Founded in February 2002 by Richard Paradise, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, Inc. is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to screening the best in independent films, movie classics, documentaries, and world cinema for diverse audiences of all ages throughout the calendar year.

In September of 2012, the Film Society completed construction of the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center at the Tisbury Marketplace (Vineyard Haven). The Film Center consists of the Marilyn Meyerhoff Theatre — a 177 stadium seat digital cinema and stage — The Gretchen V. Feldman Artspace, and offices to carry out its mission.

Since opening in 2012, the MVFS has shown over 450 feature films to 80,000 patrons.

In 2015, the MV Film Society partnered with the Martha’s Vineyard Theater Foundation to reopen the historic Capawock Theater in Vineyard Haven, and the Strand Theater in Oak Bluffs as a nonprofit cinema open 7 nights a week.

Although offering an enriched film program is the primary reason the MVFS exists, the society also presents film-related speakers, educational programs, and special events to enhance this main mission all while increasing the public’s appreciation of fine cinema in all of its forms. The film society produces the annual Nature as Inspiration Film Festival, FILMusic Festival in June, Documentary Week in August, and the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival in September.