Author: Editor

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And the Graffiti Comes Down!

  • Graffiti on the landmarked facade. Photo: Randy Enochs

What a milestone! Thanks to the support of New York Landmarks Preservation Commission, Uptown Film Center was able to remove years-old graffiti from the landmarked Art Deco façade of its home at Broadway and 99th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The graffiti had been a highly visible presence on the building for a number of years and a longstanding neighborhood concern. Its removal allows the building’s distinctive façade to stand out along Broadway.  It also marks the first visible step in the development of Uptown Film Center as a new five-screen arthouse cinema and cultural center.

Because of the façade’s landmark status and historic materials, the graffiti removal required a highly specialized treatment to protect the façade and its distinctive architectural details. Uptown Film Center’s architects, Voith & Mactavish, worked in coordination with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to ensure the protection of the terra cotta.

PRESS COVERAGE:
West Side Rag
I Love the Upper West Side
WABC News (below)

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Uptown Campaign Marks Progress

The Uptown Film Center just released its first Campaign Progress Report July 2024-July 2026.

Included in the report is a glance at the finances and goals of the project, construction milestones, and the Uptown’s robust film and educational programming. Also listed are the 1200+ donors and countless volunteers, community partners. and government electeds who have joined the effort and continue to support the mission–to create a permanent home for independent film, education, and community on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

We hope you enjoying reading how far we’ve come, and we encourage you to join the effort!  The faster we raise the funds needed, the faster we can all say…SEE YOU AT THE UPTOWN!

uptownfilm.org/donate

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Uptown Launches Second Season of Science on Screen® Pop-Up Series

Uptown Film Center launches the second season of its Science on Screen® pop-up series, on Monday, October 5, 7pm, with Peter Weir’s sci-fi film, The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey and Laura Linney.

Science on Screen® is a nationwide initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that uses film to engage audiences with science, technology, and the questions they raise in our everyday lives. The series reflects Uptown Film Center’s commitment to science literacy and the kind of thoughtful, educational programming it plans to offer regularly when its permanent home opens. All screenings will take place at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at West 95th Street, west of Broadway

“What makes Science on Screen® so compelling is the opportunity to use very different kinds of films to explore questions that are increasingly relevant to our lives,” says Ira Deutchman, President, Uptown Film Center. “Through comedy, documentary and science-fiction satire, these films tackle subjects ranging from technology and surveillance to sustainable farming and the future of human reproduction. Together, they show how movies can entertain us while also challenging us to think more deeply about the world around us.”

The Truman Show explores surveillance, privacy and the increasingly blurred boundaries between technology, entertainment and everyday life. Guest speaker Professor Michael W. Morris, the author of Tribal (2024), spent his career studying how shared cultural codes and identities influence the way we think and act. He will address the question, “Who Gets to Decide What is Real?” in a pre-screening introduction, exploring what the film reveals about the invisible scripts that guide our lives, whether we notice them or not.

Next film in the series, on Monday, November 9, is the critically acclaimed documentary film, The Biggest Little Farm, which follows John and Molly Chester as they leave Los Angeles to transform 200 acres of depleted, drought-stricken land into a thriving and radically diverse farm. What begins as an idealistic dream of living in harmony with nature becomes a humbling exploration of biodiversity, resilience, and the delicate balance that sustains all living things. Guest Speaker to be announced.

The last film in the series is Sophie Barthes’ witty 2023 indie film, The Pod Generation, Monday, December 14. The film follows a New York couple (Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor) who contemplate growing their baby in a detachable artificial womb, or “pod,” provided by a powerful tech company. Dr. Elizabeth Reis has taught classes on medical ethics, gender and bioethics, and reproductive technologies. She is the author of Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex (2009), published in an expanded second edition in 2021; Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England.

The Science on Screen series is supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) in partnership with the NY City Council and the office of New York City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu and Speaker Julie Menin.

Tickets are $7/adults, $5 for seniors and students, plus a $5 facility fee (at check-out). All screenings take place at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater at West 95th Street, west of Broadway.

Details and tickets>>

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Uptown’s Lead Architect Named to AIA College of Fellows

Uptown's Ira Deutchman with Architect John Cluver (right)
Architect John Cluver (right) reviews schematics with Ira Deutchman, Uptown president.

