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Cinefamily
Outside the Cinefamily, Night
Map
Capacity224[1]
Construction
Built1942[2]
OpenedOctober 31, 2007
ClosedNovember 15, 2017
Years active2007–2017

The Cinefamily was a non-profit cinematheque located in West Hollywood, California, at the historic Silent Movie Theatre.[3] The Cinefamily's mission statement was to "reinvigorate the movie-going experience by fostering a spirit of community and a sense of discovery."[4]

Cinefamily followed a member-based ticketing system by which a tax-deductible donation provided universal access to all screenings and events. There was an individual ticket system in effect for non-members or those who did not make a pledge commitment.[5]

The Cinefamily was open from 2007 to 2017, when it closed due to a sexual harassment allegation. In 2019, the theatre was reopened as Fairfax Cinema. The next year, clothing company Brain Dead announced that they would be leasing the space under the name Brain Dead Studios.

History

In 2007, Hadrian Belove (co-founder of Cinefile Video,[6] a specialty video store), along with Sammy Harkham (co-owner of the nearby Family Bookstore)[7] and his brother Dan, founded the Cinefamily, which officially opened its doors on Halloween of 2007.[8]

Programming

Cinefamily programming included a wide range of films, from early silents to contemporary features,[9] live comedy, live music, found footage, mixed media and other special events, and extended form post-screening Q&As.[7] They mounted original retrospectives on filmmakers Jim Henson, Jerry Lewis,[10] John Cassavetes,[11] and Andrzej Zulawski[12] and commissioned live film scores by musicians such as No Age,[13] Stephin Merritt[14] and Espers.[15]

Some of Cinefamily’s programming included Animation Breakdown,[16] Don’t Knock the Rock,[17] Everything is Festival!,[18] reunion tributes for The Adventures of Pete and Pete[19] and Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast,[20] and women-only pajama party screenings.[21]

In early 2011, the Cinefamily exhibited the Greek independent film Dogtooth, which received an Academy Award nomination within a month of its sold-out run.[22] The Cinefamily also held special screenings of We Need to Talk About Kevin,[23] Margaret,[24] Bullhead,[25] Michael[26] and Battle Royale.[27]

Starting in 2011, Cinefamily held an annual 24-hour holiday telethon. Robert Downey Jr. made an appearance at the second annual event.[28] In 2014, Downey and his father, Robert Downey Sr., made appearances in a retrospective for the latter to help raise funds for the theatre,[29] in place of the telethon.

Starting in 2013, the theatre hosted SpectreFest from SpectreVision, an indie horror film company co-founded by Elijah Wood.[30] Also that year, Quentin Tarantino hosted a screening of Robert Blake films,[31] and a retrospective of Kris Kristofferson films was screened, with appearances from Kristofferson and Harry Dean Stanton.[32]

In 2014, Mel Brooks presented the 1973 compilation film of Your Show of Shows[33] and Werner Herzog made an appearance at the beginning of a weeklong run of his 1979 film Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht.[34] In 2016, the theatre held an X-Files marathon with a live episode of Kumail Nanjiani's podcast The X-Files Files.[35]

Sexual misconduct allegations

In August 2017, an anonymous email was sent to Cinefamily members detailing a 2014 sexual harassment allegation against Belove that resulted in a settlement and accused Shadie Elnashai, vice president of the board of directors, of "raping multiple women."[36] Both men subsequently resigned on August 22, 2017.[37] On August 23, Women of Cinefamily co-founder Brie Larson announced that she was stepping aside from the organization for the foreseeable future.[38] Cinefamily itself suspended all operations as of August 26.[37]

On November 14, 2017, Cinefamily altered its website so that only a text statement appeared. The board of directors formally announced the end of the organization, following an independent inquiry into the allegations.[39] The inquiry was protested by many former employees and members who felt that the investigation lacked transparency.[40] A number of former volunteers and employees subsequently alleged that an atmosphere of sexism against women had long permeated the theatre, including alleged abuses by Belove and Elnashai.[41][42] In late 2018, Elnashai released a statement on his personal website. He admitted that he had once acted inappropriately at a Cinefamily party, but denied all other charges, citing an alleged lack of evidence produced by the investigation.[43]

Rebranding

On December 25, 2019, following a year-long refurbishment project, Dan and Sammy Harkham reopened the theatre under the name Fairfax Cinema.[44]

On October 6, 2020, clothing company Brain Dead announced that they would be leasing the Fairfax Cinema space. Rebranding the theater as Brain Dead Studios, the venue focuses on cult cinema fare and offers an outdoor cafe specializing in Asian cuisine.[45][46]

