Dear Laemmle Fans,
When the actual news is so dramatic, movies can seem trivial by comparison. But they also provide relief – art “imitates” nature, and can help you make better sense of current events. So take a break from the news cycle, and let Laemmle Virtual Cinema be your guide. Heading into Awards season, there’s never been a better time to shop our wide selection of high quality offerings.
On that note… we begin today’s new virtual releases with Some Kind of Heaven, a delightful and philosophical documentary about the age-resistant residents of America’s largest (and most infamous) retirement community: The Villages, Florida. There’s also Acasa, My Home, which follows a large Romanian family as they struggle to conform to life in the city, after their generational family land is claimed by the government as a National Park.
Next up is Rock Camp, which (as its name implies) concerns the men, women, and children who attend an interactive summer camp to learn from their musical heroes. Other documentaries include Film About a Father Who, a personal cinematic memoir from filmmaker Lynne Sachs, and They Call Me Babu, which reconstructs a young Indonesian woman’s journey using archived footage. We’re also re-opening your Favorite Film of last year, the timely bio-doc John Lewis: Good Trouble.
It’s also a great week for narrative releases, including a never-better Sam Neill in the clever new Australian comedy Rams. There’s also the poignant German drama My Little Sister, starring Nina Hoss, alongside the heartfelt romance The Wake of Light, from indie filmmaker Renji Philip. And for those who missed its initial release, we’ve brought back Miss Juneteenth, in response to the film’s recent Best Actress Gotham Award for Nicole Beharie.
I’m impressed that even during a period of massive shutdowns and closures across the industry, the global film trade has continued to churn out such high quality, unique, and memorable new titles. And while it pains me that we can’t exhibit these films on the big screen where they belong, I’m nevertheless grateful for their availability online (and for your overwhelming support of our digital efforts thus far).
Lastly, I’d like to pay homage to British filmmaker Michael Apted, who passed away last week. He was perhaps best known as the prolific documentarian behind the continuation of the septennial Up Series, although his versatility as an artist extended far beyond that capacity. His biopic Coal Miner’s Daughter was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, and his 1982 Neo-western Thunderheart will always be a personal favorite. Mr. Apted’s legacy will survive in the continued viewing and study of his films, for many years to come.
All the best,
Greg Laemmle
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