Gilda: The Cognitive Film Society's First Annual Gala
Become a member and join us December 10th as we build toward 2026
One Year and 1,200 Strong
A year ago, Yelena Fradlis, Jeff Hsi and I launched the Cognitive Film Society believing that cinema’s power to bring people together transcends any algorithm. As we prepare for our First Annual Gala, we’re moved by how this belief continues to resonate.
We’ve reached nearly 1,200 Substack subscribers—from local high school students to international film scholars, from our Hewlett-Woodmere neighbors to cinephiles worldwide.
Our Noir-Vember screening of Detour brought our largest crowd yet to the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library’s Gold Theater. High school jazz musicians played standards before the film. Neighbors who’d never seen noir left wanting more.
What’s most exciting isn’t the numbers. It’s what they represent: communities still hunger for cinema that challenges, for performances that matter, for cultural experiences that reward attention rather than merely occupy time.
One year in, our ambitions have grown alongside this tremendous response. And this time of year felt right for our first gala and fundraiser.
December 10: Gilda — Limited Tickets for our First Annual Gala
On Wednesday, December 10th, the Cognitive Film Society presents Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946) at Regal Cinemas Lynbrook— for our first annual gala. This event is a celebration of everything we’ve built together in our first year.
Gilda represents everything we love about classical Hollywood: glamour, moral complexity, sexual tension the Production Code could barely contain, and Rita Hayworth at the absolute peak of her powers. The black satin gown. “Put the Blame on Mame.” Glenn Ford caught in her orbit. All of it on the big screen where it belongs.
Aleksy Fradlis and Victoria Brodsky are returning to open the evening with live jazz. They brought down the house at our Detour screening. This time they’re kicking off our first gala event with glamour and style.
Tickets and Membership
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we rely on community support to bring quality cinema to the Five Towns. Here’s how to join us:
General Admission — $10 Your ticket to the film and the music.
CFS Member — $40 The film, a CFS t-shirt, and free admission to every paid screening in 2026. Plus 20% off the first issue of Cognitive Frames and discounts on future merch.
Founding Circle — $100 Everything above, plus invitations to exclusive pop-up screenings, voting rights on what we screen at those events, and a subscription to Cognitive Frames—our new limited-edition print publication, three issues a year, delivered to your door.
Donation — Pay What You Wish Already have your ticket and want to throw in a little extra? This is the spot.
Seats are limited. Act now to reserve your spot.
Become a CFS Member
Can’t make Gilda? Memberships are open now at the same price points—$40 for CFS Member, $100 for Founding Circle.
All benefits run through 2026. You don’t have to be there December 10th to become a member. You just need to want in.
Contribute to our first annual membership drive here!
All donations are tax deductible.
2026: The Vision
Here’s what we’re building.
More free community screenings in more venues. We’re partnering with Chabad of Hewlett for a series on Jewish life in New York cinema—Crossing Delancey, Hester Street, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Funny Girl—beginning early in 2026.
We’re working with Dr. Andrew Fund, Director of Art and Music, and the Hewlett High School French Department to bring The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) to the newly renovated George W. Hewlett High School auditorium for Valentine’s week.
On Sunday March 1, we return to the Gold Theater to present Annie Hall (1977) at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library. The screening will be a tribute to Diane Keaton, who we lost last fall. Her Oscar-winning performance made vulnerability revolutionary and redefined what a leading lady could be.
We’re coordinating with our friends at
to bring a Metropolitan Opera HD screening to the Five Towns this spring—opera on Saturday, community arts celebration on Sunday.We’re also in early conversations with Bellmore Movies & Showplace—Nassau County’s last single-screen theater—about a late night grindhouse series: Spaghetti Westerns, classic Samurai and Wuxia, terrifying Horror and Giallo. More on that when there’s more to tell.
For members, we’re planning exclusive pop-up screenings in intimate venues. Curated evenings where Founding Circle members vote on what we screen. Collaborations with local and NYC restaurants and film industry professionals, right here in the Five Towns.
And there are opportunities to get involved beyond attending—volunteer at screenings, write reviews for Cognitive Frames, help us build something that didn’t exist a year ago.
Memberships, subscriptions and pledges make all of this possible.
The Bigger Picture
What began as a few friends wanting to watch great films with their neighbors has become something more. We’re thrilled by the growing numbers of people both in the community and online who value shared experience, challenging curation, community conversation, and the irreplaceable feeling of watching cinema together in the dark.
See you at the movies! Get your Gilda tickets here!
—The Cognitive Film Society