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“I set out to make a film about solidarity and finding the small gestures of kindness and understanding between strangers and family alike.” Levan Akin on his film CROSSING, opening July 19 at the Royal.

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Next week at the Royal we open Crossing, the acclaimed new film by the Swedish-Georgian director Levan Akin (And Then We Danced). It follows Lia, a retired teacher living in Georgia, as she tries to fulfill a promise to find her long-lost niece, Tekla. The search takes her to Istanbul, a beautiful city that seems full of connections and possibilities. There she meets Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights, and Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.
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Akin will attend the July 20 evening screening for a Q&A.
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“A piercing portrait of forgiveness across generations…Dumanli, making her screen feature debut here, is a pure joy to watch, enveloping the movie in a sense of warm coziness and safety as, just being in her presence, you feel like everything will somehow work out.” ~ Ryan Lattanzio, indieWire

“It’s seductive, fragmented, involving.” ~ Fionnuala Halligan, Screen International

"I set out to make a film about solidarity and finding the small gestures of kindness and understanding between strangers and family alike." Levan Akin on his film CROSSING, opening July 19 at the Royal.

“Akin makes a calculated choice to raise awareness of the trans community in Istanbul, but he does so through representation rather than manipulation.” ~ Peter Debruge, Variety

“This novelistic drama takes time to connect its central triangle but does so with a suppleness and restraint that amplify the emotional rewards of its lovely open-ended conclusion.” ~ David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

"I set out to make a film about solidarity and finding the small gestures of kindness and understanding between strangers and family alike." Levan Akin on his film CROSSING, opening July 19 at the Royal.

Director’s statement: With Crossing I set out to make a film about solidarity and finding the small gestures of kindness and understanding between strangers and family alike. I also wanted to show rooms and places that are rarely explored in stories from the region. 

The film is based on a true story I was told whilst researching And Then We Danced, about a grandmother traveling from Georgia to Turkey in search of her trans granddaughter. Just like with my previous film, making Crossing was very challenging. The existence of LGBTQ+ people in Georgia and Turkey is under large pressure and Turkey’s president Erdogan ran most of his  recent presidential campaign around anti-LGBTQ+ rhetorics. 

"I set out to make a film about solidarity and finding the small gestures of kindness and understanding between strangers and family alike." Levan Akin on his film CROSSING, opening July 19 at the Royal.

In my film we follow retired schoolteacher Lia who is looking to fulfill her recently deceased sister’s dying wish – to find her lost trans daughter, Tekla. Together with a down on his luck  young man, Achi, who claims to have Tekla’s address in Istanbul, she travels from Georgia to  Turkey to find her niece. Lia and Achi are from different generations and as such don’t have  much in common even though they live in the same country. There is a great divide of ideology in Georgia between the Soviet and the post-Soviet generation. Achi desperately wants to leave Georgia as he lives under the oppressive rule of his older brother and he knows there is no future in Georgia for his young western leaning generation. 

As the journey unravels, so does Lia. Through her relationship to Achi and her encounters with  the trans community in Istanbul, specifically with Evrim (a trans woman who works as a lawyer for an NGO in Istanbul), Lia begins to open up and see the world and her place in it differently. All three main characters have made great sacrifices in limiting their lives and inhibitions in order to not upset the ruling hegemony. 

"I set out to make a film about solidarity and finding the small gestures of kindness and understanding between strangers and family alike." Levan Akin on his film CROSSING, opening July 19 at the Royal.

I myself am Georgian born in Sweden (my ancestry is from Batumi), and I have ties to Turkey (both my parents were born there). The journey from Batumi in Georgia, along the Black Sea to Istanbul is a journey I have taken many times myself as a child. I am a mix of many cultures, traditions and norms and the themes of modernity versus tradition are very personal and  something I have struggled with myself. I drew a lot from my own experiences, asking myself if  my grandparents were living today, would they accept me for who I am? Probably not – but in  showing these examples of acceptance I hope to inspire new ways forward.

Agnieszka Holland’s unforgettable new film GREEN BORDER opens Friday at the Royal.

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We are proud to open filmmaker Agnieszka Holland’s powerful new film Green Border this Friday at the Royal Theater in West L.A. Thirty years after her Oscar-nominated film Europa Europa, Green Border is set in the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called “green border” between Belarus and Poland. Here refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Finding themselves pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life; Jan, a young border guard; and a Syrian family intertwine.

