The official blog of Laemmle Theatres
LION ARK producer and star Jan Creamer and director Tim Phillips will participate in Q&A’s after the 4:50 and 7:20 screenings at the Music Hall on Saturday, November 16 and after the 7:20 shows on Wednesday and Thursday, November 20 and 21.
http://www.vimeo.com/73373239
The director and producer of THE SQUARE, the acclaimed documentary about the Egyptian revolution, will participate in Q&A’s at the Monica this weekend. Director Jehane Noujaim and producer Karim Amer will participate in a Q&A after the 7:10 PM screening and introduce the 9:55 PM screening on Saturday, November 2. Amer will also do Q&A’s after the 4:10 and 7:10 screenings on Sunday the 3rd.
Blood Brother is a breathtaking film packed with humanity. It chronicles the life of ROCKY BRAAT, a young American who, on a trip to India, finds himself volunteering at a group home for kids with HIV. With Rocky and the irrepressible children, it’s love at first sight and their lives soon become intertwined.
Fortunately for Rocky and film audiences, his good friend STEVE HOOVER just happens to be a gifted filmmaker. Skeptical at first, Hoover is persuaded to travel to India and document Rocky’s exploits. The result is a powerful and eloquent depiction of the situation at the group home, illuminating Rocky, the plight of the kids, village life in India, and the nature of love, amongst other things.
There’s scarcely a need to go into further detail about Blood Brother. Yes, it’s well-made, even unexpectedly stylized at certain points. But more than that it’s a transformative experience. Brilliantly, it compels us to watch things that are very hard to watch, yet does so with such love and tenderness that we never feel the need to turn our heads. Buoyed by Rocky’s courage, we feel that we too can look into the heart of suffering and face it with newfound resolve and compassion.
In a Q&A session at the Royal, Hoover related that all ticket revenue from Blood Brother will be donated to a non-profit recently founded to support Rocky’s work. If that’s not enough you can also donate directly HERE.
For Laemmle audiences Blood Brother is yet another example of film transcending entertainment, commerce, and one might argue, even art. It’s a must see.
– Marc H.
Join us at The Ojai Film Festival starting November 7 and running through the 14th as we present the fantastic, award-winning Israeli film FILL THE VOID from RAMA BURSHTEIN.
The always-compelling festival situated in the charming, artistic enclave of Ojai, CA features independent narrative features and shorts, documentaries and animation from around the world. There will also be workshops for actors on audition technique; one for make-up artists; another for screenwriters on pitching scripts; and a half-day educational program for high school students.
Laemmle Theatres President GREG LAEMMLE is a long-time fan of the festival. He will be on-hand November 9 to present a special Saturday night, 8pm prime-time screening of FILL THE VOID.
“Ojai is a hidden gem of Southern California,” he says, “and we love what they are doing. I try to find a film that fits the program and where it’s possible to bring in the film’s creative team.”
For full festival line-up and information visit www.ojaifilmfestival.com.
The first three people to purchase tickets at the box office for the evening shows of ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE this Friday at the Royal Theatre (8PM) or the Playhouse 7 (7:40PM) will receive a free limited edition ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE soundtrack CD.
Enzo Avitabile, renowned Neapolitan saxophonist and singer/songwriter, is here filmed by Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, a longtime admirer of Avitabile’s music.
Oscar winner and SWEET DREAMS co-director Lisa Fruchtman will be in town for Q&A’s at the Music Hall opening weekend (November 29-31). Exact times TBD.
Indiewire just posted the new trailer for master documentarian Frederick Wiseman’s latest, AT BERKELEY. Laemmle Theatres is proud to open the film at the Royal this November 15.
http://vimeo.com/77225450
A.K.A. DOC POMUS co-producer (and Doc’s daughter) Sharyn Felder will participate in Q&A’s after the 5 PM screenings at the Music Hall on Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19.
