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REMEMBERING GENE WILDER opens March 22 at the Royal and Town Center with the filmmakers in person.

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We are proud to screen Remembering Gene Wilder, a heartfelt and entertaining portrait of the life and career of the beloved actor, featuring an extensive array of highlights from Wilder’s most memorable films as well as interviews with his closest friends, family, and fellow comedians. We open the documentary on Friday, March 22 at the Laemmle Royal and Town Center. Writer Glenn Kirschbaum will participate in Q&As and producers David Knight and Julie Nimoy will introduce a screening or two. Exact Q&A dates and times TBA.

“I love this film! It’s a warm and wonderful tribute to my dear friend, Gene. Don’t miss it!” – Mel Brooks

“A hugely enjoyable walk through Gene Wilder’s entire life” – The Broad Street Review

“Tender and eye-opening tribute.” – Jewish Film Institute

Remembering Gene Wilder is a loving tribute to Gene Wilder that celebrates his life and legacy as the comic genius behind an extraordinary string of film roles: from his collaborations with Mel Brooks in The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles, to his inspired on-screen partnership with Richard Pryor in movies like Silver Streak, to originating the strange and magical title role of the mysterious chocolatier in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Alongside his brilliant career, Remembering Gene Wilder also captures intimate moments from Wilder’s private life, including his Jewish upbringing in Milwaukee, marriage to Gilda Radner, and his final chapter living with Alzheimer’s. Illustrated by a variety of touching and hilarious clips and outtakes from Willy Wonka, Blazing Saddles, and more; never-before-seen home movies; narration by Wilder himself from the audiobook of his memoir; and interviews with some of his most brilliant friends and collaborators, including Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, Carol Kane, and his widow Karen Boyer Wilder, Remembering Gene Wilder reminds us what an essential performer, writer, and director Gene Wilder was, an all-around mensch beloved by all those whose lives he touched.

“The world is seeing the strength of Iranian women now.” ~ Noora Niasari on her debut film SHAYDA.

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Shayda, an subtle, potent story of female empowerment, establishes first-time feature filmmaker Noora Niasari as a remarkably assured talent. She won an Audience Award and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize last year at Sundance and received a nomination from the DGA for achievements by first-time filmmakers. Film critic Claudia Puig described the film on LAist’s FilmWeek as “one of the most masterful debuts of a filmmaker that I’ve seen in a long time.” We open the film this Friday at the Royal and expand March 8 to the Town Center and March 15 to the Laemmle Glendale.

From a piece about Shayda last year in The Guardian:

When Noora Niasari was five years old, she lived in a women’s shelter with her Iranian mother. They were fleeing family violence in a country that wasn’t entirely familiar, trying to make a new life.

That personal experience has informed Niasari’s debut feature, Shayda, which has been storming the global festival circuit since it premiered at Sundance film festival in January, winning an audience award. Released in Australia on 5 October, the film has already claimed the top prize at CinefestOz, opened the Melbourne international film festival, and been selected to represent Australia in the international film category at the Oscars.

It’s a sensational reception for a first film, particularly given the specificity of its story: Shayda is a dramatisation of Niasari’s early life, set in the Iranian diaspora community of suburban Melbourne. “It was something I had experienced, but I hadn’t really seen on screen before,” Niasari says of the movie she started thinking about straight after finishing film school. “But I first had to ask my mum for her permission and participation, because I had such a blurry memory of that time.”

Niasari asked her mother to write her memoirs, which took six months; that writing formed the basis of the first incarnation of Shayda’s script. Shayda evolved over time – and it’s not always a direct mirror of what happened to them both – but “it is very emotionally true to our experience”.

Executive produced by Cate Blanchett, Niasari’s movie tells the story of Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), an Iranian immigrant in Melbourne who leaves her abusive husband Hossein (Osamah Sami) with her daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) in tow. Shayda finds refuge in a women’s shelter where the kindly Joyce (Leah Purcell) protects and guides her through the tough legal process of a custody fight.

It’s a tender and revealing film that balances Shayda’s discovery of inner strength with the sacrifices she makes for her daughter, as she tries to create a new family for her. It’s understated, relatable and drawn from such personal memories that Niasara describes working on it as “long-term exposure therapy”. Even doing interviews to promote the movie is difficult. “I have to sit with it and process it,” she says.

