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30th Annual Spirit Award Nominees Announced; Indiewire on How Film Independent Went “Off the Rails” (in a Good Way) with their Choices; John Waters Mouths “Happy Birthday”

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The Spirit Awards turn 30 next February 21, and lots of the film we’ve shown, are showing or will show are up for shiny hardware. BIRDMAN and BOYHOOD are the worthy nominees with the most nods, but other terrific, startlingly original films you can see at Laemmle Theatres include CITIZENFOUR, MOMMY, WHIPLASH, SELMA, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT and more. John Waters, a frequent host of the proceedings, calls it his “kind of crowd…sexually confused…and financially challenged.” Here are his birthday wishes for Spirit Awards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6FtXE3uoSU

Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson of Indiewire are pleased with Film Independent’s Choices, which they think are a return to the organization’s non-conformist roots. (Last year the Spirit Awards and Oscars were carbon copies of each other in most of the major categories.) Listen to their conversation.

Big Fundraising Push for a Wildlife Corridor Across the 101 in Agoura: Let’s All Help Our Cougars and Other SoCal Megafauna

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There are many amazing things about Southern California and one of them is the fact that we live in incredibly close proximity to serious megafauna like mountain lions, dolphins and bears. Even though Los Angeles and the surrounding communities constitute one of the world’s greatest megalopolises, creatures like cougars have managed to cope and survive. Freeways are a major problem however. For years wildlife activists and transportation officials have been lobbying for strategically located wildlife corridors to help animals safely cross the freeways that crisscross their habitat. Now the National Wildlife Federation is ramping up efforts to build the first such crossing, which are key to these magnificent animals’ survival. Click here to learn more, get involved and donate, and click here to see a brief but awesome video of a family of cougars filmed in the mountains above Glendora just last month.

Big Fundraising Push for a Wildlife Corridor Across the 101 in Agoura: Let's All Help Our Cougars and Other SoCal Megafauna
Mountain lion "P22" with the Los Angeles skyline in the background. Photo by Steve Winter.

 

AFTERMATH Q&A’s at the Town Center with Anthony Michael Hall and Elisabeth Röhm

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AFTERMATH Q&A's at the Town Center with Anthony Michael Hall and Elisabeth Röhm
Anthony Michael Hall

AFTERMATH stars Anthony Michael Hall and Elisabeth Röhm, filmmaker Thomas Farone, producer/co-writer Sean Boyle, executive producer Jonathan Brandstein, associate producer Michalina Scorzelli, and composer David Kitay will participate in Q&A’s at the Town Center after the 3 and 7:40 PM screenings on opening day, Friday, December 5.

Anthony Michael Hall plays the owner of a profitable construction company whose perfect life is interrupted when a charismatic ex-convict Tony Bricker (Chris Penn) is fired and his foreman (Jamie Harrold) goes missing.

http://vimeo.com/111799054

THE INVISIBLE FRONT Q&A’s this Weekend at the Music Hall

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Winner of the Audience Award at the international film festival “Kino Pavasaris” in Vilnius 2014, THE INVISIBLE FRONT is the story of one of the 20th centuries most significant anti-Soviet resistance movements, told through the words and experiences of Juozas Luksa and his fellow Forest Brothers. Their war was completely unknown to the public in the West. The Soviet Security forces, fighting against them, dubbed the conflict “The Invisible Front.”

THE INVISIBLE FRONT filmmakers Vincas Sruoginis, Jonas Ohman, and Mark Johnston will participate in Q&A’s after the 7 PM screenings at the Music Hall on Friday and Saturday, November 21 and 22.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUfIuzZLDGk

 

Operation Firefly Goes Live!

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Operation Firefly Goes Live! With the help of the LAEMMLE FOUNDATION, our friends at the LACBC (Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition) are it again!  They’re hitting the streets and making Southland roads safer by distributing free bicycle lights.  It’s all part of their annual OPERATION FIREFLY.

Here’s how it works: LACBC’s street team descends (unannounced) upon a surprise location that typically experiences a high volume of cyclists during the peak commute hours of 5-7pm.  With the recent turning back of the clock, these are dark hours, perfect for sussing out bicycles in need of lights. Operation Firefly volunteers stop any non-illuminated cyclist and offer to install high-quality front and rear LED lights completely free of charge! In addition to the lights, recipients receive an informational “spoke card” that explains the laws for riding at night and includes vital safety tips.

