‘Art House New York’ Launches in New York City New Alliance to Strengthen Independent Film Exhibition

New York, NY — [October 8, 2025] — A new regional alliance, Art House New York (AHNY), has officially launched to support and strengthen independent film exhibition in New York City through audience development, research, and strategic initiatives. With the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as a founding partner, AHNY is kicking off with an inaugural week-long audience-development campaign designed to leverage the city’s collective cultural weight and bring audiences back to explore the vibrant and diverse independent cinema landscape in Spring 2026. World-renowned graphic designer Paula Scher from the design studio Pentagram has created the Art House NY logo and brand identity and will develop the 2026 campaign. Additional partners will be announced.

AHNY is envisioned as a model for similar regional initiatives across the country - using New York as the standard-bearer to energize independent film exhibition nationwide. Art House NY is founded by Lesli Klainberg (former President, Film at Lincoln Center), who tapped Allason Leitz of Third Industry Strategies to design its formative vision and serve as the initiative's Director.

“The future of film is Community, and that’s what Art House NY is all about,” said AHNY Founder, Lesli 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—most concentrated below 14th Street in Manhattan. Cinemas continue to prove themselves as “third spaces” where people build community—especially for those new to a neighborhood or city. Core goals are to drive attendance: strengthening the impact of Art House exhibition, addressing shared challenges among exhibitors with practical, collaborative solutions and generating data to develop a deeper understanding of the Art House exhibition sector.

“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 AHNY Director, Allason Leitz.

AHNY is guided by a distinguished Advisory Council of leaders from across the film industry landscape: Kazembe Balagun – Executive Director, Maysles Documentary Center, Dori Begley – Co-CEO, Magnolia Pictures, Matt Bolish – Deputy Director, Film at Lincoln Center, Mark Boxer – Head of Distribution, MUBI, Karen Cardarelli – Executive Director, Facets & Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals, Gary Faber – President, ERM Research, Pat Swinney Kaufman – Commissioner, MOME, Lesli Klainberg – AHNY Founder, former President, Film at Lincoln Center, Lela Meadow-Conner – Board President, Art House Convergence, 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 – 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 NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Pat Swinney 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.”

About Art House New York
Art House New York (AHNY) is a regional alliance strengthening independent film exhibition in New York City through audience development, research, and strategic initiatives. By amplifying the city’s diverse and vibrant cinema landscape, AHNY works to ensure that New York remains the nation’s cinephile capital — and sets the tone for regional art house initiatives nationwide. For more information visit: www.arthouseny.org.