“Uncut Gems” [Was] to Open Cinefamily / Fairfax on Christmas 2019 [Updated]

December 18, 2019 in original reporting, commentary

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fairfax Cinema—the rebranded Cinefamily entity—will open next week with a 35mm run of “Uncut Gems,” the new Safdie Brothers movie starring Adam Sandler. Yet inaccuracies in THR reporting left readers scratching their heads, and roiling anger over the Cinefamily scandal spilled into social media and may have caused the filmmakers to rethink their plans.

Fairfax Cinema Lobbyist: Change of Plans

June 02, 2019 in original reporting

A disclosure from the Harkhams’ former lobbyist raises new questions about the viability of the project, and signals that the renovations and rebranding may not be on track.

Cinefamily / Fairfax Hires Lobbyist to Woo City, Community

May 17, 2019 in original reporting, short feature

Cinefamily / Fairfax’s Dan Harkham has brought a veteran lobbyist onto the team. Apex LA’s Margaret Taylor is expected to help the Harkhams secure a conditional use permit to allow beer and wine sales at the rebranded Fairfax Cinema at the Silent Movie Theater.

Fairfax Attempts Opening, Cinefamily Gets More Tax Woes

February 03, 2019 in original reporting

In late 2018 the Harkhams applied for a Certificate of Occupancy from the L.A. Department of Building and Safety for the Silent Movie Theater’s Fairfax Cinema (Cinefamily). As of this writing in early February 2019, the application is still pending. New documents indicate that plans for the venue may have changed yet again, possibly related to an alcohol licensing challenge with the state ABC.

Fairfax Licensing on Hold, Sacramento Weighs Harkhams' "Fitness"

November 18, 2018 in original reporting

The ABC’s License Query System indicates the Harkhams’ application for a license to sell alcohol at the Silent Movie Theater’s Fairfax Cinema has been placed on hold. Are they a “public nuisance?” Was Cinefamily?

Exclusive: Fairfax Cinema Floorplans

July 29, 2018 in original reporting, short feature

In which we get a look at some of the blueprints the Harkhams submitted for approval at the Silent Movie Theater’s Fairfax Cinema (rebrand of Cinefamily), following the #MeToo scandal.

Renovations, Alcohol Coming to Silent Movie Theater (Maybe)

June 26, 2018 in commentary, original reporting

Recent filings with the L.A. Department of Building and Safety indicate Cinefamily/Fairfax plans to begin renovations on the Silent Movie Theater. According to the city engineer overseeing the permit application, “they are doing some interior and exterior work to the existing theater,” including “proposing a small bar at the rear.”

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.