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Dear Laemmle Fans,

Exactly seven months have passed since the first case of Coronavirus was identified in the United States, and it’s become harder to remember what life was like back then. We’ve done our best since to keep bringing you new arthouse cinema every week, but I can’t say I don’t miss the big screen. If only there was a way to download the smell of hot buttered popcorn (pick-up concessions coming soon)…

Today’s new releases include documentaries Desert One, about the U.S. Government’s failed 1980 attempt to end the Iranian hostage crisis, and Love Express, about the little-known-career of visionary Polish director Walerian Borwczyk. There’s also a variety of foreign-language narrative films, including The August Virgin from Spain, Watch List from the Philippines, African Violet from Iran, and three new titles presented by the French Institute Alliance Francaise.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for August 21 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

                                   

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

Although Los Angeles cinemas remain closed until further notice from the county, next week hints at a return to normalcy, as the first major studio film since March is released theatrically. Local cases are also down from their previous high last month, and the Dodgers are humming along in second place. Things could certainly be better… but it’s important to note the silver linings in between.

First up this week on Laemmle Virtual Cinema is the must-see concert film Jazz on a Summer’s Day, recorded in 1958. The film features countless soon-to-become legends and was a favorite of my grandfather, company founder Max Laemmle. There’s also new documentaries about fashion designer Martin Margiela, and the importance of local elections in the United States. Narrative releases include The Bay of Silence (starring Brian Cox, Claes Bang, and Olga Kurylenko), as well as Lingua Franca, presented by Ava DuVernay’s Array.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for August 14 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

                               

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

Our thoughts are with the citizens of Lebanon today, as they contend with the crisis caused by Tuesday’s disaster. For those who are able to, here is a list of meaningful ways you can help.

In other news, it has now been 20 long weeks since the closure of local cinemas, and the launch of our online program. And while I wish more had changed since then, I’m grateful to see our local curve begin to flatten. As a reminder, we can all make a difference by wearing masks, washing our hands, and maintaining social distance when appropriate.

New on Laemmle Virtual Cinema this week, we have the Norwegian drama Out Stealing Horses, featuring an exceptional performance from a never-better Stellan Skarsgard, as well as My Dog Stupid, starring real-life French couple Yvan Attal and Charlotte Gainsbourg. On the documentary side, there are new releases on rock ‘n’ roll magazines, Iranian detainees, and a journalist fighting for freedom of the press in the Philippines.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for August 7 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

                            

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

Day by day, our country continues to reckon with the new realities of living through a pandemic. The return of baseball has provided a much-appreciated semblance of normalcy, although the pleasure may be a fleeting one unless the league is able to contain the ongoing outbreak amongst the Marlins roster. And in unrelated news, Hollywood quietly says goodbye to the longest lived star of its Golden Age.

I’d also like to highlight some of the new releases on Laemmle Virtual Cinema this week, including excellent new documentaries concerning the American judicial system and the Paradise fire from 2018 (directed by Ron Howard). We also have drama films A Girl Missing and The Cuban, as well as biographies on musicians Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Marley. And in case you missed it last week, Catholic school comedy Yes, God, Yes (starring Natalia Dyer of Stranger Things) has been particularly popular and well-received by our audience.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for July 31 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

                   

Director Statement: Mateo Bendesky (Family Members)

I have been interested in making a movie about teenagers ever since I was one myself. I felt that there was something in that transitional and confusing world worth reviving in a film, since through that process, I would be able to better understand my own teenage years.

Taking that as a starting point, Family Members has two central topics: adolescence and mourning, two processes that I consider fundamental in the construction of identity and the sense of self. When I shot the film, I was interested in exploring adolescence as a middle state, as a waiting room for adulthood, where the mind and body are still in the height of their development but don’t have a definite direction yet.

Lucas and Gilda, the film’s protagonists, are not kids anymore but they’re not adults either. In some way, the only choice they have is waiting: waiting for the next day to arrive, for the transport strike to end, to be old enough to move alone, for someone to come and save them.

