Enzian Theater

Just off South Orlando Avenue in Maitland, in a low building tucked behind a stand of oak trees, Enzian has been Central Florida’s home for independent and art house film since 1985. Founded by the Tiedtke family, the single screen theater opened on February 15, 1985 with a screening of D.W. Griffith’s silent film Broken Blossoms, an opening night attended by the film’s original star, actress Lillian Gish. The theater initially mixed classic film revivals with occasional live performances before shifting its focus toward first run independent and foreign films in 1989, a lineup it has kept ever since.

Enzian operates as a member supported nonprofit organization, which sets it apart from the commercial multiplexes that otherwise dominate moviegoing in the Orlando area. Rather than rows of stadium seating, the theater’s single auditorium is arranged with tables, where guests can order food and drinks from Eden Bar and have it brought to their seats during the film, a cafe style format that has become as much a part of the venue’s identity as its film programming. The name Enzian comes from the German word for gentian, a small alpine flower, a nod to the founders’ Central European heritage.

Beyond nightly screenings, Enzian is best known regionally as the home of the Florida Film Festival, an annual event running for decades that brings independent filmmakers, documentaries, and festival premieres to Maitland each spring and draws visitors from across the state. The theater also runs smaller recurring series throughout the year built around genre film, local filmmaker showcases, and repertory classics, along with occasional live music and comedy events in its outdoor Eden Bar space.

As a nonprofit cultural organization, Enzian relies on a combination of ticket sales, food and beverage revenue, memberships, and donor support to keep its programming going, and it maintains an active membership program offering ticket discounts and early access to festival passes. The box office is open Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from noon to 9:30 p.m., while Eden Bar keeps its own separate hours that extend later into the evening on weekends. Exact showtimes and ticket prices vary by film and change frequently, so checking the current schedule directly through the theater’s website or box office before a visit is recommended.

For anyone in the Orlando area looking for a film that will not show up at a standard multiplex, or simply an evening out that combines dinner, a drink, and a movie in one seat, Enzian remains one of the few places in Central Florida built specifically for that kind of moviegoing, and its Maitland location, just off US 17-92, keeps it within easy reach of Winter Park, Orlando, and the rest of the northern suburbs.