Sag Harbor Cinema Surpasses $8M Fundraising Goal

SAG HARBOR, NY — Just days before the 1-year anniversary of a devastating fire that ravaged the Sag Harbor Cinema, an $8 million fundraising goal has been met that means the iconic institution will rise from the proverbial ashes.

The Sag Harbor Partnership and the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center have surpassed their initial fundraising goal of $8 million in pledges needed to purchase the cinema from its current owner, a release said this week.

The goal was reached with the award of a $1.4 million state grant and an anonymous $500,000 donation, representatives said.

Also announced this week was the news that, joining the hundreds of supporters in helping see the cinema reopen are Leonardo DiCaprio, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and Darren Star.

“We are ecstatic that our efforts over the last year have helped us meet our funding goal to save the Cinema. This was truly the work of an incredible community of people with a common goal,” said April Gornik, vice president of the Sag Harbor Partnership and Chair of the SHCAC. “We also extend a huge thank you to Leo, Sarah, Matthew and Darren for their support as we rebuild the Cinema to bring independent film back to Main Street.”

“We want to thank all of our local elected officials who have been supportive of the cinema effort,” added Nick Gazzolo, president of the Sag Harbor Partnership. “This grant helps us ring the bell to close on the property right before the anniversary of the fire. Their support was very important in making this possible.”

The new Cinema will feature state-of-the-art equipment, a new sound system, and projection ratios and equipment that will allow film to be shown "as it was intended", and give the house the ability to show digital, 35mm, and even 16mm with "astonishing" resolution, so that the viewer experience will be as the filmmakers’ meant it to be experienced, organizers of the effort said. "This will be a plus that few other art houses anywhere offer, and will make the emphasis on offering film history as well as contemporary movie-making a reality," the release added.

Earlier in December, the Sag Harbor Partnership and the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center announced that with more than $6.5 million in pledges and gifts, a final fundraising push was in place to bring in the $8 million needed to finance the purchase of the landmark theater.

A famous comedian also stepped up with a major gift, the release said. Although no name was divulged, the SHP said the comedian is famous for "presenting his routine while wearing an arrow through his head." One comedian famous for the arrow routine is Steve Martin.

Also announced earlier in the month was that the SHCAC has received a matching challenge of $50,000 on any donation made until December 5. To maximize the generosity of the anonymous donor, the SHCAC launched its "Save A Seat" campaign. Donors who wish to support the project with a $5,000 gift can now name a seat for their favorite movie, person, anniversary or whatever they choose, organizers said.

To donate directly, click here.

"We are so grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from residents, small businesses and people from across the East End who have supported this effort over the past eight months," said Gornik. "Our mission, since the beginning, has been to preserve the power of independent film and educational programming through cinema arts on the East End. As we prepare to close on this deal, and begin the reconstruction phase of our effort, we hope everyone will join us in this effort to build our beloved cinema a new state of the art home on Main Street."

The SHCAC also announced its winter programming slate — the first of a series of programming initiatives that will bring screenings and other film-related events to local arts institution throughout the East End. The program will mostly be held in the heart of Sag Harbor, in partnership with Pierson High School, and will be free to the public, Gornik said.

The program's theme is "American Values," showing "roughly 10 films dedicated to identifying, celebrating, exploring, and at times challenging what it means to be an American and what American values look like in action. The series will touch on various genres and themes and will span from 1940s classics to today, including both documentaries and fiction, studio productions and independent films, Oscar nominated tittles as well as much lesser known ones. Each film will be followed by an in-depth discussion with a presenting guest and Q&A with the audience," the release said.

Several members of the Cinema' advisory board as well as other artists have agreed to select a film and to host it, including Julie Andrews, following a screening of The Americanization of Emily, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alec Sokolow, following a screening of Toy Story, Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, following a screening of All the President's Men, Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, following a screening of Town Bloody Hall, their documentary on the match between Germane Greer and Norman Mailer, director William Friedkin, who will introduce his very first film, The People vs Paul Crump, a rarely screened documentary that helped save a man from the electric chair, artist and musician Laurie Anderson, Oscar winning director Rob Marshall and producer John De Luca, following a screening of Chicago, and music composer Carter Burwell, who will introduce the Coen brothers' western True Grit.

The series runs through the 2017 / 2018 winter season.

Image courtesy Sag Harbor Partnership.