When we think about great movie towns in the United States, conventional wisdom draws our eyes to New York City, Los Angeles, and Roger Ebert’s own beloved Chicago. We don’t necessarily think of Long Island. But the movie lovers in and around Huntington, recently described in Indiewire as a “sleepy suburb” of L.I., have had an oasis of great cinema in the form of the Cinema Arts Centre for almost a half-century now.
Up until recently, the trusted steward of that oasis has been a friendly, white-bearded fellow named Dylan Skolnik. He’s the DIY wizard of the Cinema Arts Centre, and I know this from personal experience. The place has been kind enough to host me when I’ve promoted some of the books I’ve written about classic motion pictures. Specifically, Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and Brian De Palma’s “Scarface.” These are not short movies. And intros and book signings take up time. The guy who picked me up at the train station and made sure I actually got a car service back to Brooklyn after these well-attended events was Dylan.
I was always happy to see his friendly face in the parking lot, and to talk cinema on the ride over to the venue. The house was always packed with people who weren’t ordinary film lovers—they were part of a community that had every demographic represented. The Centre’s staff was packed with young film nuts too. The respect I was accorded as an ostensible expert was genuinely heartwarming.
The last time I was at the Centre was to discuss Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” and it was fun walking the audience through the Lou Reed/Velvet Underground songs—as well as tunes by The Animals, The Rolling Stones, and of course Nina Simone—and placing them in the varied spaces and times of Wenders’ oeuvre and cinema itself. It was a real treat.
Wenders is one of several filmmakers who has raised a voice in support of Mr. Skolnik. About two weeks ago IndieWire’s Adam Vary wrote an informative account of the troubles at the Centre.
Now another voice has raised in support of Skolnik’s reinstatement, one that needs no introduction.
Martin Scorsese has released this statement: “Independently run movie theaters, started and programmed by people who give their lives to the cinema, are like beacons in the darkness. We need them now more than ever. The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington was one of those places until a few weeks ago. And then Dylan Skolnick was ejected from the place he and his family had built from the ground up, brick by brick, film by film. The theatre still exists, but the heart of the place has been torn away and the community around it has been shattered. There’s only one way to turn the situation around. A simple solution: Bring Dylan Skolnick back to the Cinema Arts Centre.”
I can’t add anything to the maestro’s eloquent statement. I can only say that I hope to be getting on a train to meet my friend Dylan some time pretty soon.
