To honor our one-of-a-kind city and its amazing communities, we’re giving you the gift of FREE MOVIES! Thanks to our amazing friends at NEON, catch any film at the Monica Film Center and Royal tonight and tomorrow absolutely free. Come take a much-deserved break and experience the joy of an arthouse film. The offer only applies in-person at the theater box offices. Take the money you would have spent on tickets and donate it to fire relief.
This week on Inside the Arthouse: Sally Aitken, the director of the inspiring L.A. nature documentary EVERY LITTLE THING.
When is a documentary about hummingbirds more than just another educational nature documentary? In the case of Sally Aitken’s new movie Every Little Thing, we discover that small things are very big things— and you will be more than a little surprised. Hummingbirds’ wings beat fifty times per second, and with astounding high speed photography, they float like gossamer on the screen, captured like tiny, magical sprites. Terry Masear, the film’s subject, runs a hummingbird rescue and she, too, is magical and surprising. These remarkable birds, no bigger than your little finger, become bigger than life as we discover Terry’s care, attention, wisdom, and affection for them. It’s a film that will stay with you long after you leave the theater. Every Little Thing is big and wide and will leave you thinking about how small acts of tenderness and kindness, expressed to the tiniest of creatures, can have giant impacts.
Watch filmmaker Sally Aitken’s recent interview on Inside the Arthouse.
We screen Every Little Thing this Thursday, January 16 in Glendale and begin the regular engagement the next day in Santa Monica. The director, Sally Aitken, and producer, Bettina Dalton, will appear for Q&As after the Thursday, 7:30 PM screening in Glendale as well as after the Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18, 7 PM shows with subject Terry Masear at the Laemmle Monica Film Center.
LOS FRIKIS Q&A’s with the filmmakers and lead actor this weekend in Santa Monica and North Hollywood.
Fri (1/03) 4pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening with Q&A with director Michael Schwartz and star Eros de la Puente
Fri (1/03) 7pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening with Q&A with director Michael Schwartz and star Eros de la Puente
Sat (1/04) 4pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening with Q&A with director Michael Schwartz
Sat (1/04) 7pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening with Q&A with director Michael Schwartz
Fri (1/03) 4:10 pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening followed by Q&A with director Tyler Nilson
Fri (1/03) 7:10 pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening followed by Q&A with director Tyler Nilson
Sat (1/04) 4:10 pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening Q&A with director Tyler Nilson star Eros de la Puente
Sat (1/04) 7:10 pm – Los Frikis – Special Screening Q&A with director Tyler Nilson star Eros de la Puente
GAUCHO GAUCHO filmmakers on Inside the Arthouse.
Acclaimed filmmakers Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck, three-time Sundance honorees who previously took audiences to the secret corners of the Italian countryside in search of white truffles with The Truffle Hunters, recently sat down with Inside the Arthouse hosts Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to talk about their latest striking nonfiction work. Gaucho Gaucho paints an Argentinian western with images and sounds of operatic beauty, building on their earlier success with The Last Race, a film that explored the last stock car racetrack on Long Island.
Kershaw and Dweck’s focus is now on the vast mountains of Argentina, expressed in stunning black-and-white photography, and a small community of gauchos who hold profound connections to the surrounding nature and their own traditions. As older generations dispense their wisdom, the film keeps its eye toward a new generation which continue to fight for their families’ legacies in a modern world.
“These filmmakers have enormous reserves of love and empathy for traditions that miraculously survive in spite of the modern world. And their compassion has never looked more cinematic.” ~ Tomris Laffly, Harper’s Bazaar
“An affecting tone poem which ruminates on the passage of time and the passing of traditions from one generation to the next.” ~ Tim Grierson, Screen International
Oscar short-listed FROM GROUND ZERO opens January 3 at the Laemmle Glendale and Monica Film Center.
Palestine’s Official Submission for the 2025 Academy Awards, From Ground Zero is a powerful collection of short films by 22 Palestinian filmmakers living through war in Gaza. Through a unique blend of animation, documentary, and fiction, these stories capture the unyielding steadfastness of the human spirit and enduring creativity that thrives even in the face of relentless devastation. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has short-listed the film in its Best International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.
From Ground Zero was created by filmmaker Rashid Masharawi and designed to give a voice to the people of Gaza and to document their day-to-day experiences, many of which often go unheard by the outside world. In a war-torn society, where artistic creation is extremely complex, the project sought to capture the diversity of perspectives of Gazans through slice-of-life short films, ranging anywhere from three to six minutes in length. Filmmakers were allowed to tell their story through any genre and cinematic storytelling platform, from fiction to documentary to animation.
In order to ensure quality and coherence, a dedicated selection committee was set up to ensure the viability of the short films pitched to be included in the From Ground Zero Project. The committee evaluated every project submitted, giving priority to personal, original stories that focused on the project’s overall message. Once the 22 projects had been selected, the committee worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure their proper development, from concept to production – tackling real-world obstacles that filmmakers outside of Palestine would never have to consider. The creation of From Ground Zero required meticulous organization. Tutors based in the Middle East and Europe supervised the projects, while experienced coordinators on the ground in Gaza ensured the technical and human resources needed for filming.
Paul Schrader’s moving OH, CANADA, starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, and Jacob Elordi, opens Friday.
In Paul Schrader’s new film Oh, Canada, which we open Friday at the Monica Film Center, NoHo, and Town Center, Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi play a man at opposite ends of his life, deciding how to live it. Uma Thurman, Michael Imperioli, and Victoria Hill co-star.
Schrader said this about his film:
“When friend and author Russell Banks (Affliction) took ill I was weighing other story possibilities. I realized that mortality should be the subject. Russell had researched and written a book about dying when he was healthy titled, Foregone. He’d wanted to call it Oh, Canada (there was a conflict with Richard Ford’s Canada), and asked if I would use his original title. So Foregone became Oh, Canada.
