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Cinema Arts Centre

Image from ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm’. Photo credit: Ines Sommer

Throughout this summer, Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre has been offering free pop-up film screenings around Long Island in order to bring attention to local agriculture. Presented in partnership with Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning, the local economic development initiative, Choose LI, the Cinema’s new ‘LI AgriCULTURE’ series has offered a unique look at farming on Long Island.

This October, the Cinema Arts Centre is partnering with Fink’s Country Farm, a family-owned and operated farm in Wading River, for a free day of fun and a screening of the independent documentary film, ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm.’

Image from ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm’. Photo credit: Ines Sommer

The LI AgriCULTURE series engages the local community in Long Island’s rich landscape of sustainable food production through the power of documentary film, helping to foster pride in our shared agricultural and aquacultural heritage, and inspiring Long Islanders to choose more local foods. Presenting dynamic documentary screening and discussion programs, virtually and in a variety of locations, this program will connect audiences to local food producers and encourage and empower the community to include more locally and sustainably produced foods in their daily diets. Learn more at: https://cinemaartscentre.org/li_agriculture/

The October event of the LI AgriCULTURE series will take place on Friday, October 1st at Fink’s Country Farm in Wading River. The program will be presented in partnership with Fink’s Farm, and planned with guidance from the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & PlanningChoose LI, and Peconic Land Trust. The free program will feature a day of fun including a petting zoo, hay rides, a corn maze, pumpkin picking, food and refreshments, a discussion with a panel of experts, and a screening of the independent farming documentary, Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm.

Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm: Surrounded by GMO-heavy industrial farms in Central Illinois, for a quarter-century Henry Brockman has successfully operated a small family vegetable farm based on principles of organic cultivation and biodiversity. But farming takes a toll on his aging body and Henry dreams of scaling back. While his former apprentices run the farm, Henry spends a “fallow year” with his wife Hiroko in Japan. But things don’t turn out as planned, and Henry must grapple with the future of farming in a changing climate on personal, generational, and global levels.

This program is made possible with support from the Long Island Community Foundation.

“The Cinema Arts Centre has always used the power of film to educate, inspire, and mobilize the Long Island community,” says David M. Okorn, executive director of the Long Island Community Foundation. “We are proud to support this film initiative that will connect residents to Long Island farms and fisheries and help them understand the importance of locally-grown food.”

Event Information:

Date: Friday, October 1st 4:00 – 9:00 PM (A rain date is scheduled for October 7th)

Location: Fink’s Farm, 6242 Middle Country Road, Wading River, New York 11792

Fees: FREE to attend. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP on the Cinema Arts Centre website: www.cinemaartscentre.org. Or by visiting the event page: https://bit.ly/SeasonsofChange

Schedule:

4:00 – Pumpkin picking, hayrides, corn maze, animatronic chicken show, animal feedings, food, and tabling with local organizations

7:00 – Screening of the documentary film ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm’

8:00 – A panel discussion with local experts

Green Thumb

Would you like to try eating some delicious, fresh, local, certified organic vegetables, herbs and fruit? How about getting all this, and organically grown flowers too, at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington before or after seeing a movie? (The Cinema will be announcing a reopening date soon)

Green Thumb Community Support Agriculture (CSA) – Huntington is coming to the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room Café starting Thursday, June 3 (and every Thursday till December 10th), between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Green Thumb CSA

And for first-time CSA members, who are members of the Cinema, Green Thumb CSA – Huntington is offering $55 off the initial sign-up cost of joining! (Plus, if you make an appointment just to visit the CSA at the Cinema, you’ll leave with an edible parting gift (a sample from the CSA share for that week). Join by May 30 to be able to begin picking up your organic veggies on June 3rd. There just might be some strawberries!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and it’s a great way for a group of people (Community) to support (Supported) a local farm family (Agriculture), while also getting fresh, local, certified organic produce at a fair price. Green Thumb CSA – Huntington is great for families (kids that come to the CSA are more likely to eat veggies THEY pick out), great for seniors (if you’re interested in eating healthy on a budget this is a mighty good investment), great for singles (if you want to share a CSA share with someone we provide a matchmaking service), and great for everyone who’s interested in eating better (and tastier), saving money, keeping our Long Island agricultural heritage going strong, and helping to clean up our environment.

