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“I want to show the soft parts of the people who look like me. I want to show the sensitive bits that show up, not when we are in danger or inferior but when we are in love.” Rachael Abigail Holder on representing Blackness in her new film, LOVE, BROOKLYN.

August 24, 2025 by Jordan Deglise Moore Leave a Comment

In Rachael Abigail Holder’s new romantic drama, Love, Brooklyn, three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city. We are proud to open the film September 5 at the Laemmle Royal and Glendale.

Ms. Holder wrote the following about Love, Brooklyn:

“On a bike ride, when the sun shines and the breeze hits my face, I can easily cry at the beauty in the ordinary. I am a highly sensitive person. I also happen to be Black. When I first read the script, I saw a timeless story about the wrestle that is love, and I also saw myself. The screenplay was written by Paul Zimmerman about the relationships he had while he was young. But I pictured Black people and the present day. As a filmmaker, I want to tell stories about sensitive Black people who cry and feel, in life not tragic or saccharine. What I read felt like the perfect story.

“I was seven months pregnant during production. When my now eleven-month-old baby hears music in a minor key, or if my extended family and I, which we often do, sing in unison, she will tear up. It is easy for her to deeply soften. I am proud of our movie because it is a story about people with brown skin who soften easily. I hope to expand the representation of what it means to be Black and what’s cool about this moment of inclusion in storytelling is that I don’t have to try to represent Blackness as a whole or all Black people. I can be really specific with how I see people, how they love, hide from love and ultimately show up for it. I want to show the soft parts of the people who look like me. I want to show the sensitive bits that show up, not when we are in danger or inferior but when we are in love.”

 "I want to show the soft parts of the people who look like me. I want to show the sensitive bits that show up, not when we are in danger or inferior but when we are in love." Rachael Abigail Holder on representing Blackness in her new film, LOVE, BROOKLYN.

“A low-key romantic odyssey that simmers with intimate heat while acting as a loving character study of the beloved, always evolving neighborhood.” ~ Murtada Elfadl, Variety

“Brooklyn has never looked lovelier than in Holder’s soulful debut.” ~ Elizabeth Weitzman, TheWrap

“Love, Brooklyn is a charming and thoughtful meditation on love and change in a city that never stays the same.” ~ Roberto Tyler Ortiz, Loud and Clear Reviews
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"I want to show the soft parts of the people who look like me. I want to show the sensitive bits that show up, not when we are in danger or inferior but when we are in love." Rachael Abigail Holder on representing Blackness in her new film, LOVE, BROOKLYN.
“This is such a beautiful discovery, and I had such a warm & wonderful experience watching this at its world premiere at Sundance.” ~ Alex Billington, FirstShowing.net
*

“Love, Brooklyn is an intricate and beautifully crafted work of art that’s quietly meditative and lovingly told.” ~ Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

“Although it operates on a generally low boil, Love, Brooklyn comes to resemble the pot of water on the stove that starts out feeling like a warm bath and the result ends up sizzling.” ~ Stephen Saito, Moveable Fest

Leave a Comment Filed Under: News, Director's Statement, Featured Films, Filmmaker's Statement, Films, Glendale, Press, Royal, Theater Buzz

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🚀 PROJECT HAIL MARY, AN EPIC PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY! 🚀 PROJECT HAIL MARY, AN EPIC PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY!
👉 ENTER in BIO!

#ProjectHailMary — starring Academy Award® nominee Ryan Gosling and directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Based on Andy Weir's New York Times best-selling novel.

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For the 21st consecutive year, Laemmle will be scr For the 21st consecutive year, Laemmle will be screening the Oscar-Nominated Short Films, opening on Feb. 20th. Showcasing the best short films from around the world, the 2026 Oscar®-Nominated Shorts includes three feature-length programs, one for each Academy Award® Short Film category: Animated, Documentary and Live Action.

ANIMATED SHORTS: (Estimated Running Time: 83 mins)
The Three Sisters
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Butterfly
Retirement Plan
 
LIVE ACTION SHORTS (Estimated Running Time: 119 minutes)
The Singers
A Friend Of Dorothy
Butcher’s Stain
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Jane Austin’s Period Drama

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS (Estimated Running Time: 158 minutes)
Perfectly A Strangeness
The Devil Is Busy
Armed Only With A Camera: The Life And Death Of Brent Renaud
All The  Empty Rooms
Children No More: “Were And Are Gone”

Please note that some films may not be appropriate for audiences under the age of 14 due to gun violence, shootings, language and animated nudity.
❤️ Laemmle be your Valentine ❤️ and enjoy a FREE S ❤️ Laemmle be your Valentine ❤️ and enjoy a FREE Sweet Treat 🍭 on Valentine's Day! Like this post and show at the concessions stand for One Free Candy w/purchase of any combo! (2/14 only)
For Tickets and Locations 🎟️ laemmle.com
🎟️🎟️ A Fond Farewell to the Claremont 5 The Clare 🎟️🎟️
A Fond Farewell to the Claremont 5

The Claremont 5 has been a meaningful part of our company’s history and, more importantly, of a community that showed up again and again for independent, foreign, and specialty films. 

You showed up for small films, challenging films, and films that sparked discussion long after the credits rolled. Together, you made this theater more than a building—You made it a gathering place.

While this chapter is ending, our gratitude endures. So thank you, Claremont, for your curiosity, your loyalty, and for allowing us to be part of your moviegoing lives.

Our story continues ...
https://laem.ly/claremont
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Laemmle Theatres

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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/artfully-united | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | ARTFULLY UNITED is a celebration of the power of positivity and a reminder that hope can sometimes grow in the most unlikely of places. As artist Mike Norice creates a series of inspirational murals in under-served neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles, the Artfully United Tour transforms from a simple idea on a wall to a community of artists and activists coming together to heal and uplift a city.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/artfully-united

RELEASE DATE: 10/17/2025
Director: Dave Benner
Cast: Mike Norice

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/brides | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | Nadia Fall's compelling debut feature offers a powerful and empathetic look into the lives of two alienated teenage girls, Doe and Muna, who leave the U.K. for Syria in search of purpose and belonging. By humanizing its protagonists and exploring the complex interplay of vulnerability, societal pressures, and digital manipulation, BRIDES challenges simplistic explanations of radicalization.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/brides

RELEASE DATE: 9/24/2025
Director: Nadia Fall

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
Like LAEMMLE on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/3Qspq7Z
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/writing-hawa | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | Afghan documentary maker Najiba Noori offers not only a loving and intimate portrait of her mother Hawa, but also shows in detail how the arduous improvement of the position of women is undone by geopolitical violence. The film follows the fortunes of Noori’s family, who belong to the Hazaras, an ethnic group that has suffered greatly from discrimination and persecution.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/writing-hawa

RELEASE DATE: 10/8/2025

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
Like LAEMMLE on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/3Qspq7Z
Follow LAEMMLE on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/3O6adYv
Follow LAEMMLE on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/3y2j1cp
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