References

  1. ^ http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/830
  2. ^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cinefamily-theater-reopen-as-fairfax-cinema-first-look-1263136
  3. ^ Rauzi, Robin (June 13, 2006). "Not just the silent treatment on Fairfax" – via LA Times.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Membership - The Cinefamily". Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  6. ^ Bregman, Adam (October 16, 2003). "Obscure? Not here" – via LA Times.
  7. ^ a b Foundas, Scott (October 24, 2007). "Come Back Into the Dark".
  8. ^ Saperstein, Pat (August 24, 2017). "Brie Larson Speaks Out on 'Upsetting' Cinefamily Sexual Harassment Allegations".
  9. ^ Longworth, Karina (May 20, 2010). "Hadrian Belove: Pathologically Idiosyncratic Programming".
  10. ^ Ehrenstein, David (June 3, 2009). "Jerry Lewis Retrospective at Cinefamily".
  11. ^ Longworth, Karina (March 3, 2011). "John Cassavetes Series at Cinefamily".
  12. ^ "The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski – Page 1 – Film+TV – Los Angeles – LA Weekly". Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Age, No (August 19, 2009). "NO AGE - NO MORE R&R: Live Score of "The Bear" at The Cinefamily at The Silent Movie Theater".
  14. ^ Gladysz, Thomas (July 8, 2010). "Six Questions With Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields".
  15. ^ Turner, Gustavo (February 4, 2010). "Cinefamily to Screen Amazing Cult Films From the Silver Lake of the Soviet Era". Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  16. ^ "Around Town: Don Hertzfeldt kicks off Cinefamily's 'Animation Breakdown'". December 2, 2011.
  17. ^ "Don't Knock the Rock: Films for the vinyl crowd". July 12, 2011.
  18. ^ "Around town: Strange delights at Cinefamily's Everything Is Festival". June 30, 2011.
  19. ^ Bradley, Paul T. (November 21, 2011). "The Adventures of Pete and Pete Reunion at Cinefamily: Mike Maronna, Danny Tamberelli & Artie...the Strongest Man...in the World". Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  20. ^ Whalen, Brendan (December 5, 2011). "Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast Reunion at Cinefamily, With Actors and Animators From Cartoon Network's Superhero Talk Show". Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  21. ^ "No Boys Allowed: Cinefamily's All Girl Pajama Party". L.A. Weekly.
  22. ^ Longworth, Karina (February 3, 2011). "State of the Art House".
  23. ^ Longworth, Karina (December 8, 2011). "We Need to Talk About Kevin Review".
  24. ^ Longworth, Karina (January 11, 2012). "Margaret Starring Anna Paquin, the Best Film of 2011, Gets a Run at Cinefamily". Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  25. ^ "Oscars 2012: Watch an exclusive clip from Belgium's 'Bullhead'". February 17, 2012.
  26. ^ Anderson, Melissa (February 16, 2012). "Oscar-Nominated Bullhead and Michael at Cinefamily".
  27. ^ "Around Town: 'Battle Royale' finally gets U.S. theatrical release". December 23, 2011.
  28. ^ Collis, Clark (December 16, 2012). "'Cinefamily Telethon:' Robert Downey Jr. pledges to help L.A. cinema". EW.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ "Cinefamily Pays Tribute To Outsider Filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. At Their Annual Fundraiser". LAist. December 6, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  30. ^ Collis, Clark (October 9, 2013). "Elijah Wood's SpectreVision announces L.A. horror film festival". EW.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ "Quentin Tarantino presents The Films of Robert Blake, Day 1". DoLA. 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ King, Susan (October 27, 2013). "Cinefamily at Silent Movie Theatre celebrates Kris Kristofferson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ Evanier, Mark (April 6, 2014). "My Evening of Evenings". News From ME. Retrieved October 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ Olsen, Mark (May 16, 2014). "Re-release of Werner Herzog's 'Nosferatu': 'It's not a remake'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "The Cinefamily presents The X-Files: Live Podcast and Marathon with sneak preview of new X-Files episode". myNewYorkeye. January 14, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ Yamato, Jen. "Two top Cinefamily leaders resign over anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  37. ^ a b Kelley, Seth (August 27, 2017). "Cinefamily Suspends All Activities Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations". Variety. Retrieved August 31, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ Kohn, Eric (August 23, 2017). "Brie Larson, Women of Cinefamily Co-Founder, Calls for 'Further Action' on Sexual Harassment Charges". Indiewire. Retrieved August 31, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  39. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 15, 2017). "Cinefamily Permanently Shuts Down After Sexual Harassment Allegations".
  40. ^ "Cinefamily Accountability".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. ^ Lange, Ariane (August 28, 2017). "Former Employees Of A Beloved LA Movie Theater Describe Sexism In The Workplace". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved September 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ^ Cills, Hazel (August 31, 2017). "Former Cinefamily Employees Allege Mishandling of Sexual Harassment Claims". Jezebel. Retrieved September 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  43. ^ "Shadie Elnashai Statement". www.shadieelnashai.com.
  44. ^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cinefamily-theater-reopen-as-fairfax-cinema-first-look-1263136
  45. ^ Takanashi, Lei (November 5, 2020). "Why Streetwear Brand Brain Dead Is Permanently Taking Over an L.A. Movie Theater". Complex. Complex Media, Inc.
  46. ^ "Slammers". Brain Dead Studios. BRAIN DEAD LLC.
  • Footage from an event with rock band AFI at Brain Dead Studios – via Instagram. October 1, 2021.
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