Is Cinefamily’s Hadrian Belove the Man Behind the Curtain?

October 07, 2021 in original reporting

Former Cinefamily Executive Director Hadrian Belove is linked to the upcoming New York film festival New People’s Cinema Club, and to a newly-formed California nonprofit called Children's Cinema Resource. But why does it seem like everyone’s trying to hide these connections?

Harkhams Make (Yet Another) Half-Assed Effort to Run Away from Cinefamily

April 06, 2019 in original reporting

Cinefamily ceased operations in August 2017 and Dan Harkham launched Fairfax Cinema shortly thereafter. But Cinefamily continues to exist as a legal entity. Newly-discovered state filings suggest Cinefamily finally closed. Except here’s why it didn’t.

An Open Letter to Cinefamily / Fairfax Cinema

July 27, 2018 in commentary, short feature

After yet another derailed attempt at straightforward communications with the Harkhams about Cinefamily, Fairfax Cinema, and the Silent Movie Theater, we release this letter, marking the one-year anniversary of the Board’s failure.

Government Investigation

March 25, 2018 in original reporting

We wrote a report about Cinefamily, the board of directors, the Harkhams, Fairfax Cinema, the Silent Movie Theater, and lots more. We sent it off to people in charge at the Attorney General, Secretary of State, Franchise Tax Board, IRS, and District Attorney. They let us know they got it.

Cinefamily / Fairfax Cinema Keep Missing Legal Deadlines

February 02, 2018 in original reporting, short feature

Both Cinefamily and Fairfax Cinema seem to be missing more legal deadlines with the potential to affect donors and staff . We take a look at what’s late, and at Dan Harkham and Erin Hensley’s track record with appropriate record-keeping.

Announcing Fairfax Cinema! (Cinefamily Part 2?)

January 08, 2018 in original reporting

While we’ve been waiting for Cinefamily updates, Dan Harkham & some of the old Cinefamily team have been quietly making other plans for Fairfax Cinema at the Silent Movie Theater.

News of Cinefamily's Death Greatly Exaggerated (By Cinefamily)

January 03, 2018 in original reporting

On November 14, the Cinefamily Board of Directors announced an intention to dissolve. But the Attorney General's office reports that Cinefamily looks to be around for a while yet.

TL;DR

For the decade of Cinefamily’s existence, and for a certain sort of weirdo, the nonprofit single-screen cinematheque was the best thing about L.A.

In August 2017 we discovered Cinefamily was also a harmful place, especially for workers and for women. Reporting at the time focused on workplace sexual harassment, but when this website investigated we found a deeper rot. Former insiders told us of alleged assault, retaliation, wage theft, and embezzlement—as well as fraud against distributors, taxpayers, and regulators.

Cinefamily’s $2 million annual budget was subsidized by taxpayers and overseen by professionals. If the board of directors had done its job, damage may have been reduced, and Cinefamily might still exist. Instead, evidence indicates some directors were not only aware of problems, but were involved in covering them up.

This website provides original reporting as an ongoing call for institutional responsibility. We seek what the board promised: a credible and comprehensive accounting, victims heard and creditors paid, and a new approach to corporate governance and community accountability.

Please reach out with questions, complaints, tips.