Malverne Cinema Seeks Reboot As Nonprofit Theater

MALVERNE, NY — For decades, the Malverne Cinema and Art Center was the place to find independent features, documentaries and big-budget films.

However, the popular movie theater closed when the owners and landlord couldn't make a new deal last year.

It's not the end of the line for multiplex.

Nick Hudson, who grew up in Malverne and still calls it home, came to the rescue. He runs a nonprofit focused on film and film distribution.

"There's a nonprofit model that a lot of theaters that are independently owned are transitioning too," Hudson told Patch.

He pitched his idea to the property manager, who was supportive from the start "as that's a viable way to bring the cinema back."

In the months since Anne and Henry Stampfel, who still run the Bellmore Movies theater, dropped the curtain on the cinema, Hudson has been networking with the community about a path forward, including meeting with the village and the town.

Hudson teamed his Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC) with another nonprofit, Dente's Dreamers, which stages inclusive theatrical productions, breathing more life into Malverne Cinema.

"Now we just have to figure out how to put all the pieces together," Hudson said.

For Hudson, Malverne Cinema, which opened in 1947, is not just part of the neighborhood, it's a personal link to the past.

"I've been there, and not just to watch films, but for birthday parties," he said. "My grandfather grew up here and he worked there. My great-grandfather worked there as a retiree."

Connections to the theater are special. However, Hudson's professional work in the entertainment industry "made it seem like that was a real opportunity to take the things I do on a day-to-day basis and apply it in the backyard."

Hudson knew he was onto something, thanks to positive reinforcement from many residents, and a call to action.

"That was a really big reassurance that this is not just going to be one or two people doing 99 percent of the work," he said.

A kickoff informational session was scheduled for Thursday evening at Connelly Station. All donations are tax-deductible through 501 (c)(3) sponsor E2AC. Once the theater resumes, a donation model is likely for guests.

"The plan is to not just open it back up exactly how it was," Hudson said.

Renovations and community-oriented improvements are on the table for Malverne Cinema's new look.

"We really want to have a screening room that's devoted to families," he said. "In particular, have a screening room that caters to the senior citizen population and still be able to remain true to the kind of independent spirit that it had before."

Modernizing Malverne Cinema also means restoring the big theater so "that we could actually use for renting out for private events and showcase live events," Hudson said.

Those harder to find indie films were a lifeblood of Malverne Cinema and "that's definitely not going anywhere," he proudly said.