The Uptown is thrilled to announce that our lead architect, John Cluver, a Senior Partner with Voith & Mactavish Architects, has been named to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, its highest membership honor. This distinction is awarded to architects who exemplify excellence in practice and who have made a lasting impact on architecture and on society at large.

“John has been with us since the first time we started contemplating purchasing the former Metro, to determine whether it was a viable space for a five-screen film center,” says Uptown president Ira Deutchman. “Still, when it was time to hire a firm, we solicited bids and concept drawings from several other architects before determining that John’s expertise in preserving and transforming historic arthouse cinemas was invaluable to our mission. This recognition from the AIA confirms what we have seen in John all along.”

Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP, where John is Senior Partner & Director of Historic Preservation, is a Philadelphia and New York-based team of forty architects, planners, and designers. The firm is led by founding partner Daniela Voith and four additional partners — making V&M Philadelphia’s longest-continuously operating woman-owned architecture practice.

In addition to his role at V&M, John serves on the City of Philadelphia’s Historical Commission Architectural Advisory Committee, the Board of Advisors for the Master of Science in Historic Preservation program at Notre Dame, and the Board of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. He is also a member of the Association for Preservation Technology and holds a Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design in addition to his professional degree in architecture from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. John has published articles on sustainability and window restoration in the Association for Preservation Technology Bulletin and has presented for the Preservation League of New York, SCUP, and APPA. In 2006 John volunteered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in New Orleans to complete urgent conditions assessments in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and in 2008 was honored by the American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter as Young Architect of the Year.

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100+ Neighbors Get a Sneak Peek at the OLD Metro, NEW Uptown

Tour spots for our first Hard Hat Tours on Saturday, March 21, filled up so quickly when sign-up was announced in our last newsletter–20 minutes, in fact–that even adding a fifth tour for the day didn’t satisfy the dreams of all those waitlisted! But we’re pretty sure those who managed to join us for a look at the cavernous, gutted former Metro, with a preview of the future, were NOT disappointed.

More than 100 local residents were treated to the presentation–a historic look at the former theater plus some never-before seen schematics of the build-out that were recently completed. Also on hand for the sneak peek and presentation were Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and new State Senator Erik Bottcher–both of whom are exploring more ways they can help the Uptown meet its fundraising goal.

More Hard Hat tours may be in our future. Keep an eye out for an announcement–only in this newsletter! Thanks to all who came, and much appreciation to our volunteers, who always show up to help make these events such a joy.

Photographs ©Randy Enochs

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Uptown Joins Art House NY for Cinema Week, March 20-26

As the newest arthouse cinema coming to the block, the Uptown is proud to be participating in the first Art House New York Cinema Week, running from March 20-26, 2026, as part of a citywide partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME).

The aim of the Mayor’s office support, says new MOME commissioner Rafael Espinal, is to help our neighbors “rediscover New York together, one cinema at a time” by providing 5,000 free tickets–funded by MOME–to ensure the arthouse moviegoing experience is available to all New Yorkers.

Beth Krieger (Uptown), NYC MOME Commissioner Rafael Espinal, and Ira Deutchman Deutchman (Uptown) at the Art House New York meet-up announcing Cinema Week.

In honor of Cinema Week, the Uptown Film Center is offering FREE TICKETS to our screening of Jim Sheridan’s IN AMERICA on March 20, 6:30pm, at The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A with award-winning author Colum McCann. Filmgoers are also invited to tour the galleries of The New York Historical before the film (5pm-6:15pm) as part of the museum’s Free Friday’s program.

The following eligible New Yorkers, as identified by MOME, may attend the screening for free by presenting a valid form of identification at the door:

  • New York City teachers with valid ID
  • United States active-duty military personnel and veterans with valid ID or service record
  • New York City families registered with “Cool Culture”
  • People with disabilities with the presentation of their half-fare MetroCard, Access-A-Ride ID
  • SNAP/EBT cardholders with the presentation of their SNAP/EBT card
  • CUNY student ID

Cinema Week is an initiative of Art House New York (AHNY), a pilot regional alliance for independent film exhibition whose mission is to strengthen the independent film sector through audience development, research, and strategic initiatives. Learn more about Art House NY and the first annual Cinema Week at arthouseny.org

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March Progress Report

It may seem pretty quiet, but we get it– you all want to know where we are and what we’re doing! Well, plenty is going on behind the scenes and out in front!  Besides the installation of our new banner on the marquee, here’s what’s going on:

Building and Preservation–Schematics are completed!