All the food in the CSA share is from Green Thumb Farm in Water Mill, NY. They are an 11th generation family farm that’s been farming on Long Island since the 1640s. Almost half of what they grow is sold to CSA members so CSA helps keep this family doing what they love, and what they’re very good at doing.

Join now and tour the farm and come Strawberry picking on June 26 (free and for CSA members only)!

For more information, and to make an appointment to visit Green Thumb CSA – Huntington for some free organic produce, call 631-421-4864, or email [email protected].

‘Anything But Silent’ event

Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington presents a virtual Anything But Silent event on Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. Enjoy a virtual screening of “Tumbleweeds” (1925) starring silent film Western legend William S. Hart with live piano accompaniment by Ben Model from home! Directed by King Baggot, and co-directed by Hart, Tumbleweeds follows a cowboy in 1890s Kansas, Don Carver (Hart), a drifter or “tumbleweed” by nature who meets and falls in love with Molly Lassiter (Barbara Bedford) after accidentally lassoing her. General admission is pay-what-you-want. To register, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

A scene from 'Soldier Man'

Join Cinema Arts Centre and silent film accompanist Andrew Simpson for a live stream presentation of four short films from the silent era with live musical accompaniment on Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. This program will present a showcase of comedies featuring stars Harry Langdon and Charley Chase.

‘Too Many Mammas’

TOO MANY MAMMAS (1924, 8 min, with Charley Chase)

Charley agrees to serve as the alibi for his philandering boss, but things soon get out of hand.

‘The First 100 Years’

THE FIRST 100 YEARS (1924, 14 min, with Harry Langdon)

From romantic hero to domestic hubby, Langdon stars in a domestic comedy turned old-dark-house mystery.

‘The Poor Fish’

THE POOR FISH (1924,10 min, with Charley Chase)

Charley has a crash course in housework when he and his wife agree to trade jobs for a week.

‘Soldier Man’

SOLDIER MAN (1926, 32 min, with Harry Langdon)

Langdon plays double roles as the last American soldier left in Europe after World War I and the (usually-inebriated) King Streudel XIII.

Andrew Simpson

Andrew Earle Simpson is an acclaimed composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, choral, dance, and vocal music based in Washington, DC.  His musical works make multi-faceted, intimate connections with literature, visual art, and film, reflecting his own interest in linking music with the wider world, an approach which he calls “humanistic music.”

General Admission is Pay-What-You-Want!  Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org to register.

Ticket-buyers may register in advance any time prior to the start of the event. A private YouTube link to the live stream is provided in an email order confirmation sent to the customer’s email address on file immediately upon completing your order. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail if you do not see it.

CAC  recommends using the most updated version of the Google Chrome browser to stream online content. This program may be streamed on a computer, mobile device, or a smart TV with an HDMI cable connection.

Thank you for your support of the Cinema Arts Centre at this time. If you need assistance with any step of your ticket purchase, please reach out to [email protected] and a customer service representative will be in touch.

A scene from 'Bagpipes Are Calling!' Image from CAC
Photo from CAC

In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington will present a virtual screening of “Bagpipes Calling!” on Thursday, March 4 at 7 p.m. Less than a year ago, the cinema hosted the world premiere of the short music documentary celebrating the Celtic spirit as it lives on through the members of a Long Island cultural institution, the Northport Pipe and Drum Band. They are now partnering with filmmaker Andrea Wozny and the Northport Pipe and Drum Band once again for this special live screening and a post-film discussion with director, cast, and crew!

