Lesli Klainberg, former President of Film at Lincoln Center, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and other backers have launched Art House New York, a new regional alliance to support and strengthen independent film exhibition in the city.
The group, envisioned as a model for similar initiatives across the country, will focus on audience development, research and strategic initiatives designed to leverage the city’s collective cultural weight and nudge audiences to explore tits vibrant and diverse independent cinema landscape
It announced itself at a happy hour event at Lincoln Center during the New York Film Festival.
Graphic designer Paula Scher from the design studio Pentagram created the Art House NY logo and brand identity and will develop the 2026 campaign.
Klainberg tapped Allason Leitz of Third Industry Strategies as Director to build out the vision of the new alliance. Goals are to drive attendance, strengthen the impact of Art House exhibition, address shared challenges with practical, collaborative solutions, and generate data to develop a deeper understanding of the sector.
“The future of film is Community, and that’s what Art House NY is all about,” said Klainberg. “We want to capitalize on the emergence of a younger cinephile crowd and find common ground for collaboration that will draw them to our theaters.”
New York City is home to the nation’s most diverse independent film exhibition ecosystem, from single-screen storefront cinemas to institutional film programs. Yet of the city’s five boroughs, only three regularly program independent films, mostly below 14th street in Manhattan, the announcement noted.
“Our goal is to strengthen ties between art house cinemas and with the film industry, creating new opportunities to connect audiences together. Alone, art house cinemas are hidden gems, but together, we are a cultural force.” said Leitz.
New York Film Commissioner Pat Swinney Kaufman is on the Advisory Council with Klainberg and leaders from across the industry. They include Kazembe Balagun, Executive Director, Maysles Documentary Center; Dori Begley, co-CEO, Magnolia Pictures; Matt Bolish, Deputy Director, Film at Lincoln Center and Mark Boxer, Head of Distribution, Mubi and Lela Meadow-Conner, Board President, Art House Convergence, which was relaunched out of Chicago last year.
They are joined by Karen Cardarelli, Executive Director, Facets & Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals; Gary Faber, President, ERM Research; Dara Messinger, Director of Programming, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema; Rajendra Roy, Chief Curator of Film, MoMA; Shannon Treusch, Partner, Falco Ink.;Jesse Trussell. Director, Film Program and Strategy, BAM; Barbara Twist, Executive Director, Film Festival Alliance; and John Vanco, head of Programming, Paris Theater (Netflix).
“With our mission to support NYC’s creative industries and make them accessible to all New Yorkers, we are proud to be a founding partner of Art House New York, so that we may contribute to a revival of local, independent cinematic experiences around the five boroughs,” said Commissioner Kaufman. “Lesli and Allason are the perfect visionaries to lead this alliance and forge a new path forward for film exhibition in NYC that other regions can then follow.”