Don't Miss Out on the 48 Hour Film Contest! - Fun for Folks of All Levels of Experience!

See your own creation on the big screen! A great activity for friends or family!

REGISTER NOW!

Teams meet at CAC on Friday, August 18th at 6:45 PM, Contest begins at 7 PM

Must be submitted by Sunday, August 20th by 7PM

Registration is $85-per-team (6 people max per team)

Screening of completed films: Friday, September 29th at 7:00 PM

Get ready for the ultimate filmmaking challenge. Do you have what it takes to make a movie in only 48 hours?!

Filmmaking teams have just one weekend to make a short film. Filmmakers don’t know what genre they will be shooting until the start of the competition. All creativity: writing, shooting, editing and adding a musical soundtrack, must occur within the 48-hour window beginning Friday evening at 7pm. To add to the mayhem, they must also include some random elements that you find out about at the starting line. Every film will be shown at a special screening on September 22nd, and the winning film will be shown before every show for a week at the Cinema Arts Centre! Teams are allowed a maximum of 6 members.

CLICK HERE for details.

Be Part of the Cinema's 50th Anniversary Celebration!

When the Cinema Arts Centre was founded in December 1973, it was called the New Community Cinema. Co-Founders Vic Skolnick and Charlotte Sky, with their son Dylan, were passionate organizers who brought people together to form a movement around film culture that would help define the character of our area, now renowned as a cultural destination and an arts-rich community.

Community members love to reminisce about how they were there, back when Vic and Char would hang a sheet on the wall of a friend’s dance studio and project films with a borrowed projector. Attendees would bring their own chairs, and have tea and chat about the film while the reels were being changed. They call it the “sheet-on-the-wall” days. Whether you are new to our community, or remember the "sheet-on-the-wall" days, we are so excited to celebrate 50 years of extraordinary film programming and cultural events with you.

In celebration of our 50th Anniversary, we have been presenting a number of special programs. This October, we will be launching a special 50th anniversary series “CAC through the Decades” consisting of five screening and reception events each featuring a favorite film for each decade of the Cinema’s history, culminating in a full-facility event featuring the first film ever shown by the Cinema (LILITH), and two films from the 70s, with live music, refreshments, and more, to be held on December 1, 2023 – 50 years exactly from the day of our founding. Watch our calendar for details to come.

Our Fall Folio will be a special 50th Anniversary edition, highlighting our “CAC through the Decades” series, and prominently featuring our 50th Anniversary sponsors. We are also producing a 50th Anniversary Keepsake Journal, with pictures, stories, and messages from our community.

CLICK HERE to learn about sponsorship opportunities for our 50th Anniversary events. Sponsors are highly recognized, and packages come with a range of marketing and other benefits.

CLICK HERE to be included in our limited edition 50th Anniversary Keepsake Journal with an ad or message.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

THANK YOU!

Thanks to Everyone Who Made Our Garden Party Such a Special Occasion!

On Sunday August 6, over 100 Cinema Supporters, volunteers, and local business and civic leaders gathered for a special brunch in our Sky Room Cafe to honor the work of our Circle of Friends volunteers, present the Dr. Frank B. Siegel Memorial Service Award, and share a wonderful day together.

The Sky Room Cafe and our garden were filled with beautiful flowers provided by Amy's of Huntington. Our wine and champagne bar was generously sponsored by Bottles and Cases. CAC Board Co-Chair Jude Schanzer sponsored the live music, gorgeously performed by Christopher Morrongiello. Brunch fare was contributed by Best Bagel A Round, Southdown Marketplace, and Wild By Nature. (Be sure to thank them when you visit.)

CAC Board Co-Chair Jude Schanzer opened the program, welcoming our guests, speaking about our 50th Anniversary, and introducing each of our elected officials in attendance who gave such moving remarks, and truly enhanced our event. We are so grateful to NYS Assemblyman Steve Stern, Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi, TOH Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman, and Huntington Town Clerk Andrew P. Raia for their presence and thoughtful engagement with our community.