“By replicating the process of dehumanization, the film’s form forces us to confront our own inaction. Green Border is unforgettable, in all senses of the word.” ~ Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture

The “cruelty can be shocking, and while there are moments in this tough movie when I wept, the rigor of Holland’s filmmaking, and the steadfastness of her compassion, help steady you as a viewer.” ~ Manohla Dargis, New York Times
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“A heart-in-mouth thriller… Agnieszka Holland‘s bruisingly powerful new refugee drama ultimately comes from a place of optimism.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety

Agnieszka Holland's unforgettable new film GREEN BORDER opens Friday at the Royal.

“A righteous, infuriating and woefully compelling watch.” – Laura Babiak, Observer

“Profoundly moving, flawlessly executed… if cinema is an empathy machine, to paraphrase the late Roger Ebert, then Agnieszka Holland‘s new film is one precision-tooled specimen.” – Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

“A humanitarian masterpiece.” – Damon Wise, Deadline

“A rapturous cinematic experience,” JANET PLANET opens Friday at the Laemmle Royal, Town Center, and Glendale.

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From film critic Tim Grierson’s recent L.A. Times profile of Janet Planet star Julianne Nicholson:
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“When she was 18, Julianne Nicholson came to New York City to model but quickly grew tired of that — she knew she wanted to act. “I was waitressing and just living my best life,” she says over Zoom, smiling, from A24’s Manhattan offices. “I was basically being a young person in New York without a care in the world. It was wildly different from Janet Planet.” She’s referring to the wonderful new film set during summer 1991 in which she stars — a film that, like Nicholson, doesn’t put on airs but is capable of small miracles. Since its premiere at Telluride, Janet Planet, the debut feature of acclaimed playwright Annie Baker, has been the sort of understated indie revelation that discriminating viewers excitedly share with their friends like a gift.

“Now finally opening in New York on Friday, with the Los Angeles release planned for June 28, Janet Planet is ready for its grand unveiling — and, in a sense, so is the marvelous Nicholson, an Emmy winner who has read the same stories about her that you have.

“Normally, the first thing that’s said about me is ‘underused,’ ‘underappreciated,’ ‘overlooked,’” says Nicholson, with a heard-it-all grin, At age 52, she tries to ignore other people’s perception of her fame and how much more massive they think it ought to be. “Normally, I’m fine with it because I continue to work. But every once in a while, I feel like, ‘Oh, my God. I’m so tired — am I still trying to get people’s attention?’”

“Those who have worked with Nicholson need not be reminded of her greatness or the way she makes her artistry invisible. Just don’t expect them to explain why Nicholson isn’t a huge star. When I ask Baker in a separate interview why she thinks the actor isn’t more renowned, she’s mystified that the industry can’t see what she and so many others do. “I find that really perverse,” Baker, 43, replies. “I’m outside of the Hollywood machine, and in my world, Julianne is a mega-celebrity.””

 Click here to read the rest of Mr. Grierson’s profile.
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“There is no way to predict what will strike a chord, or an arrow into your heart, but one thing is certain: the temporal, emotional, and sensory experience of Janet Planet is a uniquely rare gift that needs to be seen and savored.” ~ Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
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“Janet Planet is a brilliant debut for Baker, who doesn’t so much translate her artistry to the screen as discover a whole new frontier for her singular sensibility.” ~ Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times

“It’s the kind of minimalist, yet emotionally rich memory piece that’s so quietly attuned to people, place and the passing of time that, ironically, it makes you want to shout hosannahs from a mountaintop until you’re hoarse.” ~ David Fear, Rolling Stone

“Whether you’re a longtime fan of Annie Baker’s plays, or meeting her work for the first time, Janet Planet is a rapturous cinematic experience.” ~ Drew Gregory, Autostraddle

I USED TO BE FUNNY starring Rachel Sennott opens Friday.

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Actress Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby, Bottoms) returns to Laemmle screens this Friday at the Monica Film Center, NoHo 7 and Town Center 5 with I Used to Be Funny. She plays an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD as she decides whether or not to join the search for Brooke (Olga Petsa), a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.
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“Rachel Sennott has the greatest face. It cannot lie, no matter what her characters are saying. That honesty makes her ideal for films with tricky tones… And it’s essential to I Used to Be Funny.” – Johanna Schneller, Globe and Mail
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“In her film debut, [writer-director Ally Pankiw] delivers a full and fulfilling narrative arc that is anchored by a surprisingly complex performance from Sennott.” – Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

“Pankiw and Sennott bring Sam’s story to life with an inventive yet sensitive approach, creating a sympathetic portrait of someone learning to cope with the tragedies of life and embrace their funny side despite it all.” – Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

“A former stand-up herself, Sennott holds a stage with command.” – Amy Nicholson, New York Times

“Healing is not linear, and I Used to Be Funny adeptly displays that process, exploring Sam’s pain without making the experience of watching the film painful, and honestly refreshing exploration of a subject that’s so often brutal to witness.” – Jenny Nulf, Austin Chronicle

“Sennott is perfectly cast, portraying Sam as simultaneously lifeless and hilarious with her default blasé attitude and dry-wit humor.” – Weiting Liu, Little White Lies

The “unequivocally beautiful” Senegalese film BANEL & ADAMA opens Friday at the Royal.

