At this year’s SXSW Film Festival, there was at least one attendee who made some people uncomfortable. Ousted Cinefamily owner Hadrian Belove came to Austin with a SXSW badge, six months after allegations of sexual abuse and harassment led to his departure from the Los Angeles independent cinema he founded.
No one suggested Belove did anything wrong at SXSW, but several women told IndieWire they thought his alleged transgressions provided reason enough to expel him. Lee Jameson, a longtime Cinefamily member and a former volunteer, tweeted March 14: “how can @sxsw claim to support #metoo and focus on tackling sexual harassment issues this year and still allow someone like Hadrian Belove to be an accredited attendee and make women feel unsafe?”
As the film community approaches the Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes, and other major film events to come this year, it’s an issue that’s bound to come...
No one suggested Belove did anything wrong at SXSW, but several women told IndieWire they thought his alleged transgressions provided reason enough to expel him. Lee Jameson, a longtime Cinefamily member and a former volunteer, tweeted March 14: “how can @sxsw claim to support #metoo and focus on tackling sexual harassment issues this year and still allow someone like Hadrian Belove to be an accredited attendee and make women feel unsafe?”
As the film community approaches the Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes, and other major film events to come this year, it’s an issue that’s bound to come...
- 4/12/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
On Los Angeles’s Fairfax Avenue, the Silent Movie Theatre will reportedly soon have a new tenant: Fairfax Theater, LLC. Cinefamily — a pulse point in the Southern California film community that showcased arthouse fare — operated the space for 10 years prior to August 2017, when its activities were suspended after sexual harassment allegations prompted resignations from executive director Hadrian Belove (a co-founder) and board member Shadie Elnashai.
According to Cinefamily Accountability — a website founded by longtime Cinefamily patron Jon Zerolnick — the fledgling Fairfax Theater was established in October by Cinefamily co-founder and former treasurer Dan Harkham, who had the foresight then to know that Cinefamily would permanently close, a fact locals learned the following month. Pre-scandal, Cinefamily’s Board of Directors included well-known industry personalities like Amazon Original Movies head of production Ted Hope, and “The Lego Movie” co-writer/director Phil Lord. Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson was a member of its advisory board,...
According to Cinefamily Accountability — a website founded by longtime Cinefamily patron Jon Zerolnick — the fledgling Fairfax Theater was established in October by Cinefamily co-founder and former treasurer Dan Harkham, who had the foresight then to know that Cinefamily would permanently close, a fact locals learned the following month. Pre-scandal, Cinefamily’s Board of Directors included well-known industry personalities like Amazon Original Movies head of production Ted Hope, and “The Lego Movie” co-writer/director Phil Lord. Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson was a member of its advisory board,...
- 1/9/2018
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
Cinefamily’s temporary closure is now permanent. Following the August resignations of executive director Hadrian Belove and board member Shadie Elnashai amid sexual harassment allegations, the nonprofit West Hollywood theater will not reopen, concluding a 10-year run.
A statement posted November 14 on its website states that the decision was the result of a months-long independent investigation. “While no victims emerged to corroborate the allegation of rape widely circulated in an anonymous email, the investigation identified serious concerns, including breaches of acceptable behavior alleged to have happened at Cinefamily offices and events; a climate that discouraged employees and volunteers from reporting distressing workplace incidents and/or made them feel unheard if they did so; and critical lapses in communication from the executive management and the board,” the statement reads. “We feel strongly that we have made the right decision.”
Read More:Before Weinstein: The Times’ Sexual Harassment Timeline Should Include Austin and...
A statement posted November 14 on its website states that the decision was the result of a months-long independent investigation. “While no victims emerged to corroborate the allegation of rape widely circulated in an anonymous email, the investigation identified serious concerns, including breaches of acceptable behavior alleged to have happened at Cinefamily offices and events; a climate that discouraged employees and volunteers from reporting distressing workplace incidents and/or made them feel unheard if they did so; and critical lapses in communication from the executive management and the board,” the statement reads. “We feel strongly that we have made the right decision.”
Read More:Before Weinstein: The Times’ Sexual Harassment Timeline Should Include Austin and...
- 11/15/2017
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
For a decade, Cinefamily has served as a gathering spot for Los Angeles film aficionados whose tastes run toward the esoteric. But in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal this summer which in many ways presaged a storm that would soon engulf Hollywood, the non-profit repertory cinema has decided to cease all operations.
