Ain't It Cool News-Founder Harry Knowles Accused of Sexual Assault

Austin, Texas has long been regarded as one of the most vibrant indie film communities in the country. Home to numerous international film festivals, renowned filmmakers and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a regional movie theater chain known for setting a new standard in moviegoing, it’s easy to see why so many Austinites take pride in their city's renowned cinema culture.

Yet, despite its seemingly friendly and welcoming vibes, Austin has been rocked by a wave of controversies over allegations of sexual assault and misconduct involving several key figures within the community in the past year. At the center of the latest such scandal is Harry Knowles, co-founder of Fantastic Fest film festival and the founder of the film review and news site Ain’t It Cool News, according to a report by IndieWire published over the weekend.

"Harry Knowles groped me, opportunistically, on more than one occasion," said Jasmine Baker, a former Alamo Drafthouse employee who became acquainted with Knowles while working at the theater between 1999 and 2000. "I cannot just stay silent. I am not interested in remaining silent."

According to Baker, Knowles allegedly rubbed up against her buttocks and legs on more than one occasion; when Baker confronted him about his conduct, "he just giggled about it," she told IndieWire. On at least one another occasion, Knowles put his hand under her shirt.

Knowles has since "categorically" denied the allegations.

What is more, Baker says this isn’t the first time she tried to speak out about Knowles' behavior. While working at the Alamo Drafthouse, she brought up the issue with Alamo Drafthouse owners, Tim and Karrie League. In her account, Baker says they were horrified to hear about the incident, but their ultimate advice was simply to “avoid” him.

“And I did that. In light of all that has happened for them publicly, today they might make a different choice about how to handle someone they did business with. But at that time, they were trying to bring inclusiveness to everyone and also didn’t want to confront a business partner.”

The news has since sent shockwaves through the online film community, as well as Austin's thriving movie scene; Banners promoting Knowles' Ain’t It Cool News have been scrubbed from the Fantastic Fest website, while the Austin Film Critics Association voted to revoke Knowles' membership.

The controversy comes on the heels of recent news that Tim League, the CEO of Alamo Drafthouse, has re-hired Devin Faraci, the former editor of its film review site Birth.Movies.Death who stepped down last year over a different sexual assault allegations. League, who bowed out of this year’s Fantastic Fest in the wake of Faraci's scandal, released a statement on Monday, revealing that the company has severed all ties with Knowles:

"I’ve been reflecting on twenty years of decisions as a business owner. In the early days, Karrie and I conferred on all tough decisions, and we always tried to do the right thing. To this day, the core value of the company is just that, the simple principle to always “do the right thing.” Recent perspective has made it clear that we didn’t always do the right thing, despite what we thought were good intentions. To the women we have let down, Karrie and I both sincerely apologize

Moving forward, we have severed all ties with Harry Knowles and he is no longer affiliated with the company in any capacity. We are striving to better respond to allegations of sexual assault and harassment, and will take actions so those who work at the theater or attend as a guest are not made to feel unsafe."