Watch host Andrea Wozny and the Northport Pipe & Drum Band as they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at their favorite pub in Bayport-Bluepoint, Long Island – the legendary Grey Horse Tavern. Weaving together music, history and culture, the film captures a behind the scenes experience of life in the band during this festive piping season.
Featuring the extraordinary talents of Luke Powers on the Uilleann pipes and the Great Highland Bagpipes, Tom Falco on guitar, Long Island’s own Northport Pipe & Drum Band, and Linda Ringhouse, beloved owner of the Grey Horse Tavern.
The post-film Q&A will feature panelists Andrea Wozny, Luke Powers, Tom Falco, Linda Ringhouse, and Kate Best.
Fee is $12, $10 members. To register, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org. For further information, email [email protected].

Image from CAC
Host Dan French

Are you a movie buff? Think you know more showbiz facts than everyone else? Test your knowledge and enjoy a fun night of film trivia at a Virtual Movie Trivia Night with the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington on Monday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. Hosted by Dan French, the winning team will get up to four CAC Gift Cards (1 per team member).

To purchase tickets, register at this link with a valid email address. You’ll receive a Zoom meeting code and password in the order confirmation that will be delivered to that email. You can also find information about the event and links to ticket ordering on the Cinema Art Centre’s Facebook page.

Tickets are $10 for the public and $7 for Cinema Arts Centre members. Tickets are limited to one per order. Registration for virtual trivia is per team, not per player. Your team will be whomever you will be physically with at your location.

Playing requires two electronic devices – preferably a computer/laptop/iPad and a smartphone. They will use the computer to stream the trivia over Zoom and the smartphone will be used to answer the questions with the program Aha Slides. The details will be explained before the game begins.

The Cinema Arts Centre (CAC) showcases independent and international films year-round and is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit community cinema. It is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington.

For more information about Virtual Movie Trivia Night, visit the Cinema Arts Centre website or email [email protected] or [email protected].

A scene from 'Runaway Princess.' Photo from CAC

The Cinema Arts Centre of Huntington has joined forces with Empowerment Collaborative of Long Island (ECLI) to host Runaway Princess: A Hopeful Tale of Heroin, Hooking, and Happiness, an award-winning show about sex trafficking, as part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

This free one-night-only event will take place on Tuesday, January 12, and will feature a screening and discussion with a panel of Human Trafficking experts. Runaway Princess, written and performed by Mary Goggin and directed by Dan Ruth, is a true story, laced with wicked humor and much pathos, of Mary’s Irish Catholic upbringing, drug addiction and prostitution, and the multitude of characters she encounters along the way to ultimately find joy.

The discussion and Q&A will include a panel of human trafficking experts: Mary Goggin, survivor, Runaway Princess writer, and performer; James P. Murphy, Detective Sergeant with the Suffolk County Police Department; and Molly England, MSW, Suffolk County Anti-Trafficking Initiative (SCATI) Task Force Coordinator. The event will include a discussion of the Suffolk County Anti-Trafficking Initiative (SCATI) task force’s response to human trafficking, and its work to prevent, identify and support survivors of human trafficking, successfully prosecute traffickers, and to educate the community and raise awareness about human trafficking issues in Suffolk County.
Free but registration is required. The show will be available to watch on Monday, January 11 through Tuesday, January 12. Attendees are encouraged to watch the show at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12, and immediately join the live Zoom Q&A at 7 p.m. If you’d like to donate and support survivors of human trafficking and the work to combat human trafficking here in Suffolk County, please visit www.empowerli.org/donate.

David Millar in Finlay Pretsell’s ‘Time Trial’. Featured in BFF NYC19. Image courtesy of Bicycle Film Festival

The Bicycle Film Festival is coming to Long Island! The international film festival celebrating bicycles through art, film and music throughout the last 20 years is back – and now it’s virtual! Hosted by the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, the festival begins January 22 and runs through January 31.

Bicycle Film Festival Long Island official logo

BFF Long Island presents a 90-minute international film program of the most important short films from the BFF collection. BFF select shorts will appeal to a wide audience from film connoisseurs to avid cyclists and everything in between. Let the BFF curated collection take you on a journey around the world as we learn about a charismatic Ghanaian immigrant in Amsterdam who teaches refugee adult women to ride bikes – experience a birds-eye view of a BLM bicycle protest ride from New York to DC – feel the anguish of a father’s loss – the struggle of a young woman and her bike in Iran – and reprieve from genocide through cycle sport.