In a statement posted Tuesday to its website, the organization's board of directors announced that "exhaustive analysis" has led to a decision to "officially shut down The Cinefamily."
Cinefamily operations were suspended in August after two top executives — executive creative director Hadrian Belove...
In a statement posted Tuesday to its website, the organization's board of directors announced that "exhaustive analysis" has led to a decision to "officially shut down The Cinefamily."
Cinefamily operations were suspended in August after two top executives — executive creative director Hadrian Belove...
- 11/15/2017
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By most estimations, The New York Times’ initial reporting on Harvey Weinstein’s decades of sexual harassment changed everything. That perspective includes the Times, which published a timeline on November 11 called “After Weinstein: A List of Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct and the Fallout for Each,” detailing the public outcry surrounding a range of public figures who have faced varying degrees of repercussions for their abhorrent treatment of women and men in recent weeks.
It’s a curious framing device, particular with regard to its start. While Weinstein may have been the tipping point, there was a palpable drum roll leading to his downfall.
From a broader cultural standpoint, the backlash against powerful men doing terrible things started with Hannibal Burress’ tossed-off remarks about Bill Cosby, and the ensuing process through which Cosby was shunned by the industry; later, the business threats to Fox News following reporting about years of...
It’s a curious framing device, particular with regard to its start. While Weinstein may have been the tipping point, there was a palpable drum roll leading to his downfall.
From a broader cultural standpoint, the backlash against powerful men doing terrible things started with Hannibal Burress’ tossed-off remarks about Bill Cosby, and the ensuing process through which Cosby was shunned by the industry; later, the business threats to Fox News following reporting about years of...
- 11/13/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Update (7:40 pm Pt): Devin Faraci has resigned from Alamo Drafthouse.
Yesterday evening, Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League acknowledged via a Facebook post that, earlier this year, he quietly rehired Devin Faraci to work from home. Eleven months ago, he’d fired the former editor-in-chief of Birth.Movies.Death., the Alamo Drafthouse film site, after Faraci was accused of sexual assault. Faraci entered a 12-step program for alcohol, and is said to be in recovery. (For more details and backstory, please see here. And here.)
To say that news of his employment did not go over well would be an understatement. While League positioned his statement as a bid for transparency, and some friends and peers voiced their support, the announcement created a tsunami of outrage from Alamo fans, the alleged victims, and League’s own staff.
Read More:Devin Faraci Steps Down As Eic of Birth.Movies.Death.
Yesterday evening, Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League acknowledged via a Facebook post that, earlier this year, he quietly rehired Devin Faraci to work from home. Eleven months ago, he’d fired the former editor-in-chief of Birth.Movies.Death., the Alamo Drafthouse film site, after Faraci was accused of sexual assault. Faraci entered a 12-step program for alcohol, and is said to be in recovery. (For more details and backstory, please see here. And here.)
To say that news of his employment did not go over well would be an understatement. While League positioned his statement as a bid for transparency, and some friends and peers voiced their support, the announcement created a tsunami of outrage from Alamo fans, the alleged victims, and League’s own staff.
Read More:Devin Faraci Steps Down As Eic of Birth.Movies.Death.
- 9/13/2017
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
Following the resignations of executive director Hadrian Belove and board member and Shadie Elnashai, Cinefamily has closed, temporarily suspending “all Cinefamily activities in order to allow for the investigation and necessary restructure of management and the board.”
The Cinefamily board asked for the resignations last week after an anonymous email circulated claiming that Belove “has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse by former employees and volunteers” and accused Elnashai of “raping multiple women, all verbally threatened and scared into silence after the assaults.”
Read More:Hadrian Belove Resigns From Cinefamily After Anonymous Email Alleges Sexual Harassment
The Cinefamily announcement, which is posted prominently on its site and social media, also said it has “engaged an independent third party, Giles Miller at Lynx Insights & Investigations, to conduct a thorough investigation into any alleged impropriety.”
The letter, which is signed by “The Board of The Cinefamily,“ added: “We want to...
The Cinefamily board asked for the resignations last week after an anonymous email circulated claiming that Belove “has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse by former employees and volunteers” and accused Elnashai of “raping multiple women, all verbally threatened and scared into silence after the assaults.”