This year, thousands of lights will be given away through over 25 distribution events across the L.A region including multiple sites in the valley, city, and all the way down to Long Beach. The program continues until we turn the clock forward in March.

Distribution site are not announced in advance. But you can get the scoop the day of a giveaway by subscribing to the LACBC’s Twitter Feed.   And all those who include #OperationFirefly in their social media posts during the run of the program will be eligible to win prizes such as LACBC memberships, Operation Firefly Merchandise, and Laemmle prizes (including movie tickets).

As mentioned above, this year the Laemmle Foundation is proud to be the primary sponsor of Operation Firefly. With the support of the Foundation, LACBC is striving to double the number of lights distributed in 2014 from the previous year.

Operation Firefly Goes Live!
Greg Laemmle volunteers at this season's inaugural Operation Firefly distribution a the NoHo Metro station just blocks away from the NoHo 7.

LACBC Programs Director
COLIN BOGART remarks, “We are thrilled to have the Laemmle Foundation as our ‘guiding light’ for Operation Firefly this year.”
He continues, “And by making city streets safer for cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists, we’re pleased to be doing our part in fulfilling the foundation’s aim of ‘projecting a brighter future for L.A.'”

As part of our involvement, Laemmle volunteers will be on-hand at a number of the distributions to assist in the light give-aways and perhaps even give away samples of our world-famous popcorn!  Stay current with our Operation Firefly involvement and other happenings via Twitter at — twitter.com/laemmle.  And be sure to stay connected with the Laemmle Foundation and join the conversation via #laemmlegiving.

You can support Operation Firefly by “gifting” a set of lights, buying program merch (very cool cycling caps and vests!) or through simple donations.  Get all the details HERE.

Italy’s Great Toni Servillo Returns to U.S. Screens in VIVA LA LIBERTA

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Many U.S. arthouse moviegoers were wowed last year when they were introduced to Toni Servillo, one of Italy’s finest actors, in The Great Beauty. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Next Friday the 28th we are excited to open Mr. Servillo’s latest film to make the journey from overseas, VIVA LA LIBERTA. Servillo plays Enrico Oliveri, a politician who realizes that the decline of his party is inevitable and decides to disappear, fleeing to Paris to find peace in the home of his ex-girlfriend Danielle (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) while creating a panic within the party. His top aide and his wife decide to contact his twin brother, a genius philosopher suffering from bi-polar disorder and living in a psychiatric institution. The three of them concoct a dangerous plan.

We will open VIVA LA LIBERTA at the Royal, Playhouse and Town Center on Friday, November 21.

http://www.vimeo.com/106627472
Italy's Great Toni Servillo Returns to U.S. Screens in VIVA LA LIBERTA
Toni Servillo

BRAHMIN BULLS Q&A’s this Weekend at the Playhouse

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In BRAHMIN BULLS, when Ashok makes a surprise trip to L.A. to visit his estranged son, the two begin a journey to mend their relationship until Sid discovers that his father has actually come in search of an old flame.  Starring Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes, Beauty and the Beast), Roshan Seth (Gandhi), Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen (The Help), Justin Bartha (The Hangover), and Academy Award nominated Michael Lerner (Barton Fink), BRAHMIN BULLS is a heartfelt and humorous look at the ever-evolving relationship between a father and son, the women in their lives, and the powerful secrets they keep.
The BRAHMIN BULLS filmmakers will participate in Q&A’s all weekend at the Playhouse: they will answer audience member’s questions after the 11/21, 22, and 23 7 PM screenings, as well as after the 1:20 PM show on Sunday the 23rd.
11/21 – Cassidy Freeman (actor), Mahesh Pailoor (director), Anu Pradhan (co-writer), Yoshi Tsuji (producer);
11/22 – Presented by Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Gingger Shankar (Composer), Mahesh Pailoor (director), Anu Pradhan (co-writer);
11/23 (1:20 PM) – Mahesh Pailoor (director), Anu Pradhan (co-writer);
11/23 (7 PM) – Presented by the Indian Film Festival Los Angeles, Mahesh Pailoor (director), Anu Pradhan (co-writer).