forced arbitration

Fairfax Cinema, Labor Laws, and Workplace Safety

January 02, 2020 in commentary

Fairness for workers is a constant, never-ending struggle. Will Fairfax Cinema engage in the same shady practices Cinefamily allegedly engaged in? These practices may or may not be newly-illegal in California…

New California Laws Ban Common Cinefamily Practices

October 13, 2019 in commentary

Two new laws attack exploitative workplace practices reportedly at the heart of Cinefamily’s business model— employee misclassification and forced arbitration agreements.

Yet Another Cinefamily Sexual Harassment Lawsuit!

October 28, 2018 in original reporting

In November 2017, months after closing their doors, Cinefamily was named as a defendant in yet another lawsuit. (Hadrian Belove was also named as a defendant.)

California's Pending #MeToo Laws: Call Your Legislators [updated]

August 19, 2018 in commentary

California workers get new legal tools to fight sexual abuse and harassment on the job, and more legislation is pending.

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.