My career at Laemmle Theatres began in early 1991 after a screening of Gerard Depardieu’s Cyrano de Bergerac at the Town & Country (now the Town Center 5) Theater in Encino. My father pointed out the “help wanted” sign in the box office window, and by March I was scooping and selling popcorn and later sweeping up the errant pieces from the auditorium floors. Soon enough I graduated to the more coveted role of box office cashier. My most memorable shift in that position involved a case of laryngitis and handmade signs reading “which film?” and “$4.50, please” held up to the box office window for bemused moviegoers to read. It was like a silent

Founded in 2000, the Laemmle Charitable Foundation gives back to moviegoers and the Los Angeles community by supporting organizations that address the critical social and environmental challenges of our region.The admirable local charity Jewish Family Service L.A. recently featured the foundation on its Donor Spotlight page with the headline "A Legacy of Giving Back." It begins:"For Greg Laemmle, giving back is a family tradition deeply rooted in history, legacy, and a commitment to community."A third-generation Angeleno, Greg’s roots in Los Angeles run deep. Greg’s grandfather, Max Laemmle, and his brother Kurt founded Laemmle Theatres in 1938

We choose the best films from the world of ballet, opera, stage, fine art, architecture, design, photography and more to feature on the big screen every Saturday and Sunday morning and Monday evenings at five Laemmle theaters -- the Laemmle Claremont 5, Glendale, Monica Film Center, Newhall, and Town Center 5 -- as part of our long-running Culture Vulture series.August 23-25: The first documentary exploring the visionary genius of Rudolph Schindler, the architect who redefined modern living by blending innovative design with the natural world, Schindler Space Architect is narrated by Meryl Streep and features architect Frank Gehry. The film

You may not be familiar with Jeff Buckley’s name. But you almost certainly have heard his haunting cover of Leonard Cohen’s "Hallelujah," a song which was named to Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and has been inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.In her latest documentary, It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg explores the singer's story and impact.Tragically, Buckley drowned while swimming in the Wolf River in Memphis just as he was about to start work on his second album. But his stature as a singer and songwriter has only grown in the years since his

"A master of existential dread, Kurosawa was early to posit a creepy side to online culture... Things have gotten even grimmer in Cloud. The malevolence is not supernatural but human." ~ John Powers, NPR*"Kurosawa inches back toward the knotted-stomach dread of his horror classics Cure and Pulse with Cloud, albeit accented this time with a healthily morbid sense of humour. And, perhaps more surprising, a serious affinity for action movie shoot-outs." ~ Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail*"That tension between modes [of realism and online fantasy] gives Cloud tremendous visceral and intellectual force, plus a persistent air of moral inquiry." ~ Justin

The latest episode of Inside the Arthouse features a luminary of the American indie, art house, and repertory exhibition scene, Bruce Goldstein. From the ITA website:At Inside the Arthouse, we love discovering bold new voices and emerging filmmakers. But there's something uniquely rewarding about revisiting a classic—whether it's an old favorite or a legendary film you've always meant to watch. And seeing these films on the big screen in a real movie theater is the way they were meant to be experienced.Repertory cinema in the U.S. has faced its share of challenges, from the rise of home video and streaming to rising urban real estate costs. Many

Sophie Brooks's subversive new romantic comedy Oh, Hi!, co-written with lead actress Molly Gordon, follows a new couple (Gordon and Logan Lerman) whose weekend road trip takes a crazy turn. Drew Taylor of The Wrap wrote that the film "zigs where you think it’ll zag, weaponizing that knowledge and using it to subvert expectations." Kristy Puchko of Mashable called the film a "comedy as current and enthralling as it is outrageous. And by rights, it should prove Gordon is a star."Inverse just posted the following interview with Brooks headlined "How Oh, Hi! Finds the Humanity in Millennial Misery."Q: This film came together in the thick of COVID

Little, Big and Far follows an Austrian astronomer as he begins reevaluating his life and work. He ascends a Greek mountaintop in search of a sky dark enough to reconnect with the stars.“Jem Cohen’s wondrous, expansive Little, Big, and Far…. A reminder to seize solitude amid the bustle of everyday existence, to be quiet and still, to look up and consider the universe.” ~ Isaac Feldberg, RogerEbert.com"Jem Cohen brings the same meditative elegance and intellectual curiosity he did to Museum Hours (2012) with his stargazing new feature, again using the cinematic form to patiently interrogate ways of seeing and being." ~ New York Film Festival

This week we're opening the new drama Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight at the Royal. We'll expand the engagements to all but one of our our other venues around L.A. County the following week. Laemmle Theatres president Greg Laemmle saw the film and loved it so much he was able to secure an interview with the filmmaker/co-star, Embeth Davidtz on his and Raphael Sbarge's podcast Inside the Arthouse. He wrote the following to introduce the episode:"As part of producing Inside the Arthouse, we see a lot of movies. And while many are compelling and well-made, naturally some of them stand out. Of all the films we've seen so far this year, Don't Let's

In concert with the the Art House Convergence, the nationwide coalition of independent exhibitors that connects, amplifies, and advocates for its community, Laemmle Theatres is pleased to celebrate Art House Theater Day (AHTD) this July 24 by screening four fabulous films curated by this year's ambassadors, filmmakers Sean Baker and Samantha Quan:Sean Baker's Tangerine (2015) at the NoHo, Lily Tomlin's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991) at the Monica Film Center, Céline Sciamma's Tomboy (2011) at the Glendale, and Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart (2006) at the Claremont.Taken together, the four beautifully

