The American Cinematheque, L.A.'s Year-Round Film Festival, Celebrates 40 Years of Movies
Film festivals have been bumming around Los Angeles since the dawn of the movie industry. The 1923 Motion Picture Exposition brought movie stars, wrestlers and stuntmen to an empty field near the Coliseum to drum up interest in silent movies. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unspooled the 1916 film Intolerance for the public in 1940. During World War II, the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax began showing vintage films year-round. More comprehensive programming started when LACMA came to Wilshire Boulevard — and when student director Gary Essert started scheduling films at UCLA in 1964. Four years later, the twentysomething Essert leased an abandoned nightclub in Hollywood to create a new kind of venue he called Kaleidoscope. 'We had hundreds of people sitting on the floor at the old Earl Carroll Theatre,' Essert's onetime colleague Marc Wanamaker says. 'We had a professional light show and then the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane would play, and then we'd show films on a big Cinemascope screen we made. It was a film orgy for 72 hours straight.'
Essert's Kaleidoscope evolved into the Los Angeles International Film Exposition, recruiting luminaries like George Cukor and Rosalind Russell to serve on its board. Filmex premiered The Last Picture Show at Grauman's Chinese in 1971, with Groucho Marx and Andy Warhol in the audience. By 1985, Essert was ousted from Filmex but, with help from filmmaker Sydney Pollack, turned his attention to building a permanent home for revival film; he called it the American Cinematheque.
Inspired by European temples to film, the complex included plans for three theaters, a cinema bookstore, shops and restaurants at the base of a luxury hotel built around the landmark Pan-Pacific Auditorium in the Fairfax District. But years of planning, fundraising and politicking went up in smoke, along with the building, at the end of the 1980s. The group tried to resurface at the old Kaleidoscope (by then the Aquarius Theatre), as well as what's now Harmony Gold and the Montalbán, before settling on a former dance school next to the Hollywood Roosevelt. Soon, Essert and his boyfriend and business partner Gary Abrahams succumbed to AIDS. 'They died around the same time,' Wanamaker says. 'It left a big void, and the Cinematheque also died for a while. Barbara Smith was our box office manager and nursed [Essert] in the end. It was in his will that she continue the Cinematheque, and a year or two after he died, she got it going again.' Smith was at the helm when the group purchased the earthquake-ravaged Egyptian theater for $1. She ran the restored movie palace for two decades before retiring in 2018. Two years later, the nonprofit sold the building to Netflix but continues programming on weekends.
Today, the Cinematheque also operates the Aero and a screen at the Los Feliz 3, selling out noir nights, Hitchcock revivals and glamorous premieres just as it did decades ago. 'Gary was a showman, a Barnum,' Wanamaker recalls. 'He would have been extremely pleased.'
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
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Hello! I'm Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. As awards season begins to take shape, this week the New York Film Festival announced its closing night selection: the world premiere of Bradley Cooper's 'Is This Thing On?' Starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern as a couple on the brink of splitting up when he immerses himself in the world of stand-up comedy, the film has been described as a 'pivot' from Cooper's previous directing efforts 'A Star Is Born' and 'Maestro.' Dennis Lim, artistic director of the NYFF, said that in putting together a program each year, he doesn't mind drawing from films that have already premiered at festivals throughout the year, including Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and others. 'How do we make a case for cinema as an art form that is still vital and relevant? I think programming the New York Film Festival is answering this question,' said Lim. 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'The comedy is comedy. Action is only for the action fan and people who enjoy the melodrama never go to see the action movie. So each kind of movie has a certain kind of audience. But for the Hong Kong film, it is so much different. We had — in one movie — a human drama, a sense of humor and then the action. We can put everything all together.' In a 1993 profile of Woo by Joe Leydon, writer-director Quentin Tarantino, then known only for his debut 'Reservoir Dogs,' lavished praised on his fellow filmmaker, saying 'John Woo is reinventing the whole genre. The guy is just terrific — he's just the best one out there right now.' Tarantino added, 'After I saw 'A Better Tomorrow,' I went out and bought a long coat and I got sunglasses and I walked around for about a week, dressing like Chow Yun-fat. And to me, that's the ultimate compliment for an action hero — when you want to dress like the guy.' 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On Friday, Aug. 8, the film will play at the Los Feliz 3 with an introduction by Perry. 'Zola' The Academy Museum is screening Janicza Bravo's 2020 'Zola' on Thursday with the filmmaker in person. Written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris, the film is based on a notorious 2015 Twitter thread by A'Ziah 'Zola' King that chronicled an uproarious tale of a road trip gone very wrong. With a cast that includes Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun and Colman Domingo, the film plumbs disorientation and information overload both with equal skill. Bravo, who has directed recent episodes of 'The Bear' and 'Too Much' (also appearing in the latter as an actor) spoke at the film's release about balancing outrageous humor with the darker currents of its story, which touch on complex issues around sex work, sex trafficking and race. 