“But the thing is, now that it’s a film, it has a really different energy in the world. People bring their own experiences to it, it’s a very universal experience. We’ve screened it in Europe, North America and Australia and there is a real sense that it connects beyond my mother and I, beyond our experience. It’s not about us any more. That feels liberating and cathartic.”

Read the rest of The Guardian piece here.

Spend the week talking with filmmakers!

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We host filmmaker Q&As all the time but we may set a record this week, we have so many. Come participate! Just don’t say, “my question is more of a comment, really.”
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Thursday, 2/22: Io Capitano writer/director Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah) will participate in a Q&A after the February 22 screening at the Royal. Los Angeles Times film critic Robert Abele will moderate.
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Also: The Omicron Killer actors Paugh Shadow, Bai Ling, Felissa Rose, Kianna Skye and Tony Diaz will participate in a Q&A following the February 22 screening at the Monica Film Center. Richard Bernstein will moderate.
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Also: Seagrass actress Ally Maki will participate in a Q&A after the February 22 screening at the Royal.
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Friday, 2/23: The Arc of Oblivion executive producer Werner Herzog and filmmaker Ian Cheney will participate in a Q&A at the Laemmle NoHo following the 7:20 PM screening on Friday, February 23. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will moderate.
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February 23-26: The following Veselka screenings will feature filmmaker Q&As: Fri. 2/23 7:10p, Sat. 2/24 7:10p, Sun. 2/25 4:10p, Mon. 2/26 7:10p.
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Friday, 2/23-28: Multiple Drugstore June screenings will feature cast & crew Q&As. Click here to learn more.

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Saturday, 2/24: Ingress producer Sienna Beckman, writer-director-actor Rachel Noll James and actor Johnny Ferro will participate in a Q&A following the 4 PM screenings at the Laemmle Glendale on Saturday & Sunday, February 24 & 25.

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Monday, 2/26: Shayda writer-director Noora Niasari will participate in a Q&A after the February 26 screening at the Royal (via Zoom). Film critic Stephen Farber will moderate.
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February 26-29: In Tribute to Norman Jewison: Jesus Christ Superstar actors Ted Neeley and Yvonne Elliman will attend all screenings to speak about Mr. Jewison, answer questions, sign autographs, and take photos with fans at the February 26-29 screenings.
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Wednesday, 2/28: All February 28 screenings of Origin will feature a pre-recorded introduction by and post-screening Q&A with filmmaker Ava Duvernay. Also: The February 28 screening Mambar Pierrette will feature an introduction by Jordan Cronk, film critic, programmer and founder of Acropolis Cinema.

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Thursday, 2/29: Mad Props director Juan Reinoso and the film’s host, Tom Biolchini, will participate in a Q&A after the February 29 screening at the Royal.
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Cherry on top: Dune: Part Two opens February 29.

APOCALYPSE NOW: THE FINAL CUT 45th Anniversary Screening Sunday, March 3.

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Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Vietnam War movie, ‘Apocalypse Now,’ in the director’s approved version restored in 2019: ‘Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut.’ When it was originally released in 1979, it scored at the box office and earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It won two Oscars, for the striking cinematography by Vittorio Storaro and for Best Sound.

The screening is at the Royal on Sunday, March 3, and will start promptly at 6:00 PM with an introduction by actress Colleen Camp, who played Miss May in the film. Afterward we’ll have a special Q&A with Ms. Camp and author Sam Wasson, who just published The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story. He will also be selling and signing copies of his book.

Loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad’s enthralling novel ‘Heart of Darkness,’ the ‘Apocalypse Now‘ screenplay was by Coppola, John Milius, and Michael Herr (a journalist who wrote the acclaimed book about the war, ‘Dispatches’). The main character, Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen), is ordered to travel through Vietnam and track down Colonel Kurtz (played by Marlon Brando), who has gone rogue and established his own savage regime in Cambodia. Willard’s orders are to assassinate Kurtz to save the military from disgrace.

The supporting cast includes Robert Duvall (who earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the surf-loving Colonel Kilgore), Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forrest, Scott Glenn, Sam Bottoms, Dennis Hopper, Harrison Ford, and Colleen Camp. Although the troubled production went way over budget on location in the Philippines, it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1979 and earned strong reviews from many critics. Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News wrote, “Certainly no movie in history has ever presented stronger proof that war is living hell.” Amy Taubin of the Village Voice added, “’Apocalypse‘ has the expressive extravagance of a Wagner opera—and not merely because the swooping helicopter scene is set to the ‘Ride of the Valkyries.’” Roger Ebert considered it one of the greatest films ever made.

