The vision for the Sag Harbor Cinema first articulated some 10 years ago by a group of community members concerned about its possible sale — long before the disastrous 2016 fire and its subsequent purchase by the Sag Harbor Partnership — will soon become a reality. A March opening is planned.
A recent tour with Gillian Gordon, the cinema’s executive director, and Scott Tucker, the project’s construction manager, emphasized the breadth and depth of its programming and educational ambitions, the extent to which it will serve as a community center, and the state-of-the-art technology that will establish it as a magnet for filmmakers as well as film enthusiasts.
Since December 2017, off-site programming at venues across the South Fork has provided a taste of the curatorial range audiences can expect. Organized by Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, now the cinema’s artistic director, the film series have included comedies selected by the director John Landis, movies chosen by local artists, and, most recently, films in which movie theaters play important roles. Conversations with filmmakers, critics, and artists have followed each screening.
“With three theaters, we can do slightly more mainstream screenings, we can do retrospectives and classics, we can even do silent films if we want to,” said Ms. Gordon. “In the big theater, we’ll be doing what the old theater did, showing independent and foreign films not available at the local multiplexes. It will also be where kids can see the latest stuff. We’ll have Disney matinees, really great horror films.”
The original 400-seat theater space has been reconfigured into two cinemas: theater one with 227 seats and theater two with 98, both on the ground floor with a concession stand between them. A 40-seat screening room “with big fat fancy seats” will be on the second floor.
Of the screening room, Ms. Gordon said, “We can have very niche stuff here — film clubs, film appreciation, and master classes. We have a huge educational element that people don’t really know about. Having this real estate, we’ll be working it around the clock. It will be like a film institute for people of all ages.”
The screen in theater two will be the same size as that of the original cinema, while the screen in theater one will be much larger. “The acoustic consultants hired at the outset rated the sound systems of the East Hampton and Southampton cinemas at 3 on a scale of 10,” said Mr. Tucker. “For the larger cinema it will be 10 out of 10, and the two smaller theaters will be 8 out of 10.”
Ms. Gordon, an award-winning producer and educator, said, “If you kill yourself making a film — which is more my background than running a cinema — you put so much heart and energy into getting the image right and getting the sound right, you spend fortunes and months and months on all this stuff. Then if somebody plays it in a crappy cinema it drives you crazy. The point is, filmmakers want to come to show their work in a great cinema.”
The tour, which skirted workers laying tile and cable and technicians on scissor lifts, began in the entrance lobby, which will resemble that of the old cinema but will include a grab-and-go cafe with wraps, sushi, and other comestibles from local providers. “You can enjoy the cafe without going to a movie,” Ms. Gordon said. “You can get something while waiting for the Jitney.” Food can also be taken into the theaters.
An elegant curving staircase leads from the lobby to the second floor, the site of two modest offices, the screening room, and the projection booth that serves both theater one and theater two. Considering that construction didn’t start until late summer of 2018, it’s surprising how far along the project is. “All the real hard stuff is finished,” said Ms. Gordon. “Soon it will be mostly cosmetic.” The seats and projectors will be the final touches. Allen Kopelson of NK Architects designed the building, and the ConRac Construction Group is the contractor.
The versatile third floor, which includes a small terrace behind the theater’s iconic façade, can be used for anything from kids editing films or taking classes to supplemental office space. It also includes a small prep space for catered events and a virtual reality room, which can accommodate as many as 12 people for VR presentations or be used for post-production and learning about immersive storytelling.
The rear portion of the third floor will be a windowed lounge with another terrace and a panoramic view over the village. Open to movie ticketholders, it will have food and beverages and be available for classes and special events.
Among the various committees and boards is a junior advisory board of high school and college students from the Sag Harbor area. “We’ll introduce kids to old films, such as early Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat,” said Ms. Gordon, “and we’ll have showings of shorts made by local kids.”
She also stressed how many talented people from the film business are on the East End. “We’re doing a film workshop right now at Pierson, and Alex Sokolow, who wrote ‘Toy Story,’ is teaching screenwriting. And I’m teaching the filmmaking/producing side of it.” A longtime Sag Harbor resident, D.A. Pennebaker, who died in August, will be honored by a retrospective that will run throughout the first year.
At present Ms. Gordon and Ms. Vallan are the two full-time staff members, but the cinema will be hiring a theater manager and a digital media specialist. “We’ve got to keep it lean,” said Ms. Gordon. “That’s the only way to survive. We’re hoping to have volunteers, like Guild Hall and Bay Street. There are so many film lovers here.”
Speaking of volunteers, Ms. Gordon pointed out that before she was hired in July, the entire project, from its conception to fund-raising for the theater’s purchase to the planning of its construction and interim programming was accomplished by people who volunteered their time, expertise, and passion.
