Cornell Cinema
104 Willard Straight Hall
Ithaca, NY, 14853
Phone: 607-255-3522
Email: cinema@cornell.edu
Cornell Cinema’s offices are located in 104 Willard Straight Hall, on the lower level of Willard Straight Hall, across from the Cornell Cinema box office window. Office hours are Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm.
Staff
Molly Ryan, Director of Cornell Cinema
Molly Ryan (she/her) is the director of Cornell Cinema, having started in her role in September 2022. Prior to coming to Cornell, she oversaw public engagement programs at the Harvard Art Museums, served as a student curator for the inaugural Sands International Film Festival of St Andrews, and directed events for the On the Rocks Arts Festival, the largest student-run festival in the UK. She completed her undergraduate studies in History & Literature at Harvard College in 2014 and received a master’s degree in Film Studies from the University of St Andrews, Scotland in 2022. She brings keen managerial, organizational, collaboration, and communication skills to the oversight of the entire Cornell Cinema operation, including the development of the artistic programs, at a crucial juncture in the organization’s history, with a particular focus on fundraising, as well as engaging new, diverse audiences from across the region that revitalize the program in the post-pandemic world.
Aaron Rovitz, Manager of Cornell Cinema
Aaron Rovitz began his role as Manager of Cornell Cinema in April 2023. He spent the previous 10 years leading marketing, development, and operations efforts for a small business in Ithaca, NY which featured a combination of retail, service, and wholesale offerings. Prior to entering private business, he worked in the arts as a public-school Band Director and Stage Manager for the Monticello Central School District in Monticello, NY. There, he taught and organized large, diverse groups of students, and oversaw the scheduling and technical needs of various events taking place in the district’s shared auditorium. He offers unique insight and support to the Cornell Cinema operation through his acumen in the wholistic analysis of business operations, combined with skills and experience in organizational leadership, event coordination and student-centered programming.
Teresa Alvis, Administrative Assistant and Shipping Coordinator
Teresa Alvis joined the Cornell Cinema team in July 2014 after a career in the Hollywood entertainment industry working primarily as the post production accountant for Lakeshore Entertainment. She is from the Bronx and was a first-gen student at Ithaca College, where she took part in IC’s first Los Angeles Program (the semester with the earthquake) as a Cinema and Photography major. She enjoys kayaking, ping pong, Tetris, Walkabout Golf, reading up and sharing solarpunk related news/art on Xwitter, and taking the kids camping with her husband Randy Hendrickson (PMA) in their Westy every summer.
Matthew Hidy, Head Projectionist/Technical Supervisor
Matthew Hidy has served as the Head Projectionist/Technical Supervisor at Cornell Cinema since September 2021, where he conducts all the behind-the-scenes technical preparatory work to successfully execute screenings and events in Willard Straight Theater, in close coordination with a team of projectionists, and supervises the maintenance of the film and digital cinema projection equipment used at Cornell Cinema. Matthew brings a background as both a projectionist in repertory cinemas, film archives, and microcinemas in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York state, and as a cinema service engineer installing and maintaining projection and sound systems in the Northeast. Whenever Matthew has a chance to catch a film, he keenly appreciates a well-timed projector changeover between reels.
Cornell Cinema Student Team
Cornell Cinema was founded in 1970 as a student-run, university film society and students continue to be essential to the successful functioning of our organization today.
Comprised of students from various disciplines, class years, and backgrounds, members of our student team welcome patrons, sell tickets and concessions, provide projection support, manage event logistics for all film screenings and special events, assist with marketing and administrative tasks, and more. Student workers at Cornell Cinema also follow in the footsteps of a passionate community of alumni staffers who consider their time at Cornell Cinema to be a formative part of their Cornell experience.
Please visit the Work with Us page for more information about joining our team as a student staff member or volunteer usher!