Free Winter Film Series Returns To Greenport Next Week

GREENPORT, NY — After months of anticipation, a popular free film series offered at the Greenport movie theater during the winter season is back.

The Manhattan Film Institute's Winter Film Series kicks off Dec. 28 at the Greenport Theatre, located at 211 Front Street, with free movies. Family films are shown at 6:30 p.m.; iconic classic films at 7 p.m. After the upcoming Christmas screenings begin on Dec. 28, 29, 30, films come back January 11, and play every Saturday night through May 9.

And that's not all: Before every 7 p.m. screening, an MFI student short film will be shown with a 10-minute discussion afterward identifying the connection between the two. The experience will offer "a chance to appreciate the classic films and the voices of those emerging artists who have studied at MFI," said Tony Spiridakis, co-founder.

Donations are welcome to help keep the program vibrant. Text MFIMOVIES to the phone number 44-321 to donate or click here.

"The businesses are our lifeline, along with our audiences," said said Shannon Goldman, director of the MFI North Fork Summer Film Festival. "We are selling on-screen ad space that will help us keep this great community experience going.”

As the debut season wrapped up a successful run last winter, with more than 3,500 in attendance, Spiridakis was happy to announce that the free films would be back this year.

"We're so grateful to the response from the community and local businesses," said Spiridakis.

Last year, the film series brought out all ages to enjoy the singular experience of sharing classic cinematic masterpiece on the big screen. "We had senior couples holding hands and parents with young children at the theater, all enjoying the magic," Spiridakis said.

The Greenport movie theater, which opened its doors last year during the winter months, was a welcome addition during the off season.

Winter films are a win-win, Spiridakis said. "Along with the artistic, cultural benefits, bringing vitality to the village and North Fork communities, I didn't realize how the movie theater in the winter could be such a strong cross-marketing opportunity for local businesses," he said.

In recent years, Greenport has emerged as a destination even when the temperatures drop, he added. "We have so much now in the winter. Roller skating at the VFW, ice skating in Mitchell Park, a fantastic library which also shows movies for free! It's really a very alive place in the winter."

Buying goodies at the concession stand also supports the mission of keeping the theater in the winter — and steady public support is definitely needed to keep the winter program viable, Spiridakis said. After the costs for purchasing the popcorn, soda and candy, profits go to filling up the oil tanks for the heat in the theater.

The fruition of a dream lifted hearts, Spiridakis said; seeing patrons pack the house was something he'll never forget. "It was an amazing feeling to see the lobby of our beautiful old movie theater fill up with happy faces right before showtime."

Well over 600 moviegoers came to the Greenport Theater over a three-day period when the new program kicked off in December, 2018, he said.

"We had to scramble to find seats for people during some performances," Spiridakis said.

One moment, in particular, crystallized why the film series is so meaningful, he said.

"It was at the screening of 'It's A Wonderful Life.' I saw a few teenagers texting before the show started. And, by the end of that film, one of those teens was crying, and another was singing 'Auld Lang Syne,' along with many in the packed theater. Experiencing film in a group, in a dark theater with a lot of strangers, is not something we do much anymore. Most of us have really cool smart TVs. But hearing a crowd laugh as we laugh, gasp when we gasp, or a laugh from the guy next to us when we're crying — it's really the point of why films exist. They were made for large audiences to experience together. It's a communal thing."

Reflecting on how the idea was born to bring Christmas magic to the Greenport movie theater, Spiridakis said, for so many years, seeing the lights off at the theater sparked his curiosity.

"When I asked the reason, I discovered it was that the heat didn't work," he said. "I have developed a wonderful working relationship with owner Josh Sapan, who has let MFI screen our short films on Sunday mornings."

In September, 2018, Spiridakis sent Sapan an email. "I said, 'Hey, this is crazy, but what if I take a shot at fixing the heat?'" he said. "This is a heating system that hasn't been used in the winter in 16 years," he said.

Spiridakis thanked two men who, he said, he could not have done the project without — Sean Cambell of C&H Air Corp. and Joe Whitecavage of Vanetten Plumbing & Heating.

Sapan spoke to Patch about MFI's winter film series: "The opening of the theatre is the work of the indefatigable Tony Spiridakis, coordinated by the extraordinary theatre manager John McCabe. Tony's love of film, his generous spirit and his tirelessness made it happen," Sapan said. "Though we all carry more screens than ever, there's nothing quite like the magic of watching great movies on the silver screen with an audience of friends and neighbors. I'm so glad the people of Greenport will get to do this."

Keeping the theater's doors open year-round, at least on weekends, is an idea that's been discussed over the past years. In 2017, Sapan told Patch it was one he'd long considered.

Sapan, CEO of AMC Networks, purchased the Greenport Village Cinema in 2004 as a purely personal project of the heart.

Since then, he said, the theater has been renovated completely, with the Greenport sign on the front originally designed and fabricated, and the metal facing and ticket booth designed. All four theaters and seats, he said, were refurbished, with an attempt to keep the original architecture and design intact. In addition, the theatre was converted to digital, with digital projectors installed and purchased, Sapan said.

Love for the big screen

"Since I was a kid, I have loved movies and movie theatres," Sapan said. "The movie 'Cinema Paradiso' made an big impression on me, as it was an homage to movies and movie exhibition. Growing up, I paid $3 to watch four movies in a row in a beat up Times Square theatre. The movies were billed as 'Spend a Day with Clint Eastwood'. They were 'spaghetti westerns', three directed by Sergio Leone, with music by the great composer Ennio Morricone. It was a rare nine hours that crystallized my love of sitting in a dark theatre in front of a big screen."

Sapan said he found the opportunity to give cinema a permanent home in Greenport irresistible. "The theater is historic and Greenport such a wonderful place," he said.

MFI imbues a legacy of dedication and talent on the North Fork: 2020 will mark the 9th year of the MFI Gold Program, a two-week session in July where 25 films are shot, produced, edited and screened, Spiridakis said.

MFI, Spiridakis said, has evolved into not just a film program but a highly acclaimed MFI North Fork Film Festival in Greenport. "We're a boutique conservatory with world class faculty," he said.

For additional information on MFI's Winter Film Series, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit MFI's website at: www.ManhattanFilmInstitute.com or call (646) 653-2634.