CANARSIE — Eileen Baptistin Level is working to bring back an experience she says her community deserves: sitting in the dark, surrounded by strangers sharing the wonder of cinema.

Level is the founder of PaleFO Cinema, Canarsie’s first “cinema mural.” Level led a project to paint a massive, colorful painting on the side of the historic Jerry building in the heart of Canarsie. In the center of the mural, there is a large, silver rectangle where films can be screened.

The mural in progress earlier in 2025. Photo courtesy of Eileen Baptistin Level

Remembering Canarsie Theater on Avenue L and AMC Loews Kings Plaza 6

Growing up in Canarsie, Level frequented Canarsie Theater on Avenue L, a small independent theater that served as a community hub. She remembers its heyday in the 1990s, when

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