May 2, 2025

Need CAC and Cult Cafe merch? We've got merch! CLICK HERE!

CLICK HERE for Cinema Gift Cards which can be used for tickets, membership, and cafe items.

CAC Book Club!

Did you know we have a CAC Book Club where we examine exciting works of literature and their film counterparts? Read the book prior to the event then join us for a film screening and discussion to reflect on characters, storylines and the central themes that drive the story’s impact across the two mediums. Come share your ideas and viewpoints in this engaging conversation with our community.

The next program will take place on Monday, June 23rd. Prior to the screening, we will read Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, and then watch Anthony Minghella’s 5x Academy Award Nominated film adaptation, followed by a discussion of both.

CLICK HERE for details and tickets.

The following program will take place on Monday, September 29th. Prior to the screening, we will read Wladyslaw Szpilman’s 1946 memoir The Pianist, and then watch Roman Polanski’s 3x Academy Award Winning film adaptation, followed by a discussion of both.

CLICK HERE for details and tickets.

NOW is a Great Time to Join, Renew, or Upgrade Your Membership!

Our annual Spring Membership Sale is here and critical to the future of your independent community cinema. Over the past year, the Cinema Arts Centre has been hard at work to bring you some of your favorite films and community events. Last year, we presented over 3,000 first-run screenings of over 85 films, produced 522 special screenings and events, and were responsible for over $7,000,000 in spending in our local community because of our visitors.

We hope you were able to find time in your busy schedules to join us for some of these exciting viewing experiences. If you’ve enjoyed any of our programming over the past year, you have yourself to thank! The funding support from members like you allows us to dedicate ourselves to making these screenings happen and to forming a thriving community. The heart of our mission is making a place for connection and dialogue to flourish between neighbors. The Cinema as it is now could not exist without Membership!

Membership is now available at a reduced price through June 30th. Now is a great time to make sure your membership is current, to join if you are not already a member, to upgrade your membership for even more benefits, and to tell your friends about what the Cinema means to you - helping our community to GROW!

CLICK HERE and THANK YOU!

CAC's New Youth Outreach Department Honored as Finalist at 13th Annual LI Imagine Awards

(Pictured: Nicole Wolert, Charlotte Brennan, Josh Suarez, and Ted Cavooris)

On Tuesday, April 29, over 500 people gathered for the 13th Annual LI Imagine Awards, an initiative of Cerini & Associates - created as a way to showcase the nonprofit sector and all the good work that it does, as well as provide opportunities for deeper collaboration within the sector. Finalists were honored in six categories: Arts & Culture; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility (DEIA); Innovation; Leadership Excellence; Rising Star; and Social Impact, with the winner in each category winning a $5,000 grant. In addition, all finalists were awarded $1000 - including the Cinema Arts Centre - thanks to Diamond Sponsor SterlingRisk Insurance. (Special shout-out to SterlingRisk for helping to sponsor our May 12 Making Memories with Music event, facilitated by Marcy Rhodes.)

Senior Vice President Joanne Bonello Krush shared with us, "We’ve been involved with the Imagine Awards for several years in different capacities and every year we were more awestruck with the nonprofit organizations that do so much, often with so little, for our Long Island communities. The Imagine Awards bring to the forefront the amazing work these organizations do for the vast number of people they serve. As the Diamond Sponsor of the Imagine Awards, SterlingRisk is able to do our small part to support and recognize the impressive work these organizations do for all of us."  

The Cinema Arts Centre's new Department of Youth Outreach, led by department director Ted Cavooris, was nominated in the innovation category. What started as a small group of young people working with our Development Department over ten years ago has evolved into a Youth Advisory Board that creates an annual film festival, monthly programming, and a whole department that puts young volunteers at the center of our mission, vision, and vital activities. For us, innovation isn't just about how we make change, but how we allow ourselves to be changed. We are so honored to have been nominated among the finalists Hair We Share, We Connect the Dots, and category winner Gurwin Healthcare System.

Friend of the Cinema Lauren Wagner was a finalist for the Leadership Excellence Award. In her role as Executive Director of the Long Island Arts Alliance, Lauren has contributed meaningfully to the health and well-being of the arts and culture sector on Long Island, including empowering us with the Long Island Arts and Economic Impact Study, supporting arts organizations like the Cinema Arts Centre with data to help us describe our impact. Lauren has been known to say, "No stories without numbers and no numbers without a story." Her vital work has helped nonprofits live by that tenet.

Leadership Excellence finalists also included Yolanda Robano-Gross, CEO, Options for Community Living, Inc.; Suzette E. Gordon, President & CEO, SCO Family of Services; and Linda Beigel Schulman, Executive Director, Scott J Beigel Memorial Fund. We were thrilled to see Linda Beigel Schulman receive the Leadership Excellence Award. We were so moved by her participation as a panelist at our 2018 screening of PARKLAND: INSIDE BUILDING 12. Linda had joined Director Charlie Minn and former Town of Huntington Councilwoman Joan Cergol to engage our audience at this screening and discussion which was part of our "Community Connections" series.

See ALL the finalists and winners HERE.

Another highlight of the evening was when our friends at the LGBT Network were inducted to the Imagine Awards Hall of Fame, recognizing organizations that continuously operate at the highest level and have been honored by the Imagine Awards as a consistent winner or finalist.

One of the things that was so impressive about this event was the volume of nonprofit and for-profit leaders all celebrating a common vision - to uplift, empower, protect, and enrich all members of our community. Thanks so much to Cerini & Associates, SterlingRisk, and to all the Imagine Awards sponsors, judges, and volunteers. All of us at the Cinema Arts Centre are so proud to have been included.

Please Take Our Survey

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You Can Help Independent Filmmaking Happen on Long Island

Local filmmaker and sixteen-year Cinema Arts Centre member Daniel Moya (18½, Trigger Happy) is shooting his next movie, Old Soul, primarily in Huntington. He wrote the first draft of the script nearly a decade ago and considers it a dream come true to finally make the ‘hometown’ film. The production is looking for supporter housing for a few of their professional crew - two beds total. They’re also seeking catering partners; ideally, local establishments that are interested in helping a small local movie keep things local. All supporters are offered Special Thanks credits in the end credits! Please reach out to Rene to be connected to the team for more information. Thank you, Huntington!

Sponsored Content and Special Thanks to our Current

Program and Reception Sponsors:

A word from our friends at the Huntington Choral Society...

CLICK HERE to review current sponsorship opportunities.

Cinema Arts Centre programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.