  • Union Square Hospitality Group delivered cafe recommendations that helped our architects design for traffic flow, prep area, and equipment needs for our all-day cafe and bar.
  • Boston Sound & Light, the premiere technical design firm for arthouse cinemas, provided valuable input–including plans for both 35MM and 70MM projection.
  • V&M Architects completed the Schematics Phase this month. We’re now narrowing down our contractor selection. Once the contractor is chosen, we begin Design Development–fine-tuning drawings, hiring subcontractors, and selecting materials. This phase takes approximately 14 months. [Read about the vision and plan]

Programming

  • More than 350 filmgoers attended our first three pop-up screenings of the year, with three more to come. We’re already planning our Summer Pop-Up Series, which will include three free outdoor films. Stay tuned!
  • Our Film in the Classroom pilot continues at PS 84 this spring, with plans to expand to additional schools in the future.

Fundraising

Our 28-month buildout timeline depends almost entirely on continued fundraising progress:

  • Several city and state grant applications are pending; decisions expected July 2026. We anticipate significant funding given strong support from our elected officials.
  • Assemblyman Micah Lasher secured a $250K CREST grant toward our capital campaign.
  • Individuals and foundation donations continue to come in. We now count more than 739 donors and are pushing toward 1,000. Become a Founding Donor by making a gift online, by check, stock, DAF, pledge, or Naming Opportunity!
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Uptown Campaign Updates

The Uptown has raised 30.5% of its total goal of $36M.

Our neighborhood, film and adjacent communities really stepped up to meet the challenge for our end-of-year 2025 fundraising! More than 525 new unrestricted gifts came in during the last quarter, each gift doubled by the million-dollar match generously offered by donor and board member, Sally Martell-Klingenstein.

Since beginning this initiative in September 2024, the Upper West Side Cinema Center (nonprofit corporate entity for the Uptown Film Center) has raised close to $11 million, representing 30.5% of a total fundraising goal of $36M. Of that amount, $7 million went toward the purchase of the building; the remaining $29 million is earmarked for preservation and construction.

Where Your Dollars Go

Each new gift helps keep us on target for our build-out timeline, paying for the architects, engineers, and expeditors who are working tirelessly on the schematic plans and helping us navigate New York City’s extensive permitting and building requirements.

Additionally, your donations have helped us build our nonprofit organization’s infrastructure. While board members and administrators are all volunteers, every nonprofit needs a professional team dealing with finances. So your donations are helping us pay for three (very) part-time staffers who make sure we are tracking, accounting, and complying with all city, state and federal regulations.

Finally, our fundraising success and the growing number of donors helps us unlock major grants from city, state, and private foundations.

What’s New? This month we had the facility cleaned of debris that had accumulated after 20 years of abandonment. Within the next month or so, you’ll also see new marquee banners announcing our new name. Why is it taking so long? Well, everything we do requires a vendor search and proper permit!

Preservation: In the next month or two, look for a graffiti-free facade! We also have plans to install some safety scaffolding on the interior. Many thanks to the NYC Landmarks Conservancy and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, which are generously helping underwrite this work while providing invaluable expertise on approved methods and vendors.

Cafe/Bar:  Your donations are helping shape a new go-to community spot at the Uptown, allowing us to hire Hospitality Lab, the concept development and consulting arm of Union Square Events, as the consulting partner for Uptown Café. Carrying forward the legacy and expertise of its founder, Danny Meyer, Hospitality Lab has been hired to help strategize and work alongside our architects on the design and potential for the cafe/bar that will grace our film center’s lobby and mezzanine. We love the fact that the Hospitality Lab by Union Square Events has been instrumental in developing the concept, design, operation, and menus of so many successful New York City cafes and restaurants, including Cedric’s at The Shed, Westmoreland Café at The Frick Collection. Their restaurants are not only wildly popular but also extremely eclectic and clearly focused on location and demographics. We’re excited to see how their expertise will help bring the Uptown Café vision to life.

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Uptown Film Announces Two 2026 Winter/Spring Film Series

Grant from NYC Councilperson Shaun Abreu
Underwrites Science on Screen®

Uptown Partners for First Time with New York Historical
for Tales from an Immigrant City series

The Uptown is excited to announce it will be hosting two new film series this winter: Science on Screen® will be held at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia, beginning on February 24, and Tales of the Immigrant City will be screened at the New York Historical, beginning on March 20.