Joseph Schramm, Director of Office of Film & Television for the Town of Huntington also shared the following:

"Supervisor Ed Smyth asked that I share his belief that a thriving film and television business is important to Huntington. This theater, and all assembled here, are evidence of a thriving film community. ...Thank you for your commitment to institutions like this one. You are an essential part of the plan to make Huntington a hub for production. Congratulations to all of you for making Cinema Arts a core of our community."

CAC Board Co-Chair Steve Rubin addressed our audience, speaking of the profound work of our Board of Directors and thanking Board Members.

Board Member and Board Liaison to the Circle of Friends Steve Fisch thanked our volunteers and spoke of their important contributions.

CAC Co-Director Dylan Skolnick presented the Dr. Frank B. Siegel Memorial Service Award to Brian Atkins. This award is given each year to a Circle of Friends volunteer who has made the deepest impact across the broadest variety of activities over the past year. We are so grateful to Brian for his extraordinary service.

CAC Co-Founder and Co-Director Charlotte Sky closed the program to a standing ovation. She spoke of the many ups and downs in our 50-year history, and of the incredible community support which has touched her, and all of us at the Cinema Arts Centre, so deeply.

Thanks again to everyone who made this such a special day, and to all of you who keep our community and our programs thriving every single day.

OUR NEXT CONVERSATION:

TUE, AUG 29 · 7:00 PM EDT

What does TOLERANCE mean to YOU?

RSVP HERE: https://www.meetup.com/crossing-party-lines-ny-long-island/events/295013535/

Join us as we discuss this and other questions such as:

What does “tolerance” mean to you?
What does “free speech” mean to you?
Do you think Americans today are less free to talk about things publicly?
Have you or someone you know experienced any retaliation for sharing your/their ideas publicly? Conversely, have you reacted against another because of something they said?
Some say we should tolerate everything except intolerance and that tolerating intolerance is socially harmful. Do you agree or disagree?
What might be considered “hate speech” in many other countries is constitutionally protected in America. What are the effects, good or bad?
Do you believe “cancel culture” and “social silencing” exists? On the left? On the right? On both sides?
Should Social Media platforms limit speech?

Suggested Reading:

NY Times: America Has a Free Speech Problem

National Review: Let’s Talk about ‘Tolerance’

Huffington Post: Don’t Fall For The 'Cancel Culture' Scam

We would love to hear your thoughts on our social media pages. Don't miss topic announcements, updates, news! Follow us on:

- Facebook @crossingpartylinesli (Facebook.com/crossingpartylinesli)

- Instagram @crossingpartylinesli (Instagram.com/crossingpartylinesli)

- Twitter @CPL_LongIsland (Twitter.com/CPL_LongIsland)

HOPE IS AN ACT OF DEFIANCE. DEFY WITH US. 

Crossing Party Lines (CPL) wants to hear your story of how you (or someone you know) chose / choose hope in your own life. Maybe you made a friend out of a bully, maybe your dad chose to be accountable when there was an easy way out for him to play the blame-game, maybe your mother spoke up for a neighbor who looked different than everyone else in the community, or maybe your friend reached out to you when things were too fraught between you.

Let's celebrate the unsung choices and acts of hope in everyday life made by ordinary people.

Interested? Email us at [email protected] with the subject “CHOOSE HOPE” and we will send you recording instructions and/or help you craft your story. .

Look inside you and around you for goodness. Choose Hope. Share Hope. Be Hope. 

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS/INTERNS FOR CROSSING PARTY LINES VISUAL MEDIA TEAM 

Do you want to change the way America does politics? Crossing Party Lines (CPL) is a national nonprofit that facilitates conversations among people across the political divide. We have recently established our new Visual Media Department in Long Island and are looking for interns/volunteers for a variety of tasks including but not limited to Video Editing, Content Creation, Social Media posting & promotion. You will be part of a talented and inspired team in a hybrid work model (working on-site at our Bay Shore office + remote work) where you will participate in creative visual storytelling while doing the most important work of our times - promoting civic harmony and reducing toxic polarization.  Interested? Email us at [email protected] with the subject “CPL VMT”