Los Angeles may be the birthplace of innumerable complete POS movies, but it also has many, many great places to go and see unusual films from outside of the industry.
Of all the places here in Los Angeles, probably my favorite is the Echo Park Film Center. Thursday night is their official microcinema night, when they host a variety of experimental, documentary and independent films, often with the filmmakers in person for Q&As after the screenings. They also offer adult classes in filmmaking, video editing, hand processing, documentary filmmaking and more, plus they offer free courses to kids aged 12-19 in the neighborhood and also to seniors. (They have some of the youth-made films here on Youtube.) They rent equipment, sell supplies… it’s just a really great place that feels like a home-away-from-home.
The Silent Movie Theatre/Cinefamily is another great place that goes out of its way to make you feel like you’re at home. Their membership program is kind of an outrageous deal—$25 a month gets you in to most of the movies for free. The programming there is really eclectic, with some months more appealing to me than others. It’s always an interesting mix of the classic, the obscure, the camp and the high art. Frequent Q&As, receptions with free booze, and a concession stand featuring delicious cupcakes and handmade ice cream sandwiches from Milk… it’s no wonder many of their screenings sell out and they have to add a second screening later in the night.
And of course there is the Los Angeles Filmforum, which exclusively exhibits experimental and avant-garde work, mostly in the smaller downstairs theater at the Egpytian on Hollywood Blvd. This fall they started an 8-part retrospective of the complete works of Yvonne Rainer, had Ken Jacobs out for several events, brought a selection of films from Robert Beaver’s cycle My Hands Outstretched to the Winged Distance and Sightless Measure, and presented a really marvelous selection of films by the late Chick Strand. Their upcoming calender is always a mystery, with programs usually appearing on the website only a couple of weeks in advance. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s on the schedule in the new year. A great resource are the Q&As, some of which they video tape and post here…