Author Sam Wasson did extensive research, with special access to Coppola’s private papers, to write his new book, ‘The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story.’ The New York Times praised it as “a marvel of unshowy reportage,” and Publishers Weekly declared, “Movie buffs won’t want to miss this.” Wasson has also written the acclaimed books, ‘The Big Goodbye’ (about the making of ‘Chinatown’), ‘Fifth Avenue 5 AM’ (about ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’) and ‘Fosse.’ He will be selling and signing his book at the screening.

Colleen Camp has an extensive list of credits over the last 50 years, including ‘Valley Girl,’ ‘Clue,’ ‘Wayne’s World,’ ‘Die Hard With a Vengeance,’ Peter Bogdanovich’s ‘They All Laughed,’ Alexander Payne’s ‘Election,’ David O. Russell’s ‘American Hustle’ and ‘Joy,’ and many TV series as well.

“Brevity is the soul of wit” and much more: the 2024 Oscar-nominated shorts open this Friday.

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As usual, Shakespeare put it best (with, of course, a touch of irony, putting the words in the mouth of the long-winded Polonius). We open the animated shorts this Friday at the NoHo and Newhall; February 23 at the Town Center, Glendale, and Claremont; and March 1 at the Monica Film Center. We open the live action shorts this Friday at the Glendale and Newhall; February 23 at the NoHo and Claremont; and March 1 at the Town Center and Monica Film Center. We open the short documentaries Friday at the Royal and Town Center; we’ll also screen them Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Newhall, Glendale and Claremont starting the next day.

The animated nominees:

Our Uniform – Yegane Moghaddam, 7 min., Iran (in Farsi); Letter to a Pig – Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter, 17 min., France/Israel (in Hebrew); Pachyderm– Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius, 11 min., USA (in English); Ninety-Five Senses – Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess, 13 min., USA (in English); War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko – Dave Mullins and Brad Booker, 11 min., USA; Also screening: Wild Summon – Karni Arieli and Saul Freed, 14 min., UK (in English, narrated by Marianne Faithfull); nominated for a BAFTA and a Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animated film Festival; and I’m Hip – John Musker, 4 min., USA; nominated for a Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animated film Festival.

From ‘Letter to a Pig.’

The live action nominees:

The After – Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham, 18 min., UK (in English); Red, White and Blue – Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane, 23 min., USA (in English); Knight of Fortune – Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk, 25 min., Denmark (in Swedish/Danish); Invincible – Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron, 29 min., Canada (in French); The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar – Wes Anderson and Steven Rales, 40 min., US/UK (in English).

From ‘The After.’

The documentary nominees:

Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó – Sean Wang and Sam Davis, 17 min., USA (in Mandarin); The Barber of Little Rock – John Hoffman and Christine Turner, 35 min., USA (in English); Island in Between – S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien, 20 min., Taiwan (in English/Mandarin); The ABC’s of Book Banning – Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic, 27 min., USA (in English); The Last Repair Shop – Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, 39 min., USA (in English).

From ‘The ABCs of Book Banning.’

Juliette Binoche in person for THE TASTE OF THINGS. Plus: special French dinner-and-a-movie deal at the NoHo and Le Petit Trois Le Valley!

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Set in France in 1889, The Taste of Things follows the life of Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) as a chef living with his personal cook and lover Eugénie (Juliette Binoche). They share a long history of gastronomy and love but Eugénie refuses to marry Dodin, so the food lover decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her. Written and directed by Anh Hung Tran, best known for the 1993 classic The Scent of Green Papaya, it’s based on Marcel Rouff’s 1924 novel La vie et la passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet. We open the film February 9 at the Royal and have engagements starting at the Town Center, Newhall, Glendale and Claremont beginning on Valentine’s Day.

What’s more, The Taste of Things lead actress Juliette Binoche will participate in a Q&A at the Royal following the 4 pm show and introduce the 7 pm show on Friday, February 9.

