaro (Top Gun Maverick, A Complete Unknown) and Callum Turner (Rose Of Nevada), this breezy, NYC set tale takes place in a (somewhat) fictional world where a fascist government has legally outlawed s*x for 364 days of the year with the sole caveat being one 24 hour period where single people are free to hook up. What ensues is a wacky, After Hours riff of hedonism, sweetness, and the type of masterful direction you would only expect from the director of Anything But You and Easy A.

Molly Ringwald, Julia Fox, Maya Hawke, LeVar Burton (Geordi!!!!) round out this legitimately unhinged cast. If you’re in need of a light, refreshing, and funny w**e cooler of an original movie amidst the 75th Marvel movie and other summer blockbusters, this one is for you. Come downtown, get dinner, and enjoy an actual date movie!

THE ODYSSEY rolls on for another week here as we continue to set sail with the lads on our whirlwind tour of Ancient Greece. It’ll be ONLY upstairs now, however, and play at 1:20 and 6:30 daily.

Next week is the Cat Video Fest! Prepare for a bevy of cat content!

Tonight’s our one time only screening of Oliver Stone’s controversial 1994 masterpiece NATURAL BORN KILLERS. Showtime wi...
07/29/2026

Tonight’s our one time only screening of Oliver Stone’s controversial 1994 masterpiece NATURAL BORN KILLERS. Showtime will be rolling at 9:30 pm, and the box office opens at 9:00. A few tickets remain and will be sold at the window then, but you can secure your seat now by purchasing online ahead of time.

Please acknowledge that even if you’ve bought your tickets online, you still need to check in at the box office before entering the building!

Michael can’t wait to see all of you turn out for this one! It’s going to be a biggie!

We are quickly approaching ZERO HOUR for our Wednesday Night screening of DOWN BY LAW, the 1986 absurdist fairy tale by ...
07/21/2026

We are quickly approaching ZERO HOUR for our Wednesday Night screening of DOWN BY LAW, the 1986 absurdist fairy tale by the effortlessly cool Independent Cinema King Jim Jarmusch. It’ll be happening tomorrow night at 7:00 pm in the second of three films this month from resident wannabe Jarmusch character Michael Wheeler and titular host of the Wheeler Wednesday series.

DOWN BY LAW, the third film from Jarmusch, stars Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni as three down on their luck miscreants who, through chance and worse luck, end up sharing the same jail cell in New Orleans. What follows is a surrealist comedy set deep in the Bayou that is as poignant and optimistic as it is downright funny. It is the perfect encapsulation of Jarmusch’s liminal style, acerbic wit, and tonal terminal hipness.

Shot by Robby Muller (arguably the best cinematographer of the last forty years) in glorious black and white and on actual location in and around late eighties New Orleans, DOWN BY LAW is a one of a kind independent film who’s heart is rolled up on its sleeve right next to its emblematic pack of Lucky Strikes. Michael will once again be on hand to discuss the films construction, the filmography of Jarmusch, Tom Waits, and why this one resonates so throughly with him. Tickets are on sale now on our website! Remember the show is at 7:00 pm sharp-ish tomorrow night!

Address

36 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC
28801

Opening Hours

Monday 12:30pm - 9pm
Tuesday 12:30pm - 9pm
Wednesday 12:30pm - 9pm
Thursday 12:30pm - 9pm
Friday 12:30pm - 11pm
Saturday 12:30pm - 11pm
Sunday 12:30pm - 9pm

Telephone

+18282321536

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Fine Arts Theatre posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Fine Arts Theatre:

Shortcuts

Share

Category