Lucas and Gilda are not typical teenagers. Lucas, obsessed with his body, finds in bodybuilding and contact fighting an escape valve for his sexuality. Gilda, on the other hand, just left a rehab center and is desperately trying to find meaning in the world surrounding her. This and the constant tension in their relationship made their eccentric adventure in an adult-less world even more interesting for me to portray.

As Lucas and Gilda try to understand themselves and each other, their environment becomes more and more hostile, as if it was exercising an opposite force of the same intensity than the one they construct to conquer their situation. Like two explorers in the fog, Gilda and Lucas move forward with firm steps, without knowing where they are going or why. This image, which defines mourning and adolescence at the same time, is why I decided to accurately portray the story of these siblings cinematically.

Opposed to the idea of protagonists finding the meaning of life in an instantaneous way, I was interested in showing how these kind of illuminations usually happen in everyday life: not as explosions of meaning, but more like brief gleams of hope in the middle of darkness that allow us to convince ourselves, even for a moment, that both our life and our world can always be better.

I hope you enjoy the film.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILM

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

I can’t believe this is already our 25th Laemmle Virtual Cinema newsletter. While the proceeds from our online endeavors are dearly appreciated, they haven’t replaced the box office, and many cinemas across the country are struggling to survive. For those inclined, you can help lobby Congress for an entertainment relief package by participating in the #SaveYourCinema social media campaign, led by the National Association of Theater Owners.

New releases this week include the religious comedy Yes, God, Yes starring Natalia Dyer of Stranger Things, as well as the Neo-Gothic thriller Amulet from debut director Romola Garai. There’s also a documentary on photographer Helmut Newton, a collection of fiction shorts from this year’s Sundance, and two Spanish dramas: Family Members, and Days of the Whale.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for July 24 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

                   

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

While it looks like our reopening timeline has been pushed back due to the re-enforcement of local shutdown orders, there is hope on the horizon here at Laemmle Theatres. As mentioned last week, we’re actively working on ways to better your online experience, and are excited to share details in the next few weeks. And for those who may have missed our social media posts, please click here to listen to our official statement in response to recent news regarding potential Laemmle Theatres property listings.

For now, there are several new releases on Laemmle Virtual Cinema, leading off with Waiting for the Barbarians, starring Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson. Next up is Sundance favorite Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, as well as a new Carmilla adaptation from the United Kingdom. There’s also a bio-doc on influential novelist Flannery O’Connor, and foreign language offerings from Germany and Japan.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for July 17 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

                        

Hi Everyone,

Please find below a statement that we recorded, with some updates for the community regarding potential sale opportunities you may have read about in the news. One day, I plan to learn how to express myself using solely written language. But until that day comes, please excuse the use of film clips… I find that such shared cinematic moments are capable of conveying a message more sincerely and precisely than words alone ever could.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Greg Laemmle here, with an update for our loyal patrons.

You may have heard through the grapevine that our company is up for sale again.

That’s not the case.

What is true, is that we are considering the sale of certain theatre properties.

This isn’t an ideal course of action, but it is something we need to do.

Stimulus programs to date have not been particularly helpful for businesses that are entirely shuttered.

And we’ve been closed for four months, with no reopening in sight.

Our goal is to free up cash, and shore up the financing of our remaining locations.

This isn’t an easy choice.

Bit it will allow Laemmle Theatres to survive.

If we do sell a property, we will secure a lease-back agreement, that will allow us to resume operations once local public health officials deem it’s safe to do so.

For those who think this is trivial, I get it.

There are more important things to worry about right now.

Nothing matters as much as our health, the well-being of our loved ones, and the safety of all essential workers.

But it’s also important to have something to look forward to.

And at Laemmle Theatres, we want to make sure that seeing a movie at your favorite theatre can be part of that future.

I want to thank the Laemmle community for your patience and understanding during this period.

We’ll do our best to keep you updated, as more information becomes available.

In the meantime, remember, always wear your mask.