Read More:Hadrian Belove Resigns From Cinefamily After Anonymous Email Alleges Sexual Harassment
The Cinefamily announcement, which is posted prominently on its site and social media, also said it has “engaged an independent third party, Giles Miller at Lynx Insights & Investigations, to conduct a thorough investigation into any alleged impropriety.”
The letter, which is signed by “The Board of The Cinefamily,“ added: “We want to...
- 8/27/2017
- by Dana Harris
- Indiewire
Brie Larson, Women of Cinefamily Co-Founder, Calls for ‘Further Action’ on Sexual Harassment Charges
In the wake of sexual harassment allegations against staffers at Los Angeles independent theater Cinefamily, actress Brie Larson has commented on the dramatic events at the institution where she co-founded the Women of Cinefamily collective.
Larson and Tina Poppy co-founded the Women of Cinefamily group in 2014. After Poppy left Cinefamily, Alia Penner took the role of co-founder. A source close to both Larson and Penner said that they were planning to step back from involvement with the organization for the foreseeable future.
“The allegations at Cinefamily are upsetting to me personally, both as an advocate for sexual assault survivors and a member of the community,” Larson said, in a statement posted to her Twitter feed. “Firstly, I would like to thank the brave survivors who spoke up — I believe you. The responsibility of handling allegations of this nature should never fall on the assaulted. Cinefamily prides itself on being a...
Larson and Tina Poppy co-founded the Women of Cinefamily group in 2014. After Poppy left Cinefamily, Alia Penner took the role of co-founder. A source close to both Larson and Penner said that they were planning to step back from involvement with the organization for the foreseeable future.
“The allegations at Cinefamily are upsetting to me personally, both as an advocate for sexual assault survivors and a member of the community,” Larson said, in a statement posted to her Twitter feed. “Firstly, I would like to thank the brave survivors who spoke up — I believe you. The responsibility of handling allegations of this nature should never fall on the assaulted. Cinefamily prides itself on being a...
- 8/23/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
As stories of sexual abuse and assault by well-known men grow more commonplace, a refrain has emerged, one that might sound like a plea: Listen to women. Believe women. Even when they speak out against someone that might be considered a genius or hero, don’t ignore their stories.
This week, “listen to women” became a roar. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon’s ex-wife Kai Cole wrote frankly from her perspective about Whedon being a “fake feminist” and the years he allegedly spent cheating on her. Tig Notaro, in promoting the new season of her Amazon series “One Mississippi,” spoke out regarding sexual harrassment allegations made against Louis C.K.,who also serves as the show’s executive producer.
And after an anonymous letter went to hundreds of people in the indie film industry, accusing those who run Los Angeles-based nonprofit film society Cinefamily of enabling an atmosphere of...
This week, “listen to women” became a roar. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon’s ex-wife Kai Cole wrote frankly from her perspective about Whedon being a “fake feminist” and the years he allegedly spent cheating on her. Tig Notaro, in promoting the new season of her Amazon series “One Mississippi,” spoke out regarding sexual harrassment allegations made against Louis C.K.,who also serves as the show’s executive producer.
And after an anonymous letter went to hundreds of people in the indie film industry, accusing those who run Los Angeles-based nonprofit film society Cinefamily of enabling an atmosphere of...
- 8/23/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Hadrian Belove has resigned as executive director of Cinefamily, the independent Los Angeles-based theater he co-founded in 2007, after an anonymous email circulated this week detailing sexual harassment allegations against him and the Cinefamily board.
The anonymous email, which went to hundreds of members of the independent film community and the media, said Belove “has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse by former employees and volunteers. It is a deep seated behavior pattern that many in the community are already aware of.”
The email included excerpts from a 2014 lawsuit filed against Belove and Cinefamily by a former employee that cited sexual harassment as well as work-rule violations. That case was settled out of court.
In addition to Belove, the Cinefamily board accepted the resignation of board vice president Shadie Elnashai, whom the email accused of “raping multiple women, all verbally threatened and scared into silence after the assaults.”
Cinefamily...
The anonymous email, which went to hundreds of members of the independent film community and the media, said Belove “has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse by former employees and volunteers. It is a deep seated behavior pattern that many in the community are already aware of.”
The email included excerpts from a 2014 lawsuit filed against Belove and Cinefamily by a former employee that cited sexual harassment as well as work-rule violations. That case was settled out of court.
