Dylan Skolnick Returns to Cinema Arts Centre

Dylan Skolnick is returning as director of the Cinema Arts Centre after protests and boycotts followed his firing. The Long Island nonprofit said its board met with an independent mediator and reached an agreement to move forward together.

Skolnick was removed in September over what the board called “serious misconduct.” The organization accused him of being a “dysfunctional” and “disloyal” manager and said his freelance film-buying work for other indie cinemas created a conflict of interest. Skolnick and his supporters pushed back, saying the board was trying to take over the institution and that his side work was common in the business.

The Cinema Arts Centre has deep ties to Skolnick’s family, since his parents founded it in Huntington, New York, more than 50 years ago. His reinstatement came after major figures in the film world backed him, while donations and box office sales dropped. The theater said it will hire a new co-director, add board members with film experience, and put leadership through additional training.