Dylan Skolnick has been removed from the Cinema Arts Center (CAC) in Huntington New York and the cinematic world of Long Island and New York and America has been rocked to its core.
Skolnick's parents founded the CAC and when they stepped down and passed away, he stepped in and kept the theater going and growing, most importantly he kept it alive during covid.
The board announced Skolnick's removal and talked in hush tones in several brief and very undetailed emails. They said something about fiduciary responsibility but no one knows what that means since Dylan has always been above board and transparent. As this posts I have not heard exactly what happened though there were several reports that Skolnick was trying to make sense as to why he was removed since the reasons weren't clear.
Most people I have seen on the internet can't fathom why he was removed. From what I can gather from reading on in various forums and in discussion with people who are member of the center is that the people looking in was nothing that Dylan did that was wrong, the board simply wanted Dylan out and they needed an excuse - which they refuse to state. The thinking on the various message boards is that the whole affair is that it's a coup or hostile take over.
Personally, I think that unless the CAC board actually says what their problem are, (especially after saying nice thing about Skolnick early in the summer) they are going to lose the audience and destroy the theater. (There are a lot of indications that is already happening)
Skolnick was/is a fixture. He has busted his ass for five decades making sure that all sorts of cinema had a place to screen on Long Island. Dylan was and is a force who cast a wider net than his parents (I and my friend Lou used to get into battles with Dylan's parents who told us they would never run films that Dylan later championed.) And more importantly Dylan doesn't just work on film at Cinema Arts but he is so respected that he works for theaters across America.
People like Dylan and according to published reports, they are already lining up to support him with many patrons, members, scheduled presenters and friends of the cinema stepping away from CAC until facts are given. And lest you think this is just a Long Island thing friends who don't live in the area, but make frequent trips to the cinema because of how good their programming is, are not going to make the schlep from Lower Manhattan or Westchester. Friends who do repertory round ups for the New York metro are are now removing their coverage of the cinema.
Most interestingly since the firing this week it appears the cinema has either pulled films they were supposed to run or had the films pulled from them since for the first time in decades they are running current mainstream movies (COYOTE VS ACME) and films they had listed as running in their program (I believe they were supposed to be running Kent Jones' Late Fame) are now missing.
If the distributors are behind the change of programing it's a death knell to the theater as am art house since it means that they are not buying the seeming bullshit and siding with the guy they have known for five decades and not the recently installed board.
Its also the death knell since, as I said, why go to the theater when it is now just another multiplex. No one I know is going to go to Cinema Arts to see mainstream movies on a smaller repertory screen when there is an AMC 8 plex running the same movies on bigger screens with bigger sound a short distance away.
Taking it further no one is going to keep their memberships since no one will pay to be a member when you are no longer getting special films with special presentations. People are members to get special films not the same old stuff. Why have a membership to see a multiplex film?
To complicate CAC's problems further there are reports that several patrons have pulled their funding. This it shows a lack of trust for the board now in control and people don't trust how their money will be spent. If the patrons pull the funding will CAC have the finances to keep running if they don't have donors or an audience giving them money?
I honestly don't know what happened or why, but I have not seen anyone not supporting Dylan. Everyone seems to love him and are standing by him. According to what I was reading in the message boards anyone who has sided with the board is connected to the board. The lack of details has everyone siding against the board because their repeated emails refusing to say anything simply seem like ill thought out double speak and ass covering.
While I haven't spoken with Dylan in any sort of way but to say "hi" in passing in decades, I wanted to show my support. Based on having him orbiting in and out of my life for five decades and never ever hearing a bad word about him, and based upon what I have read and heard from friends closer to Cinema Arts, I'm going to side with him.
I think most patrons, members and film goers who know him will side with him and step away...
...which kind of breaks my heart.
Please, everyone who may be thinking of going to the Cinema Arts Center stay far far away until Dylan is returned to his position and the board is removed. Vote with your wallets, don't give them money and cancel any plans you had and do something that will actually do some good.
If you can please sign the petition to get him back. Even if you aren't from the area do so simple because Dylan doesn't just work for the Cinema Arts Center but he programs theaters across the country.
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