Wednesday, June 18, 2025
As local theaters across Long Island close down because of economic pressures and competition from chain theaters and streaming services, Malverne will once again become a bright light for movie lovers. Malverne Cinema, which closed last September, has announced plans to reopen as a nonprofit.
The Malverne Cinema and Art Center opened at 350 Hempstead Ave. in 1947, and has been operated by Anne and Henry Stampfel since 1990. The original cinema had a single 700-seat theater, but the Stampfels altered the layout to eventually include five theaters.
After a series of temporary closures, due mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic and the theater’s high operating expenses, it hosted a final screening before it closed last fall.
“It’s a major part of our community,” Malverne resident Nick Hudson said. “Having not just a movie theater, but a place where your kids’ memories are made, I think, is really important.”
Shortly after the theater closed, Hudson, the executive director of Entertainment 2 Affect Change, a New York based nonprofit that helps fund and distribute films, contacted the Stampfels. Hudson is familiar with what happens to theaters around the country after they close — developing retail or residential space that doesn’t serve the community — and pitched an increasingly popular alternative, transitioning the theater to a nonprofit model.
“When the theater closed I thought, why couldn’t we do that here?” Hudson said. “Why can’t we just have Malverne Cinema and Art Center be a 501(c)(3) on its own, and we can raise funds not just from community members, but foundations, or offices, or people who just care about this kind of thing working.”
E2AC will serve as a fiscal sponsor for the theater, giving the theater nonprofit status as the cinema applies for this status on its own. In the meantime, they can start raising funds, begin renovations and open as quickly as possible.
“We’ve been very involved in this process — between the new operators, the old operators, the landlord,” Malverne Mayor Tim Sullivan said at the May 7 village board meeting, “and the decision was made not to put a coat of paint, throw the lights back on and go back to a business plan that wasn’t really working. They’re looking to really push forward something much more encompassing. The idea is that this becomes a community event space, where they’ll show independent and mainstream movies, have live performances, drawing interest from everybody in the community.”
Sullivan also explained that as nonprofit, the theater won’t have to rely solely on ticket sales, but can accept tax-deductible donations.
“The idea, really, is not just to renovate the theater, but to update it with things like a new floor, make it more ADA-accessible, and then to really look at how we can create each theater to have its own theme,” Hudson said, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said that one theater might cater to families with young children, creating a bright space that allowed kids the freedom to move around during a movie. Another theater might focus on senior citizens, offering more matinees or screening more classic films. “We want those rooms to really feel connected to the population that’s coming to visit the theater,” Hudson said.
“I think we’re going to end up being a really unique model,” he added. “We’ll probably be the first ones to do this, which is really exciting. And if all goes well, we will get copied by a lot of places around the country, which adds to the importance that we do this right.”
The Cinema is also partnering with Dente’s Dreamers, a Lynbrook-based nonprofit that encourages people, regardless of their ability, to take part in a production company, in roles ranging from stage performers to light and sound design. Maria Dente, president and director of Dente’s Dreamers and a former special-education teacher, was looking for a place to house her operation when she was connected with Hudson.
“We’re going to employ the community of individuals that really aren’t necessarily well represented in the job force,” Dente said.
The building already has a cement stage that has been covered by two movie screens, which will give Dente’s Dreamers a place to put on live theater productions and rent out the stage to others.
“The Malverne Cinema and Art Center is truly a landmark for so many people, not only in Malverne, but so many people outside of Malverne who come to that theater,” said Elizabeth Krull, president of the village Chamber of Commerce. “Bringing it back is critical, because it’s really going to help boost our local economy. As we bring foot traffic back into Malverne, it will be beneficial for other businesses.”
“I’ve been coming here and harassing the board about the theater since September, when they closed,” resident Marion Dill said at last week’s board meeting. “I was born in this town just about the time when the movie theater opened, so it was a big part of my growing up. I’m very happy that it’s going forward, and I’m sure that the people who are going to be running it are going to do a wonderful job.”
The Cinema and Art Center will host a community discussion and information session at Connolly Station on May 29, at 7 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $20. This session will give residents a chance to share their ideas about the theater and hear more about the vision that E2AC and Dente’s Dreamers have it. You can register at malvernecinema.org and find opportunities to become more involved.