Also: Celebrate the release of IFC Films’ The Taste of Things with a one-day-only special event

Dinner and a Movie, Sunday, February 11th at the Laemmle NoHo and Petit Trois Le Valley

Two times

1:45pm Film Showtime

5pm Dinner following prepared by Chef Ludo Lefebvre

4:45pm Film Showtime

8pm Dinner following prepared by Chef Ludo Lefebvre

$200 a ticket

Ticket includes a movie ticket and dinner and drinks.

Dinner to feature custom passed appetizers, a three course meal inspired by the film, wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

Dinner experience 2.5 hours.

*Valet parking available for a fee

**Vegetarian and Vegan options available upon request

Additional questions can be emailed to rsvp@ifcfilms.com

“A mouth watering banquet of full-fat foodie cinema.” ~ Daily Telegraph

“Lusciously tender.” ~ Variety

“Food is a gift of love here – and romance courses through this delightful film.” ~ Time Out

“Pushes the notion of bonding through vittles a step further. Certain dishes are so inscribed by their creators that they act as memory itself, says the film, a sentiment that leaves a beautiful after-taste.” ~ Indiewire

“Lingering on the tongue like a sip of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the film leaves one feeling a little drunk, desperately hungry and entirely alive.” ~ Wall Street Journal

DRUGSTORE JUNE Q&A schedule.

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Drugstore June Q&A at the Laemmle Noho: 3/2 – 7:10PM Moderator, Nick Rutherford, Nicholaus Goossen, Jenn McClaren and Jordan Ellner; 3/5 – 7:10PM Moderator, Jonnie “Dumbfounded” Park, Nick Rutherford, Brandon Wardell, Britany Furlan, Nicholaus Goossen, and Jordan Ellner; 3/7 – 7:10PM Moderator, Jon Gabrus, Nicholaus Goossen, and Jordan Ellner

 

Moviegoers, start your guesses! The Umpteenth Annual Laemmle Oscar Contest has begun.

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The Oscar nominations are out and it was a terrific, historic year for movies. From Variety:

“Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American nominated for best actress, for her towering role as Mollie Burkhart in the crime thriller “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Colman Domingo became the first Afro Latino nominated in best actor for his powerhouse performance in the civil rights drama “Rustin.” He’s joined by fellow Black nominee Jeffrey Wright for “American Fiction.” This is only the second time in Oscar history where more than one Black actor, who wasn’t either Will Smith or Denzel Washington, was nominated for the leading prize. The first was the 2004 lineup with Don Cheadle (“Hotel Rwanda”) and eventual winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”).

“Wright’s co-star Sterling K. Brown was nominated for best supporting actor for his turn as Clifford “Cliff” Ellison, a recently divorced gay man. This marks the first time a Black lead actor was nominated alongside a supporting actor from the same film (it’s happened previously for actor and supporting actress, or actress and supporting actress).

“Domingo and best supporting actress nominee Jodie Foster (“Nyad”) also made Oscar history: It’s the first time two openly LGBTQ actors have been nominated for playing LGBTQ characters.

“Two Black women were nominated for supporting actress: Danielle Brooks for “The Color Purple” (as that film’s sole nominee) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph for “The Holdovers.” They were joined by America Ferrera for “Barbie,” the ninth Latina actress ever nominated in the category, and the first since 2021 winner Ariana DeBose.

“First-time director and screenwriter Celine Song made history as the first Asian woman nominated for best original screenplay for “Past Lives.”

“Women also had strong showings across multiple categories. In original screenplay, a woman hasn’t been nominated since Emerald Fennell won for 2020’s “Promising Young Woman.” This year features three female scribes recognized with “Anatomy of a Fall” (Justine Triet), “May December” (Samy Burch) and “Past Lives” (Celine Song). Adapted screenplay has a sole nominated woman with Greta Gerwig from “Barbie” (along with Noah Baumbach).”

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” the forever-linked hits that appealed to both mass and class audiences, are well represented with a combined 21 nominations, although Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were snubbed for Best Director and Actress, respectively. Still, both could still take home trophies for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture (Robbie was one of the “Barbie” producers). “Oppenheimer” is the favorite to take home Best Picture, but maybe it won’t, and that’s where you come in because it’s time for our Umpteenth Annual Laemmle Oscar Contest! If you, dear moviegoer, can accurately predict how the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote in all 23 categories, (or close to it), you will win movie passes good at all Laemmle venues! These contests are always close so we have a tie-breaker question: try to guess the running time! The 96th Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, March 10 and we’ll announce the winners soon afterwards. Good luck!