In this episode, Gregory Hernandez interviews Eileen Level, the founder of PaleFO Cinema.

Eileen Level, a champion of the cinema-going experience, has been working in the film festival industry since 2014 and since then has launched PaleFO Cinema, amplifying voices through the cinematic arena which seeks to look forward to the evolution of the cinescape experience in NYCHA. Beyond this she is the Head of Education at New York International Children's Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying film festival bringing films that represent and celebrate unique, diverse, and historically excluded voices to thousands of students throughout NYC and Newark, NJ! In 2023 Level spoke at SXSW on the 90 minute Film School panel about her journey as a budding exhibitor and mission to quench cinema deserts. Later that year she Founded AniTOMO Manga and Anime Convention, a free event in Brooklyn designed to celebrate diverse perspectives from historically underrepresented communities.

PaleFO Cinema Mission Statement

A New York City–based volunteer organization founded to address both the diminishment of
cinemas and the lack of youth engagement in underserved communities.
PaleFO Cinema Expanded Details

Under the umbrella of PaleFO Cinema, Canarsie Outdoor Cinema Mural is an urgent response
to an outdated framework intended to engage our youth and disrupt gang activity and violence
which has corroded the health, wellbeing and progression of the community. Using the ineffable
magic of film, media literacy and social engagement we would like to occupy crime concentrated
areas by positively activating and transforming hotspots of crime activity into hotspots of youth
creativity by partnering with the Department of Public Safety, Local Merchants and Community
Based Organizations. This will bring together Canarsie’s community for a multi-sensory outdoor
cinema experience by transforming our neighborhood's outdoor spaces into ongoing safe and
creative third spaces.
PaleFO Cinema's Current Project

The Canarsie Beautification Initiative is a collaborative project involving PaleFO Cinema,
Canarsie Merchants Association (CMA) The Flossy Organization, and Bink International Charity
Inc from Brownsville. This partnership aims to transform Canarsie’s commercial corridors,
empower local youth through a multifaceted approach and provide a free third space to enhance
the psychological health and wellness of individuals living in POC communities through film and
arts exposure in an urban green environment.
Central to our project is the creation of an outdoor cinema created by PaleFO Cinema and of a
mobile community hub by converting a ground level storage container into a versatile space for
youth programming. This hub will offer diverse activities in arts, advocacy, education, and
environmental stewardship, serving as a focal point for community engagement and
beautification efforts.

PaleFO Cinema Project Funders

CitizensNYC is known around New York as the city's largest and most well-connected
micro-granting organization. We’ve spent decades working with leaders around New York to
build up their communities. Last summer, CitizensNYC launched an exciting new program, the
Collaborative Impact Grant, open exclusively to our 2023 grantee partners. This pilot program
provides one $10,000 grant per borough to groups of three grantees, enabling them to develop
and implement group projects that foster community building, enhance local leadership, and
strengthen partnerships. These projects were developed by our grantees, in partnership with
one another, and with our support. PaleFO Cinema Mural Project is a recipient having earned
$5,000 to complete the first phase of the mural.