LACMA’s CineClub hits a snag out of the gate

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An effort by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to drum up financial support for its imperiled 40-year-old film program has run into a slight problem just days after it was announced.

On Tuesday, LACMA said that it is starting a new membership opportunity called CineClub, a $50 add-on to any level of museum membership. The money raised is intended to support the museum’s film events, outreach and efforts to increase public awareness of the program. Members receive priority ticketing, seating and other benefits.

But what the museum apparently didn’t realize is that the same name already is used by the UCLA Film & Television Archive for its membership society. UCLA lowercases the second ‘c’ in the name -- Cineclub.

Jan-Christopher Horak, the director of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, told The TImes that his organization is notifying the museum about the naming conflict. He said the archive has been using the Cineclub name since 2006, when its screenings moved to the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum.

Horak said he would have alerted LACMA to the problem sooner but said he is unclear who currently is running the museum’s film program. Ian Birnie, the former head of LACMA’s film program, was let go earlier this year and works now as a consultant for the museum.

When asked about the naming conflict, a LACMA spokeswoman told The Times: ‘We’re sorry and we will change our name.’

UCLA’s Cineclub offers membership at $60 a year, but rates and benefits are likely to change in the near future, according to the archive.

-- David Ng and Susan King