The Independent Picture House is Rolling Out the Red Carpet for the Oscars
You are invited for a night of Hollywood glamour, and to celebrate the best movies to have graced the silver screen this year, at The Independent Picture House, the only nonprofit cinema in Charlotte.
The annual OSCARS Viewing Party and Fundraiser helps keep the cinema in operation, funding its programs and mission to educate, engage, and enable the community through this popular and powerful artistic medium.
IPH is owned and operated by the nonprofit Charlotte Film Society, which has been working for more than 40 years to bring independent and foreign films to Charlotte. The organization opened IPH in June 2022 after the closing of the Manor Theatre. The community cinema is also home to the annual Charlotte Film Festival, which was acquired by the Charlotte Film Society in 2020.
A Home for Film in Charlotte
The cinema features four screens, a multi-use community space, and a front lawn. Using these spaces, IPH hosts both daily film viewings and community-oriented events such as its Community Impact Film Series, featuring rotating subjects ranging from human trafficking to women’s health to animal welfare.
The movie theater also reaches out into the community to screen films at no cost through its Indie on Wheels program. IPH also hosts a monthly meetup — the Carolina Independent Film Collective — for filmmakers and those currently working or aiming to work in the film industry.
CIFS, Indie on Wheels and the Collective are all free to attend thanks to individual contributions received throughout the year from patrons and supporters and fundraising events like the OSCARS Viewing Party — IPH’s primary fundraiser.
The event will take place March 15 at IPH. Guests are welcome to dress for a red-carpet extravaganza, in artistic costumes expressing love for a film or in casual comfort for their viewing pleasure. From couture to casual, elegant to expressive, anything goes!
The evening will begin at 4 p.m. for VIPs and 5:30 p.m. for regular admission. The Academy Awards Ceremony begins at 7 p.m. All the Oscar-nominated short films will be available for viewing on the evening of the event as well as in advance. IPH will feature three short film categories — animated, documentary, and live action — on Feb. 20 for early birds who would like to see them ahead of the event.
Two emcees will be on hand to fill the commercial breaks, interviewing local filmmakers, film festival organizers, and other IPH partners and representatives to express the importance of film and what can be learned from it.
Claire Lechtenberg, Director of Development & Marketing at IPH echoes the sentiments of Sean Baker, director of 2025 Best Picture winner Anora.
“A movie theater really is such a special place, where it doesn’t matter what your background is, it doesn’t matter what your belief system is. You are in a shared space with other people, experiencing a brand-new story, and a brand-new perspective. So, it’s important to support these spaces that everyone is able to connect through art and film,” said Lechtenberg.
Tickets on Sale Now
Tickets are available by levels:
The Best Score level ($1,000) includes two tickets for the viewing party, champagne, multiple acknowledgements from IPH during the night and in its weekly newsletter, complimentary drinks, heavy appetizers, VIP seating and two swag bags.
VIP Entry ($130) includes one ticket, champagne, complimentary drinks, VIP seating, and a swag bag.
Regular admission ($80) includes complimentary drinks and the viewing.
Tickets are limited, so be sure to register online before they run out. To learn more or to support the event — even if you can’t attend — visit the IPH website.
This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 8:59 AM.