Based on Alexandra Fuller’s memoir of the same name, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight captures the childhood of eight-year-old Bobo on her family farm in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) at the end of the Zimbabwean War for Independence in 1980. Growing up in the midst of this long running war, Bobo internalizes both sides of the struggle. Conflicted by her love for people on opposing sides, she tries to make sense of her life in a magical way. Through her eight-year-old gaze we witness Rhodesia’s final days, the family’s unbreakable bond with Africa, and the deep scars that war leaves on survivors.Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight writer-director

As we approach 2025's midway point, we are about to open one of the year's finest films, the locally produced Familiar Touch. A sampling of critics' encomiums is below. Writer-director Sarah Friedland and star Kathleen Chalfant will participate in Royal Q&A's after the 7:30 P.M. shows on June 27 & 28; at the Town Center following the 12:50 P.M. show on June 29; and at the Glendale after the 4:30 P.M. show on June 29. Lydia Storie, Director of Culture Change at Caring Across Generations, will moderate the June 27 screening. You can also catch Friedland and Chalfant's interview on the latest episode of Inside the Arthouse.*“Familiar Touch is a film

This Friday we are proud to open TATAMI, the acclaimed collaboration between Iranian and Israeli filmmakers. Some plaudits from top American film critics:"A superb example of pop cultural translation that freshens up the clichés of the sports corruption thriller and gives the actors and filmmakers a chance to flex their considerable skills." ~ Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com"The mounting tensions of these moving parts — and steely performances by Mandi and Amir — make for an engrossing thriller fueled by female rage." ~ Beatrice Loayza, New York Times"Despite its urgent political engagement, TATAMI never forgets to be a gripping watch." ~

In August 2017, in the lead-up to national elections, Jacinda Ardern unexpectedly became New Zealand’s opposition party leader. She had just turned 37. Two frenetic months later, she was Prime Minister. Just before the final vote was in, she discovered she was pregnant. She would become only the second head of state in history to give birth while in office.Ardern quickly became one of the most recognizable leaders in the world. She drew global attention from people craving a sensitive and compassionate approach to the critical issues of our time. In private, she struggled with being a mother and proving herself to a public skeptical of women’s

A huge hit last weekend in New York, we're excited to open the comedy Bad Shabbos this Friday at the Royal and Town Center with expansion runs planned around L.A. County in the subsequent weeks. The film follows David and his fiancée, Meg, who are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner. Things get far more complicated because of an accidental death (or murder?). With Meg's Catholic parents due any moment, the family dinner soon spirals into a hilarious disaster.The following Bad Shabbos screenings will feature in-person introductions or Q&A's: Thursday, June 5 at the Royal w/director Daniel Robbins, producer Adam

Thirty years after her mother’s death, photographer Rachel Elizabeth Seed discovers her mother’s work — more than 50 hours of interviews with the greatest photographers of the 20th century, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lisette Model, Gordon Parks, Cecil Beaton, William Albert Allard, Brian Lanker, Cornell Capa, Bruce Davidson and Eliot Porter. When Rachel threads in the audio reels and presses play, she hears her mother’s voice for the first time since she was a baby. Sheila Turner-Seed, a daring, world-traveling journalist ahead of her time, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm when Rachel was just 18 months old. Moved to uncover more of what

Laemmle Theatres' weekly series of fresh international films, Worldwide Wednesdays! Most are newer obscure films that we want to bring to a broader L.A. audience, screening in multiple venues all over L.A. County so cinephiles will not have to schlep to a single location. The films, however, come from many thousands of miles away! Screenings are Wednesday evenings with encore showings on Saturday and Sunday mornings.PERFECT ENDINGS June 4, 7 & 8. After a decade-long relationship ends, filmmaker João finds himself at a crossroads in both his personal and professional lives. While trying to break into the film industry, he ends up directing amateur

There are movies. There is cinema. And then there is auteur cinema. All are best experienced theatrically, but the last category, in particular, necessitates the big screen, the darkness, the audience of strangers. Next week, we are thrilled to once again unveil Ran, the 27th film by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Hidden Fortress).In its epic scale, stylistic grandeur and tragic contemplation of human destiny, Ran (literally, “chaos” or “turmoil”) brings together the great themes and gorgeous images of the director’s life work. A brilliantly conceived meditation on Shakespeare’s King Lear crossed with Japan’s

If you are in need of some escapism that piques rather than insults your intelligence, we strongly recommend the new French rom-com Jane Austen Wrecked My Life. We open it May 23 at the Royal and May 30 at all but one of our other theaters. (Its writer-director, Laura Piani, is interviewed on the latest episode of Inside the Arthouse.)Variety's Chief Film Critic Peter Debruge perfectly captures the film's charms in his review, whose subhead reads "Laura Piani’s splendid debut balances reality with the effervescent charm of vintage swooners."Debruge's review is worth quoting at length:"A diet of romantic literature is a recipe for disappointment in

They “alchemized pain and misfortune into profound art.” ~ Jessica Baxter, Hammer to Nail"She just loved sex."It’s not the first laugh of surprise in I Know Catherine, the Log Lady, and it isn’t the last. The tone of the film — lively, fast-paced, underscored with original jazz and blues, and always embracing the absurdity of life — might seem a contrast to it’s subject.Beginning its weeklong run in Glendale this Friday, May 9, I Know Catherine tells the story of what it took for Catherine Coulson to film her final scenes as the Log Lady for David Lynch and Twin Peaks, the Return. Just after The Return was announced, Coulson, in her 22nd year