In addition to Belove, the Cinefamily board accepted the resignation of board vice president Shadie Elnashai, whom the email accused of “raping multiple women, all verbally threatened and scared into silence after the assaults.”
Cinefamily...
- 8/23/2017
- by Dana Harris and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Roger Corman placed his hands in wet concrete outside the Vista Theater on Wednesday night. Joining the ranks of those with immortalized handprints in the front area of the Los Angeles theater (which some fans may remember as the site of Alabama and Clarence’s “Street Fighter” triple bill in “True Romance”), the 90-year-old legendary director and producer signed his name next to his fresh mark, adding in cursive below: “So great.”
That small inscription was an accurate prediction of the rest of the night’s festivities: a live read of the script for the long-gestating Corman biopic, “The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes.” Corman acolyte Joe Dante has been trying to bring the script to fruition for a decade, making it an ideal dual candidate for the new Cinefamily series “The Greatest Movies Never Made” and for a prominent event at the heart of SpectreFest 2016.
Read More: Jason Reitman Says...
That small inscription was an accurate prediction of the rest of the night’s festivities: a live read of the script for the long-gestating Corman biopic, “The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes.” Corman acolyte Joe Dante has been trying to bring the script to fruition for a decade, making it an ideal dual candidate for the new Cinefamily series “The Greatest Movies Never Made” and for a prominent event at the heart of SpectreFest 2016.
Read More: Jason Reitman Says...
- 10/13/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Read More: 'Holy F*cking Sh*t' Discovery of 'Roar,' the Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made After finding much success with their distribution of "Roar" earlier this year, Drafthouse Films is once again taking a cult sensation in the making and giving it a theatrical re-distribution. "Dangerous Men," which spent nearly two decades in production, opened in California theaters back in 2005 and quietly died out at the box office, though that's all about to change if Drafthouse Films has anything to do with it. The film comes from the late John Rad, whose credits on the picture include director, writer, location scout, producer, executive producer and more. The movie never found a following in its initial run, though it slowly has become a cult hit in the years since Rad's 2007 death. Chief among its biggest fans is Hadrian Belove of The Cinefamily, who saw the film multiple times during...
- 9/29/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
The Cinefamily presents
A Hal Hartley Film Retrospective
April 2nd - 4th, 2015
*Additional Saturday matinee screenings throughout April
• Featuring eight career spanning films, with Hal Hartley in attendance, April 2nd - 4th
• The Los Angeles premiere of his newest film Ned Rifle, with guest appearances by film's stars Aubrey Plaza, James Urbaniak and Liam Aiken
• An exhibition of limited edition photographic prints of stills from his films
• Retrospective is the kickoff of a weeklong Cinefamily run of Ned Rifle (April 3rd - April 9th)
"Unbelievable Truth". (Photo: copyright PossibleFilms).
Cinefamily presents the first-ever West Coast retrospective of the works of iconic film auteur Hal Hartley. Hartley’s stylized, deadpan screwball dramas, taut dialogue and offbeat characters helped define classic American independent filmmaking, and his films offered breakthrough roles to numerous actors, including Parker Posey, Edie Falco, Adrienne Shelley, Pj Harvey, and Martin Donovan.
The Cinefamily presents
A Hal Hartley Film Retrospective
April 2nd - 4th, 2015
*Additional Saturday matinee screenings throughout April
• Featuring eight career spanning films, with Hal Hartley in attendance, April 2nd - 4th
• The Los Angeles premiere of his newest film Ned Rifle, with guest appearances by film's stars Aubrey Plaza, James Urbaniak and Liam Aiken
• An exhibition of limited edition photographic prints of stills from his films
• Retrospective is the kickoff of a weeklong Cinefamily run of Ned Rifle (April 3rd - April 9th)
"Unbelievable Truth". (Photo: copyright PossibleFilms).
Cinefamily presents the first-ever West Coast retrospective of the works of iconic film auteur Hal Hartley. Hartley’s stylized, deadpan screwball dramas, taut dialogue and offbeat characters helped define classic American independent filmmaking, and his films offered breakthrough roles to numerous actors, including Parker Posey, Edie Falco, Adrienne Shelley, Pj Harvey, and Martin Donovan.
- 3/27/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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