wage theft

(Another) Cinefamily Board Member Accused of Sexual Assault [2023]

November 14, 2023

An October 2023 lawsuit filed by a former employee of Louis Black — of the Austin Chronicle, SXSW, and the Cinefamily Board of Directors — accuses Black of sexual assault and and forced labor. These and other charges are nearly identical to those made against other Cinefamily Directors in 2017.

Scanning the Landscape

August 26, 2022 in commentary

In which we present a condensed history of Cinefamily and accountability and Cinefamily Accountability. Featuring Dan and Sammy Harkham and their Board of Directors, that one guy who traumatized everyone (and needed a bath), and Brain Dead Studios. Also we try to answer: so what are we doing here again?

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.

New 2019 California Laws Fight Wage Theft, Sexual Harassment

January 06, 2019 in commentary

A new set of laws went into effect on January 1. They probably would have helped workers at Cinefamily. Hopefully at Fairfax Cinema the Harkhams will increase their attentions to wage theft, workplace bullying, and sexual harassment and abuse.

The People of the State of California vs. Cinefamily ???

September 14, 2018 in original reporting

California files a tax lien against Cinefamily and the Silent Movie Theater. Again. The Harkhams and Fairfax Cinema should probably deal with this sort of thing.

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.

Confirmed: Cinefamily Becomes Fairfax Cinema

January 10, 2018 in original reporting, commentary

In which we contemplate what it means that Dan Harkham, owner of the Silent Movie Theater and controller of Cinefamily, filed papers back in October 2017 for something called Fairfax Cinema.

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.