When Brain Dead Studios took over the Silent Movie Theater in October 2020, founder Kyle Ng did not respond to questions from Cinefamily Accountability. Nevertheless, Ng was unambiguous in his comments to Complex magazine:
“There's no one involved in the programming, or management of the theater, that were previously a part of Cinefamily.”
Ng did acknowledge, however, that Cinefamily co-founders and Board Members Dan and Sammy Harkham do still own the Silent Movie Theater — the building — and that Brain Dead leases space from them. Last year, this website wondered if there might be more to the story, and we’re ready to conclude: nah.
There are no indications of Harkham involvement in Brain Dead operations. Brain Dead appears to be what it claims: “a repertory, arthouse cinema showing an eclectic mix of films from the silent era to the modern day.” Notably, Brain Dead Studios is not just a theater, but also a showroom for the company’s streetwear; films thus act as something of a loss leader for the brand’s overpriced tchotchkes.
This website has no association with Brain Dead, duh doy.
What is the culpability of someone who buys stolen goods? It probably depends on what the purchaser thought they were buying.
Brain Dead Studios has benefitted from the ongoing lack of accountability in the wake of the Cinefamily collapse. All indications are that Brain Dead is operating, in part or in whole, with assets that came from the Harkhams’ previous effort in the same space. Fairfax Cinema opened in December 2019 and closed less than three months later, without addressing the missing Cinefamily assets, equipment, and revenue — up to $1.5 million in revenue — much less the outstanding Cinefamily debts.
When Brain Dead moved in, did they just inherit Fairfax Cinema assets, like projectors and seats and popcorn and mailing lists? What did Ng, and investor Gavin Dogan, think they were buying (or leasing)?
While it’s certainly possible that Brain Dead is working in league with the Harkhams, it’s perhaps more likely that Brain Dead was simply misled by the Harkhams. We choose to believe that if Brain Dead is a beneficiary of ill-gotten Cinefamily assets, the company is an unwitting one.
We hope that Brain Dead Studios offers a more safe and responsible work environment than the one that the Harkhams oversaw at Cinefamily. And if not, any Brain Dead staffer has a ready platform.