“In a year of a global pandemic, economic strife, violent acts by racist groups, a contentious election period the bicycle boom worldwide is optimistic news to celebrate. We hope to offer a positive respite from all of this for people,” said BFF Founding Director, Brendt Barbur.

Founded in New York BFF has been celebrating bicycles through art, film and music the last 20 years. The physical BFF spanned the world in up to 100 cities to an audience of over one million people. The international locales included Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow, Mexico City, Capetown and Istanbul and more at some of the most important venues such as Sydney Opera House and the Barbican or an old factory in Zurich. The Subcultures of cycling have shared equal billing with the most exciting innovators in music, art, design and film. Participants have included: Erykah Badu, Karl Lagerfeld, Francesco Clemente, Shepard Fairey, Albert Maysles, Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Alex Katz, Kaws, Mike Mills, Paul Smith, the Neistat Brothers, Tom Sachs, Ridley Scott, Kiki Smith, Swoon, and Ai Weiwei.

Program Event Fees: Pay-what-you-want, between $10 and $25. Tickets can be purchased on the Cinema Arts Centre website. www.cinemaartscentre.org. Or by visiting the event page: https://bit.ly/BicycleFFLI

The first recipe will be Spaghetti and Meatballs inspired by the iconic scene from 'Lady and the Tramp'. Image courtesy of Disney

By Melissa Arnold

With non-essential businesses closed and restaurants limited to take-out and delivery only, many of Long Island’s popular hangouts have gone dark.

The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington might not be able to show films or hold special events right now, but that’s not stopping them from finding creative ways to bring people together in the comfort of their own homes.

Their newest initiative, “Forks and Films,” invites viewers to open a bottle of wine and settle down for a family-friendly movie, then head to the kitchen to prepare a quick and simple recipe that connects to the film. 

The weekly series will be hosted by Jacqueline Strayer, who will introduce the movie and share some fun facts, and Chef Martin Butera, who will prepare the recipes. Strayer will also showcase viewer’s stories, photos and videos in each subsequent episode. 

While the CAC doesn’t have the rights to stream the films over the Internet, their selections are all readily available on popular streaming services such as Disney Plus. All of the streaming services offer free trials for new subscribers and can be canceled anytime.

Strayer, a professor at New York University and Columbia University, and Butera, owner of Butera’s Restaurant in Sayville and Woodbury, are both on the CAC’s Board of Directors.

“In 2013, I came up with the idea of showing a film at the center and then cooking some of the foods from the movie,” said Butera, who’s been on the board for 10 years. “It was very successful, and we held a similar event a few years later. I was working on putting another one together not too long before the pandemic.”

As shutdowns rolled through the Empire State last month, Strayer started brainstorming ways they could continue to reach people in the community, including more than CAC 10,000 members and tens of thousands more who visit the theater.“When I realized people were going to be remote, I sent a note to Martin and said, ‘Remember how you always wanted to do another dinner and a movie event? Well, maybe now is the time,” she recalled.

Every Thursday, the CAC will upload the “Forks and Films” video for families to watch and rewatch at their convenience, removing the need for everyone to be available at the same time. It’s a low-key, laid back experience that the staff and board hopes will have a broad appeal to all kinds of people while providing some badly-needed distraction.

“The cinema is a very community-focused organization, and we have personal connections with many of our patrons that we’ve come to view as family,” said Nate Close, CAC director of marketing and communications. “[Before the pandemic] there were some people who were here every single day, watching films, giving us feedback, just wanting to chat. We still want to be there for everyone.”

Butera will be filming from his kitchen, while Strayer will be welcoming viewers to her basement. “Is it going to be perfect? No. We’re not professional television people and we don’t have fancy equipment. But we want to give people a little bit of joy in a time that’s so difficult for all of us,” Strayer said.