'If it were a not funny movie about sex work and sex trafficking, I don't think that I would be the right director for it,' said Bravo. 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A semi-autobiographical tale of a schoolteacher (played by Ripploh) exploring Berlin's queer underground scene, the film was groundbreaking for its unapologetic candor. The film will have a limited run at the Los Feliz 3, playing on Aug. 5, 10 and 12. In a 1981 review of the film, Sheila Benson wrote, 'Films like 'Taxi' as so rare as to be unique, a collage of cinema journalism, an unblinking (but selective) view of homosexual life and intensely personal sexual images.' Merle Oberon and 'Dark Waters' On Saturday the UCLA Film and Television Archive will have a 35mm screening of André de Toth's 1944 'Dark Waters,' starring Merle Oberon. Along with the film there will be a Q&A with Mayukh Sen, author of the book 'Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star,' moderated by programmer and critic Miriam Bale. Sen will also do a signing before the screening. A tense thriller that combines elements of Southern Gothic and film noir, the movie is about an heiress (Oberon) who finds herself taking refuge at a relative's Louisiana plantation. She becomes embroiled in local intrigues and entanglements. Writing about the movie in 1945, Philip K. Scheuer said, 'The production builds suspense rather ingeniously, and culminates in an exciting night-shrouded chase in and around the bayou. … Miss Oberon never tops her initial outburst of hysterics, which I found pretty terrifying, but it is nice to see her in the part.' 'Cat Video Fest' returns The 'Cat Video Fest' is back for its eighth installment, playing at Vidiots, the Alamo Drafthouse DTLA and multiple Laemmle locations. Created and curated by Will Braden, the series has raised more than $1 million since 2019 to help shelters, support adoptions and foster care and volunteer sign-ups. Yes, you can watch plenty of cat videos on your phone. 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The new Weller 18 YO from Buffalo Trace Photo, courtesy Buffalo Trace Distillery On the eve of the centenary of William LaRue Weller's birth, Buffalo Trace Distillery has announced two new additions to its Weller lineup: the second edition of Weller Millennium, a blend of vintage wheated bourbons and wheat whiskeys, and Weller 18-Year-Old, now the oldest age-stated expression in the brand's history. Below is a brief background and tasting notes on the two new additions to Buffalo Trace's Weller range. Both bottlings continue the distillery's commitment to wheat-based whiskey. The tradition dates back to 1847 when William Larue Weller chose to use wheat instead of rye in his mash bill. That decision resulted in a smoother, softer whiskey that stood apart from the bolder, spicier styles of the day, heralding the beginning of wheated bourbons. These new expressions build on that legacy, exploring how wheat evolves with extended aging and careful blending. Weller 18-Year-Old marks a milestone as the oldest whiskey to carry the Weller name. Bottled at 90 proof, this ultra-aged wheat whiskey showcases the softer side of extended maturation, highlighting how wheat-based bourbon, when handled carefully, can retain its elegance and sophistication over time. 'This whiskey reflects the patience and precision we apply to every step of the process,' said Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. 'Wheat can fade with age, but here it has developed into something remarkably nuanced and expressive.' According to Wheatley, the whisky features 'aged fruit and a hint of tobacco' on the nose. The palate offers 'a mix of baking spice and crisp green pear, with a finish that lingers without overwhelming.' Weller 18 is housed in a 700ml crystal decanter, topped with the same hand-etched stopper used in the Millennium release, though without the accompanying display case. It will first appear in select international airport retail shops, including LAX, JFK, and London Heathrow, starting in July 2025. The suggested retail price is $499 for a 700ml bottle. The Weller Millenium #2 Photo, courtesy Buffalo Trace Distillery Following the debut release in May 2024, the second edition of Weller Millennium features a new blend of straight wheated bourbons and wheat whiskeys distilled in 2001, 2003, and 2006. All were produced at Buffalo Trace and set aside specifically for this limited series. The result is a whiskey with depth, character, and a layered complexity that reflects both time and intention. The mash bill for the Weller Millennium #2 is not disclosed. As it's a blend of wheated bourbon and wheated whiskey, it's unlikely to qualify as a bourbon. 'This second release goes even further than the first,' said Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director. 'By working with barrels from the early 2000s, we're not just blending whiskey—we're revisiting a moment in our history.' According to the distillery, Weller Millennium #2 opens with 'notes of dark cherry, butterscotch, and vanilla, with oak taking the lead on a long, warming finish.' The whiskey is bottled at 99 proof (49.5% ABV). It's presented in a custom crystal decanter etched with Weller's original 'W' mark, accompanied by a lit display case that highlights the whiskey's components and their respective distillation years. Only a limited number of bottles will be available starting July 2025 through Sazerac's domestic and international distribution partners, as well as at the distillery and via Legacy de Forge, Sazerac's direct-to-consumer platform powered by Blockbar. The suggested retail price is $7,500, with local taxes varying. For more information on how to obtain these two new bourbons, see the Buffalo Trace website. More From Forbes Forbes America's Top-Rated Wheated Bourbons And Whiskeys: Smooth, Bold And Affordable By Joseph V Micallef Forbes The World's Best Wheated Bourbon, According To The San Francisco World Spirits Competition By Joseph V Micallef Forbes Want Alternatives To Pappy And Weller? 10 Top-Ranked Wheated Bourbons By Joseph V Micallef
