The Cinema Arts Centre (CAC) is Long Island’s premier, year-round, independent and international film showcase and its leading 501(c)3 not-for-profit community cinema.
Located on Long Island’s North Shore, just an hour from Manhattan, the CAC is unique in scope and programming, with three state-of-the-art theaters, including a main theater holding nearly 300 seats. Founded by Vic Skolnick, Charlotte Sky and Dylan Skolnick in 1973, the CAC has over 10,000 members and serves approximately 150,000 individuals each year.
The CAC offers compelling American and international films, restored classics as well as entertaining popular films, adventurous and cutting edge films and a remarkable array of monthly film series, often coordinated with music, art exhibits and more. Educational programming includes workshops in screen-writing and filmmaking. Our Film Arts in Education program enhances curriculum for Long Island middle school and high school students. The CAC has hosted countless in-person discussions and receptions with directors, celebrities, scholars, and critics, including Brooke Adams, Robert Altman, Carol Burnett, Ed Burns, Steve Buscemi, Harry Chapin, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., Ang Lee, Spike Lee, Anne Meara & Jerry Stiller, Lynn Redgrave, George Romero, Isabella Rossellini, Tony Shaloub, Paul Schrader, John Turturro, Wim Wenders, Debra Winger and many more! Additionally, many community groups use the CAC as a platform for education and advocacy around issues such as the environment, healthcare and human rights.
The Cinema Arts Centre contributes meaningfully to the quality of life in our community, generating approximately $7,000,000 in spending in our local economy, providing a venue for conversations and connections, serving as a true community center and what many of our members call their “home away from home”.
The CAC contributes meaningfully to the quality of life in our community, has a positive impact on the local economy, and provides a venue for fellowship and the exchange of ideas.
The mission of the Cinema Arts Centre is to bring the best and broadest range of film and cultural programs to all audiences, lifting spirits, expanding consciousness, and building community.
The Cinema Arts Centre (CAC) is a year-round cultural hub presenting daily screenings of first-run American and international independent films, as well as over 500 annual special events including series, festivals, educational programs, and artist-enhanced screenings. Our vision is to offer the broadest range of film experiences while curating content of artistic excellence that sparks reflection, dialogue, and community.
Founded in 1973 as the New Community Cinema, CAC began by projecting films onto a bedsheet in a dance studio, with attendees bringing their own chairs and contributing donations for the next week’s film.
Co-founders Vic Skolnick, Charlotte Sky, and their son Dylan united Long Islanders around a new film culture, creating a grassroots movement that helped shape the region into the culturally rich community it is today. Over the decades, CAC evolved into Long Island’s premier nonprofit cinema, now welcoming over 100,000 visitors annually to our Huntington facility, which houses three theaters and a multi-purpose space, our Sky Room Café which often hosts community activities for people of all ages.