The iconic Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles is about to reopen following renovations and to highlight the occasion, the first-ever Nuart Festival has been planned. Over the course of 10 days, the oldest theatre in the Landmark franchise will host a variety of premieres, screenings, and guest appearances to celebrate its return to service. Empire of Light, Sam Mendes’s love letter to the movies, will open the festivities on October 21 and remain in theatres throughout the month. The newest from Mendes kicks things off with a love story set in a gorgeous historic theatre in an English beach town of the 1980s. It’s the perfect way to convey the festival’s message of exploring the human connection and the power of film to bring people together.
When it initially opened in 1930, the Nuart Theatre was a modest single-screen theatre that showed a broad variety of films, including several world premieres. It was the first cinema that Landmark purchased in 1974, and it quickly became renowned for its special events, such as retrospectives, restorations, shadow cast plays, and filmmaker appearances. The festival’s focus is on commemorating that history and the inspiration it has provided to artists and audiences. Films that “created midnight cinema history at Nuart” will also be shown at many of the other screenings during Nuart Fest. The Civil Dead will play on Sunday, October 23, and Pink Flamingos, a John Waters picture, will follow on Monday, October 22 with drag bingo and an appearance by actress Mink Stole.
On Sunday, before the film, the theatre will hold the 2022 Slam Dance Screenplay Awards. Shadow casts of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and other films that Nuart like will be shown throughout the festival as well. These films include Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, David Lynch’s Eraserhead, Real Life, The Decline of Western Civilization Part III, and more. The last night’s scheduled events have not yet been disclosed. Eric Appel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, another highly anticipated film, will have its early screening on October 27. The mockumentary is comedic in tone, and it chronicles the real-life ascent to fame of parody singer “Weird Al” Yankovic, who became famous due to the tremendous success of his songs “Eat It” and “Like a Surgeon.”
Revealing details of his high-profile relationships (including a brief romance with Madonna) and a notoriously hedonistic way of living, it provides fresh insight into a legendary creator. Film Independent will be present at the premiere of Nuart to discuss the film with audience members. Director Penelope Spheeris (The Decline of Western Civilization Part III), director Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas (The Civil Dead), screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and the shadow cast Sins O’ The Flesh will all be on hand to help celebrate the reopening of the festival. President of Landmark Theatres Kevin Holloway issued a statement praising the event for its significance in commemorating Nuart’s legacy.
The first annual Nuart Fest at Landmark honours the theatre’s status as a cultural touchstone for generations of Angelenos. The theatre’s refurbishment attests to its continuing role as a community anchor. With the help of our distribution partners and independent film friends, we’ll be able to not just re-engage Nuart’s existing fanbase, but also present the film to a whole new audience.
From October 21st through the 31st, the first-ever Nuart Fest will be held.