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A rare debut feature that premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and Senegal’s official submission to the 96th Academy Awards, Banel & Adama is a lush and lyrical West African dreamscape, a tragic romance that soars to the heights of longing and descends deep into the realm of myth as it sets its protagonists’ perfect everlasting love on a collision course with their community’s traditions. We’re proud to open it this Friday at the Royal. Click here to see the trailer.

“Unequivocally beautiful. Sy paints breathtaking scenes with her camera, demonstrating a gorgeous way of seeing the world.” – Lovia Gyarke, Hollywood Reporter

“A striking debut that puts Sy on the map. The combination of ethereal voiceover with nature at its most breathtaking evokes our cinema’s philosophical high priest, Terrence Malick.” – Sophie Monks Kaufman, Indiewire

 The "unequivocally beautiful" Senegalese film BANEL & ADAMA opens Friday at the Royal.

“Transfixing… a tragic, evocative love story.” – Robert Daniels, OkayAfrica

“In Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s impressive debut, she’s saying we’re more than flesh and blood – and that if things are falling apart, we can still make sense of it because we’re storytellers.” – Steve Pond, TheWrap

“The directorial debut of French-Senegalese filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy, this is one of those pictures to which the phrase “every frame a painting” might apply.” – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
The "unequivocally beautiful" Senegalese film BANEL & ADAMA opens Friday at the Royal.

“A cosmic love story. With its balletic choreography of performance and statuesque visual approach, Sy’s film is a work of remarkable composition.”  – Little White Lies

“Wonderfully photographed and vehemently acted, the film is full of ideas. An impressive piece of work from a natural filmmaker.” – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

“It really gets under your skin.” – Damon Wise, Deadline

“It’s a remarkable performance from Mane, who conveys the mutinous, deluded anger in a young woman who would bend the world around her to her will if she could.” – Wendy Ide, Screen International

“If it is indeed Loach’s farewell, it’s one hell of a fine note to go out on.” THE OLD OAK opens Friday.

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The 28th feature directed by renowned British filmmaker Ken Loach follows a once-vibrant mining town’s response to the arrival of a group of Syrian refugees. TJ, the amiable proprietor of the titular pub – the last meeting point left in town – struggles to keep his more narrow-minded local clientele amid prejudice as he befriends these new residents, in particular a Syrian photographer, Yara. As he has over his six-decade career, Loach gives compassionate voice to the oppressed – both the Syrian migrants as well as the out-of-work locals — in this, the concluding chapter of his Northeast England trilogy (following I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You) and his self-proclaimed final film. 

Laemmle Theatres is proud to open The Old Oak this Friday, April 12 at the Royal, Town Center and Claremont and April 19 at our Glendale theater.

“It’s as engrossing, thoughtful, heartfelt, angry, hopeful, and altogether valuable as his best work. If it is indeed Loach’s farewell, it’s one hell of a fine note to go out on.” ~ Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

“With The Old Oak, Ken Loach goes out with one last, full-throated call for brotherhood and solidarity. It’s the most hopeful the old soldier’s been in years.” ~ Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture

“A film as fired up and human as any you’ll see this year.” – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out 

"If it is indeed Loach's farewell, it's one hell of a fine note to go out on.” THE OLD OAK opens Friday.

“Ken Loach’s fierce final call for compassion and solidarity… He is the fierce plain-speaker of political indignation with a style that is unironised and unadorned… It is a filmmaking language utterly without the cynical twang that is de rigueur for everyone else…I hope that this isn’t Loach’s final film, but if it is, he has concluded with a ringing statement of faith in compassion for the oppressed.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)

“[Loach] could hardly have delivered a more resonant, timely or indeed angry swansong than this feature which takes up arms against the decay of national compassion.” – Jonathan Romney, Screen International

“What Loach adds to this scenario, as he’s done in most of his films, is a natural intimacy that goes beyond the issues to bring something human and emotional to the table… Working with screenwriter Paul Laverty, who’s been the auteur’s trusted scribe ever since Carla’s Song in 1996, Loach builds up to such emotional high points through a slow-burn narrative that sets up all the conflicts and then has them play out as naturally as possible…as if he were capturing real life as it happened, with cinematographer Robbie Ryan (American Honey) adding a dose of warmth and color to the drab town setting.” – Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

