Cinema Arts Centre members concerned over theater's future

Some members of the Cinema Arts Centre are expressing concerns over the venue’s governance, its direction and even its future after the sudden firing of its longtime co-director Dylan Skolnick earlier this month.

Skolnick was fired Sept. 1 for what the board labeled "serious misconduct" without further elaboration.

"What is happening at Cinema Arts is no longer primarily about Dylan Skolnick," according to a letter longtime member Paul Krawitz sent to the board last week via priority mail and email. He said had not received a response. "It is about the institution itself, the way it is being governed, and whether the board understands how much confidence it is losing among people who have supported Cinema Arts for years."

Three weeks after Skolnick’s firing, some members of the not-for-profit cinema are coming forward to express their frustration with what they say is a lack of transparency with the venue’s board of directors. Members who have requested a refund for their fees in protest say they want to see Skolnick reinstated or hear the board’s explanation for his firing. A group of critics has printed "Save Our Cinema" postcards to be sent to the venue, and a demonstration is being planned but has yet to be announced.

On one of the theater's Facebook pages, titled Cinema Arts Centre Members and Friends, comments turned negative in the days following Skolnick's firing. After a user posted a Sept. 15 Newsday article on the controversy, the debate became so heated that an administrator shut down the comments section and wrote: "We are pausing activity in the group for the time being."

Cinema board members and its leaders said they are listening to critics and trying to chart a path forward.

"We have heard the feedback and concerns expressed by members, donors, patrons, community members, and leaders from the independent film and local arts communities," the cinema board said Wednesday in a statement emailed to Newsday that added: "Board members are meeting with our constituents to listen to their concerns and discuss the cinema’s programming and future." (The cinema did not respond to Newsday's request to elaborate on those meetings.) 

Skolnick has waged a public campaign to get his job back. Skonlick said he had been fired for working as a freelance film booker, but claimed he had received permission from the board to do so. He also said the freelance work did not compete or conflict with the cinema.

On Wednesday, Skolnick retained a lawyer, Vess Mitev, who said his goal was to get his client rehired to his $75,000-a-year job.

"We believe there was retaliation and discrimination" in Skolnick's firing, Mitev said, adding he planned to send a letter to the board on Monday seeking a resolution to the matter.

"We're going to give the board a chance to get it right," Mitev said.

Lissa De Angelis, a South Huntington patron of the cinema for roughly 50 years and a longtime member, said she had requested a refund for her $625 yearly membership fee but had not yet received it.

Wendy Isser, a Commack resident and cinema member, said she was one of the first to demand her $42 membership fee back the day after Skolnick’s dismissal and has since received a receipt for a refund. Isser wanted answers from the board, she explained, but she also expressed frustration with those organizing on Skolnick’s behalf.

"I want there to be some action, but positive action toward the right direction," Isser said.

In a statement emailed to members on Wednesday, co-director Kelsie Greene said "our goal moving forward is to continue our mission to bring the best and broadest range of film and cultural programs to all audiences, lifting spirits, expanding consciousness, and building community."

Membership fees are crucial for a nonprofit cinema to survive, according to Lela Meadow-Conner, executive director of the Arthouse Converge, a national network of independent movie theaters.

"It's core to their operating bottom line, not only in terms of financial contributions but in terms of audience and community support," she said. Having members withdraw support, she added, is "financially, socially and culturally undesirable."

Cinema Arts Centre has roughly 10,000 members whose fees range from $35 to $2,500 per year according to its website. The center has an annual budget of about $2.28 million, according to its 2025 Form 990 tax filing. Of that, about $900,000 came from contributions and grants, according to its latest tax filing. The rest of the money came from ticket sales, concessions and other revenue.

In his letter to the cinema's board dated Sept. 18, Krawitz, a 25-year member and retired eye surgeon based in Cold Spring Harbor, wrote, "I want confidence restored," and added: "Cinema Arts, one of Long Island's cultural jewels, is now at real and existential risk."

Huntington’s not-for-profit Cinema Arts Centre has enjoyed a 50-year reputation as one of America’s flagship art houses since its founding by Vic Skolnick and Charlotte Sky in 1973. Their son, Dylan, began running the family business in 2010 after his father’s death and became a well-respected figure within the small but nationwide community of film programmers and historians.

Since Skolnick’s firing, longtime hosts at the cinema have canceled their regular series, including Isil Bagdadi-Sergio’s Preview Club and Foster Hirsch’s Film Noir Classics. Magnolia Pictures pulled "Late Fame," a drama starring Willem Dafoe, from the cinema in support of Skolnick. Actor Dolph Lundgren canceled an appearance there due to the controversy.

"Some of the cultural highlights of this community are dying," Krawitz, 67, said, pointing to Huntington’s vanished IMAC theater and Book Revue. "And I just don’t want this one to die."

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com