Cinefamily

Cinefamily

Outside the Cinefamily, Night
Address	611 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles USA
Current use	movie screenings, events
Opened	October 31, 2007
Years active	2007-Present
Website
www.cinefamily.org

The Cinefamily is a non-profit American cinematheque located in West Hollywood, at the historic Silent Movie Theatre.^[1] The Cinefamily's mission statement is to "reinvigorate the movie-going experience by fostering a spirit of community and a sense of discovery." ^[2]

Cinefamily follows a member-based ticketing system by which a tax-deductible donation provides universal access to all screenings and events. There is also an individual ticket system in effect for non-members, or those who do not make a pledge commitment.^[3]

History

In 2007, Hadrian Belove, founder of Cinefile Video,^[4] a specialty video store, and with brothers Dan and Sammy Harkham, also owners of the nearby Family bookstore,^[5] founded The Cinefamily. Cinefamily officially opened its doors on Halloween of 2007.

Programming

Cinefamily is known for its innovative and broad range of programs, from early silent to contemporary films,^[6] live comedy, live music, found footage, mixed media and other special events, and extended form post-screening Q&As.^[5] They have mounted original retrospectives on filmmakers Jim Henson, Jerry Lewis,^[7] John Cassavetes,^[8] and Andrzej Zulawski^[9] and have commissioned live film scores by musicians such as No Age,^[10] Stephin Merritt^[11] and Espers.^[12]

Some of Cinefamily’s most popular original programming includes Animation Breakdown,^[13] Don’t Knock the Rock,^[14] Everything is Festival!,^[15] The Adventures of Pete and Pete^[16] and Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast^[17] reunion tributes, and women-only pajama party screenings.^[18]

Cinefamily first programmed a first-run film in early 2011, the Greek independent film Dogtooth, which went on to an Academy Award nomination within a month of its sold-out run.^[19] They have since mounted first-run screenings of We Need to Talk About Kevin,^[20] Margaret,^[21] Bullhead,^[22] Michael,^[23] and Battle Royale.^[24]

In 2011, Cinefamily held their first-ever telethon fundraiser,^[25] described by Ted Hope on his indieWIRE blog as “the greatest celebration of cinema ever.”^[26] Spike Jonze, Benicio del Toro, Jonathan Gold, Elliott Gould, No Age and others appeared during the 24-hour event, which broadcast live online.^[27]

Cinefamily has co-presented films in association with other film, cultural and museum institutions, such as MOCA Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Cinespia, Film Forum, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. (Dennis Hopper, Art in the Streets, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, William Eggleston, Ryan Trecartin).

Guest Appearances

References

External links

• Official website