“Leonard Fife became a successful documentary filmmaker after fleeing to Canada to avoid the Vietnam War. Sick and dying in Montreal, he is interviewed by his former students. ‘I made a career out of getting people to tell me the truth,’ he says, ‘Now it’s my turn.'”
“Paul Schrader and Richard Gere, reunited for the first time since 1980’s American Gigolo, are at the peak of their powers.” – Chuck Bowen, Slant
“Energized by the reunion of its director, Paul Schrader, and its star, Richard Gere, in their first collaboration since American Gigolo.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“Richard Gere gives his best performance in years.” – Hannah Strong, Little White Lies
“Takes on grand themes of memory, mortality, and artistic self-reckoning… to sincerely moving effect.” – Justin Chang, The New Yorker
Culture Vulture 2025 ~ more screenings, more places!
Our eclectic Culture Vulture series returns this weekend. After ten years of screening filmed theater, opera, ballet/dance, gallery/art, and much more at our Town Center/Encino, Glendale, Monica Film Center/Santa Monica, and Claremont 5 theaters, we are now adding our Newhall theater. What’s more, we will now show the films on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00 A.M. and Mondays at 7:00 P.M. Tickets are now on sale for the first nine films of the new year:
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February 1-3: Art and Life: The Story of Jim Phillips ~ Embark on the epic ride of Jim Phillips, the genius behind skateboarding and rock culture’s electrifying art. Drawing inspiration from his life in Santa Cruz, California, Jim helped shape the golden era of skateboarding. This documentary explores Jim’s dynamic life and career, showcasing his iconic work that has defined an era and secured his place in modern art history. Jim’s story is a profound narrative of resilience, passion, and enduring artistic vision.
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February 8-10: Perugino: Eternal Renaissance is a journey to discover Perugino, one of the most revered artists of the 15th Century and to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of his death. Journey through Italy to discover his great masterpieces, from the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel to the two rooms entirely dedicated to him in the National Gallery of Umbria. Spectators will be led on a guided discovery of the artist’s harmonious work: a perfect balance between man and nature, realism and idealism, as seen in paintings such as “The Delivery of the Keys” in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, “Lamentation over the Dead Christ” in the Galleria Palatina in Florence, the “Pietà” and “Agony in the Garden” in the Uffizi Gallery.
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February 22-24: Three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate. Max Webster (Life of Pi) directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, filmed live at the National Theatre in London.
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March 1-3: Florence and the Uffizi Gallery is a multi-dimensional journey through the city that was the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. Get an exclusive tour through the most beautiful and representative works of art of the period from Michelangelo and Brunelleschi, to Leonardo and Botticelli, with a detailed central chapter dedicated to the treasure house containing their masterpieces: the Uffizi Gallery.
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March 8-10: Welcome to Yiddishland offers an upbeat, witty, and timely exploration of a global community of artists rediscovering and revitalizing the endangered Yiddish language through progressive and provocative creative works. As we journey through Yiddishland—not a homeland, but a heartland without borders—we travel across continents, from Melbourne to Berlin, New York to Haifa, meeting a diverse array of individuals who find solace, identity, and inspiration in Yiddish language and culture.
March 15-17: Utilizing the third act motifs of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters as a jumping off point, Dmitry Krymov’s Fragment focuses in on Olga (Samanta in this production), the eldest of the three sisters. Like many of Chekhov’s heroes who attempt to overcome fate, she is doomed to fail, but it is in the attempt itself that she becomes so close and dear to the audience. Ultimately, we empathize with and love this very recognizable person who can’t adequately protect herself, her love, or her home.
March 22-24: The Dawn of Impressionism ~ What led to that first groundbreaking Impressionists show 150 years ago? Who were the maverick personalities that wielded their brushes in such a radical and provocative way? The spectacular Musée d’Orsay exhibition brings fresh eyes to this extraordinary tale of passion and rebellion. The story is told not by historians and curators but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874. See the show that changed everything on the big screen. Made in close collaboration with the Musee d’Orsay and National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
March 29-31: Seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, The Trip) plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. When a rogue U.S General triggers a nuclear attack, a surreal race takes place, seeing the Government and one eccentric scientist scramble to avert global destruction. This explosively funny satire is led by a world-renowned creative team including Emmy Award-winner Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, Veep) and Olivier Award-winner Sean Foley (The Upstart Crow, The Play What I Wrote).
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April 5-7: Far Out: Life On and After the Commune traces fifty years in the lives of a group of New England writers, activists and artists. In 1968, in the middle of a left-wing faction fight, a group of radical journalists left New York City for the country, where they became pioneers in the back-to-the-land and organic farming movement. Blending contemporary interviews and a remarkable trove of original archival footage, Far Out is lively, humorous, inspiring and irreverent. The film is vital, telling the history but hewing to the universal themes of how we grapple–over a lifetime–with politics, relationships, morality, spirituality, civic engagement and finding our home.
IndieCollect’s first-ever RescueFest — December 6-9 at the Monica Film Center, featuring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and more for in-person Q&A’s.
IndieCollect’s first-ever RescueFest — December 6-9 — features 10 glorious new Indie Cinema restorations. Q&A’s with Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner (moderated by Jane Fonda), Mario Van Peebles, Chaz Ebert, Rosalind Chao, Jan Oxenberg and more. Plus “Reel Resistance” Roundtable with indie luminaries Ted Hope & Gregory Nava on Dec 8. The full schedule is here. A terrific recent Indiewire piece on the festival and its centerpiece, the Search for Intelligent Life restoration, is here. Watch the trailer!
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