“A poignant and moving coda to a career spent chronicling personal indignities amid broader social ills like poverty and unemployment.” ~ Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press

“In place of magical thinking and a happy ending, “The Old Oak” serves up something harder: a meditation on hope.” ~ Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

“The chemistry between Turner and Mari leads to a relationship rarely seen in cinema.” ~ Sophie Monks Kaufman, indieWire

“The film unfolds with a fierce crackle. And a wide lens is in play alongside the micro close-up.” ~ Danny Leigh, Financial Times

“Loach’s faith in the human capacity for empathy prevails in the end. Best of all, he brings off this optimistic flourish without the taint of sentimentality.” ~ Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald

Woody Allen’s acclaimed 50th movie, COUP DE CHANCE, opens April 5.

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We open Woody Allen’s French film Coup de Chance April 5 at the Claremont, Monica Film Center and Town Center. The Paris-set romantic comedy-thriller follows the seemingly happily married Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud). But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former high school classmate, things take a turn. Critics have lauded the movie:
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“The film has a jaunty tone of deadpan glee, abetted by its soundtrack of ’60s jazz nuggets …the movie is absorbing, thrilling, and cheekily satisfying…as a culture, I wouldn’t be too surprised if we found ourselves debating whether the time has come to give Woody Allen, as a filmmaker, another coup de chance.” ~ Owen Gleiberman, Variety
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“Woody Allen’s 50th movie is striking and looks superb.” ~ Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline

“It’s a tight 90-minute murder mystery with a surprise ending that will blow you away.” ~ Roger Friedman, Showbiz 411

“Allen’s trademark philosophical asides and well-tuned one-liners fit neatly into French …Vittorio Storaro’s amber lighting setups nicely burnish the film’s languid stretches of love in the afternoon.” ~ Ben Croll, TheWrap

“Coup de Chance is indeed the best thing that Allen has made in years, certainly since Blue Jasmine in 2013.” ~ Kevin Maher, Times (UK)
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“A mischievous thriller.” ~ Caroline Vié, 20 Minutes
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“Lou de Laâge is a perfect Allenian heroine, spicy and irresistible.” ~ Barbara Théate, Le Journal du Dimanche
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“Coup de Chance is the 50th film Allen has ­directed and one of his best. It was made in France and is, to all intents and purposes, a French movie.” ~ David Stratton, The Australian
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“A tight and effective French-language thriller that is also, among other things, the world’s longest mother-in-law joke.” ~ Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
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“Coup de Chance is not a major reinvention, but it does have more spirit and joie de vivre than anything Allen has done in a while.” ~ Jonathan Romney, Screen International

“Given his otherwise grim recent form, Allen himself may have simply got lucky with this one, but the charm and sparkle here are real.” ~ Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK)

Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat in the mesmerizing DRIFT, opening Friday at the Monica Film Center.

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From the producers of Call Me By Your Name and Nomadland, Drift follows Jacqueline (Cynthia Erivo), a refugee on a Greek island. As she tries to survive, cope with her past and gather  strength, she begins a healing friendship with a rootless tour guide (Alia Shawkat). We open the film this Friday at the Monica Film Center.
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“Erivo’s screen debut as a producer and one of her most impressive screen performances to date.” ~ David Canfield, Vanity Fair
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“Drift, a patient character study set on a craggy Greek island, proves a mesmerizing showcase for the actress Cynthia Erivo’s talents.” ~ Natalia Winkelman, New York Times
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Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat in the mesmerizing DRIFT, opening Friday at the Monica Film Center.

“Drift is measured, sensitive and devastating, and works just the way it is.” ~ Alexandra Heller-NicholasAWFJ.org

“Erivo is such an intuitive and understated performer, and Chen so nuanced in his own approach, that Drift never feels didactic.” ~ Peter Debruge, Variety

Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat in the mesmerizing DRIFT, opening Friday at the Monica Film Center.

“Erivo’s full-bodied commitment to the role, capturing how even the worst experiences can become a part of you, results in a performance so powerful that it’s occasionally too difficult to watch.” ~ Siddhant Adlakha, indieWire

“Solemn and stirring.” ~ David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
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Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat in the mesmerizing DRIFT, opening Friday at the Monica Film Center.

“Not only has Singapore director Anthony Chen set himself a tough task in this ambitious adaptation, he has also notably succeeded in making viewers see the world through very different eyes.” ~ Todd McCarthy, Deadline Hollywood Daily