Of course, it takes a team effort to spread the word about any event, and “Forks and Films” is no exception. Strayer has enlisted the help of enthusiastic graduate students in her Public Relations and Corporate Communications and Integrated Marketing programs at NYU to promote the event. A group of seven students volunteered to help without any academic incentives, even as they complete coursework remotely.

“I was amazed at how quickly they jumped in and how hard they’re working. We meet over [the video chatting platform] Zoom every few days,” Strayer said. “They’ve been highly engaged and have wonderful ideas to share. And none of them are from New York. I feel so fortunate to have talented students from all over the world.

For Butera, “Forks and Films” will be another way to share his love of cooking with the world.

“I’ve always had a passion and affinity for food as well as an appreciation for film,” he explained. “My wife and I have been members of the CAC for 25 years. The center has been a great place for us to see foreign and independent films … but it’s also been a wonderful place for people to grab a cup of coffee and share their ideas and experiences with a film. It’s a community, and you can’t get that by watching Netflix.”

The first episode, which kicks off tonight, April 9, at 6 p.m., will encourage viewers to watch a beloved Disney classic, Lady and the Tramp. Released in 1955, the animated film follows the blossoming romance between Lady, a lovely Cocker Spaniel from an upper class family, and a scruffy stray mutt named Tramp.

One of the most iconic scenes from the film finds Lady and Tramp sharing a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs by candlelight in the back alley of Tony’s Italian Restaurant while Tony serenades them with the love song “Bella Notte.” Appropriately, Butera will demonstrate how to make his famous chicken meatballs on “Forks and Films.” The episode’s title? “Sunny with a Chance of Meatballs.” 

The chef is planning on recreating the classic French stew ratatouille during the April 16 episode to compliment the 2007 Disney Pixar animated film of the same name. The ingredients for each featured dish will be posted on social media a week in advance of each episode,

“I wanted to choose recipes that weren’t too hard to make, but a bit more challenging than just opening a can. Ideally they’ll have all or most of the ingredients at home already, and we’ll release the ingredients list ahead of time,” Butera said. “Cooking has a way of grounding people, of connecting them to good memories and feelings, which we think will be good for everyone.”

“Forks and Films” will be uploaded each Thursday on Facebook.com/CinemaArtsCentre, and on YouTube.com — search for Cinema Arts Centre Huntington. 

For other remote opportunities from the Cinema Arts Centre, including staff-curated film recommendations and the opportunity to rent films at home, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

To better prepare you for following along as Chef Martin recreates the classic meatballs from Lady and the Tramp, here is the ingredient list:

●  2 pounds ground chicken or ground chop meat

●  2 large fresh eggs

●  1 small onion, diced

●  1 large garlic clove, minced

●  1 ½ cup water

●  1 ¼ cup plain dried bread crumbs

●  ½ cup fresh chopped parsley

●  ½ cup freshly grated Romano cheese

●  1 teaspoon salt

●  ¼ teaspoon black pepper

●  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

 

The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington had a charmingly “kooky” evening on March 5 with renowned film director Barry Sonnenfeld. 

Cinema Arts Centre co-director Dylan Skolnick interviewed Barry Sonnenfeld on stage, showing a series of clips from Sonnenfeld’s films (including The Addams Family with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston, and Get Shorty with John Travolta and Gene Hackman). 

Sonnenfeld, a noted raconteur, cinematographer for When Harry Met Sally and Big, and then director of the Men in Black trilogy and Coen Brothers films as well as the two Addams Family movies, held forth hilarious stories that were “creepy, spooky, and altogether ooky,” to the delight of the CAC audience. 

Afterwards, in a reception with entertainment by New York Times acclaimed jazz guitarist Mike Soloway, attendees met Sonnenfeld personally as he signed copies of his new book, “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker.” The event was curated and produced by Jud Newborn, the Cinema Arts Centre’s Curator of Special Programs, as part of his on-going series of celebrity guest appearances.

Photos by Andy Attard/ Flashback Photography