A new edition of the Los Angeles Festival of Movies brings premieres, restored classics, and a debut poster
The Los Angeles Festival of Movies returns for its third edition, mounting a compact, carefully curated program from April 9–12. Co-presented by Kino Film Collection and Mezzanine, the festival gathers contemporary premieres alongside archival restorations and a tight selection of short films. Programming is concentrated on the east side of the city, creating an intimate neighborhood festival atmosphere that favors communal screenings and in-person discovery over a sprawling market model.
Organizers emphasize both a local focus and a broader cinephile mission. The festival was co-founded by Micah Gottlieb and Sarah Winshall, who have built an identity around presenting unusual new work and rescuing out-of-print titles. To mark the edition, an original poster was created by artist Arius Ziaee with design by Jim Chapa, and the artwork is being revealed ahead of the screenings as a visual invitation to the program.
The screenings take place at neighborhood spaces that have become cinematic hubs: Vidiots, 2220 Arts + Archives, Now Instant Image, and the Philosophical Research Society. These venues reinforce the festival’s aim of serving a community of young, diverse cinephiles by locating events where local audiences already gather. The organizers describe the program as a blend of discovery and preservation—pairing new voices with restored works—so attendees encounter both fresh perspectives and rediscovered classics in welcoming, noncommercial environments.
Among the festival’s contemporary titles are films that resist easy categorization: the satirical tone and idiosyncratic voice of Maddie’s Secret by John Early, and the intimate, elliptical portrait Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari, which will close the festival. Festival leadership has noted that such titles benefit from theatrical presentation and the energy of a shared audience. Alongside these premieres, the lineup includes experimental and narrative work that explores memory, identity, and place, reflecting the festival’s preference for bold, distinctive filmmaking.
The official selection features a range of international and American work: After Dreaming (dir. Christine Haroutounian), Blue Heron (dir. Sophy Romvari), Chronovisor (dir. Jack Auen, Kevin Walker), Drinking and Driving (dir. Avalon Fast, Jillian Frank), In the Glow of Darkness (dir. Tucker Bennett), Isaiah’s Phone (dir. Frédéric Da), Maddie’s Secret (dir. John Early), Selegna Sol (dir. Anouk Moyaux), and With Hasan in Gaza (dir. Kamal Aljafari). This collection mixes formal experimentation with personal storytelling, offering audiences a concentrated dose of contemporary independent cinema.
Restorations are a prominent strand of the festival’s mission. The program includes Dreams of Passion (dir. Aarin Burch), the long-out-of-print queer cult classic Macho Dancer (dir. Lino Brocka), and Shades of Silk / Ombres de Soie (dir. Mary Stephen). Complementing these features is a robust short film slate: Acetone Reality (dir. Sara Magenheimer, Michael Bell-Smith), Cairo Streets (dir. Abdellah Taïa), Dooni (dir. Kevin Jerome Everson, Claudrena N. Harold), The Early Sun, Red as a Hunter’s Moon (dir. Adam Piron), I Dreamed of a Gentle Landscape (dir. Kim Torres), An Impossible Address (dir. Suneil Sanzgiri), Morning Circle (dir. Basma Al-Sharif), Pilgrims Cartel / Unclassified (dir. Colectivo Los Ingrávidos), and Time Life Volume 15. Monument to a Period of Time in Which I Lived (dir. Mungo Thomson).
The Los Angeles Festival of Movies stakes a claim as a neighborhood festival that combines preservation and discovery. By programming restored arthouse titles alongside new features and shorts by local filmmakers, the event acts as both a cultural resource and a platform for emerging voices. Organizers have emphasized serving a diverse and engaged audience, and the lineup reflects that intention with both queer cinema rescues and formally daring contemporary work. Tickets and additional information about screenings, venues, and the exclusive poster debut by Arius Ziaee with design by Jim Chapa are available through the festival’s channels for those wishing to attend this concentrated four-day program.