The Science on Screen® series is a pioneering, nationwide film program launched in 2005 by the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to promote science literacy through partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country.  As described by the Coolidge, the program “creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, science fiction, and documentary films with lively presentations by notable experts from the world of science and technology.”

Hidden Figures will open the Uptown’s Science on Screen series on Feb 24.

The Uptown’s three-film Science on Screen series will include Hidden Figures, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, and HER, with introductions by Dr. Moiya McTier, astrophysicist and folklorist; Sarah Rose Siskind, science and comedy writer; and Janna Levin, theoretical cosmologist and professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College.  Tickets for the three films are on sale now.

Beginning in March, the Uptown partners with the New York Historical to present three films focused on the immigrant experience in New York City: In America, with introduction by award-winning novelist Colum McCann; Hester Street (guest TBA); and En El Septimo Dia (On the Seventh Day), with filmmaker Jim McKay. Tickets go on sale in late February.

Uptown president Ira Deutchman and vice president Adeline Monzier, who leads our education initiatives, note that these series demonstrate the kind of programming we expect to offer on a regular basis when we finally open our doors (hopefully in late 2028). It also points out how partnerships–with local nonprofit organizations and arthouses across the country–are integral to our mission. “We especially want to thank the New York Historical for partnering with us on our Tales of an Immigrant City film series, and to Councilman Shaun Abreu and Thomas Campbell Jackson for underwriting our Science on Screen series,” says Ira. “These partnerships and grants are allowing us to offer exceptionally curated, thoughtful film series to our community, at affordable prices, despite the fact that we don’t have a theater yet.”

A pop-up spring/summer series will be hosted again this year, as well, beginning in late May or June. Last year’s very successful ten-film series, For the Love of Cinema, played at several venues in upper Manhattan.

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UPTOWN’s Holiday Season Updates

So many exciting things are happening right now as we prepare for year’s end. We’re working on both a Winter and Summer Screening Series (TBA); our first Film-in-The-Classroom pilot project is about to conclude; we’re awaiting the final go-ahead to clean the graffiti off the theater’s facade and complete some other safety maintenance work; and we are working with our architects to finalize design details. We expect to launch the search for a general contractor in March.

The Uptown continues to form new partnerships with local organizations, including Bloomingdale Aging in Place, which recently hosted a zoom with more than 100 members who eagerly listened to Ira Deutchman and Adeline Monzier talk about the project. They asked several key questions regarding the design and operation of the film center:

  • Yes! The film center will be ADA compliant, with an elevator, accessible bathrooms, and accommodations for both hearing and visual impairment.
  • Yes! The fifth theater–equipped with screen and approx. 40 flexible seats–will be made available to local nonprofit groups and education classes as well as for party rentals.
  • Yes! We will be a membership-based film center.

Your Support Is Building a New Future for Arthouse Cinema on the UWS!

Fundraising for the build-out of the Uptown Film Center continues to be a major focus. This month is particularly critical to our efforts because we are applying for crucial City and State grants. We’ve been told in no uncertain terms that the money is there–but the City and State need to see continued support from our community, both in contributions, number of donors, and endorsements, to unlock those dollars. Receiving these grants would be a major leap forward in reaching our ultimate goal of $29M.

In answer to this time-sensitive call for support, we have received a number of major gifts–including a very generous repeat gift from the Klingenstein-Martell Foundation, as well as new leadership donations from the Great Hill Foundation, Ruth Nelson Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ben Stiller & Christine Taylor, and several others. Significantly, our capital campaign has also brought in more than 100 new and repeat donors in just the last month, at every giving level of giving.

We are so thankful for all of you who have made donations to make this project turn from dream to reality!  All gifts before the end of the year will be matched by a generous donor and are 100% tax deductible. See Ways to Donate.

We are thankful, too, for the enthusiastic endorsements we’ve received from our local electeds, who have been extraordinarily helpful at every step, as well as for letters of support from a wide variety of community partners, including SAG/AFTRA, Columbus/Amsterdam BID, the West 90th Neighborhood Assn., and PS 84.

All endorsement letters will be included in our grant application(s); names will appear on our website. If your group (or building) would like to write a letter of endorsement for the Uptown Film Center, we would be honored. Please email it as an attachment to beth@uptownfilm.org.