Before he gave us The Lady Eve, writer-director Preston Sturges delivered one of Hollywood’s great love letters to the movies with Sullivan’s Travels, a hilarious and heartfelt comedy that asks one timeless question: what good are movies in difficult times?

Successful movie director John L. Sullivan, convinced he won’t be able to film his ambitious masterpiece until he has suffered, dons a hobo disguise and sets off on a journey, aiming to “know trouble” first-hand. When all he finds is a train ride back to Hollywood and a beautiful blonde companion, he redoubles his efforts, managing to land himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he loses his memory and ends up a prisoner on a chain gang.

More than eighty years later, Sullivan’s Travels’ message feels as vital as ever. If you’ve ever wondered whether movies can change lives, this is one of the greatest arguments ever put forward! Come see this classic on the big screen!

An auteur emerges from America’s underclass.

From migrant farmworker to revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. His El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize California’s farm workers. His Zoot Suit was the first Chicano play on Broadway. Despite critical rejection that killed the show’s New York run, he persevered, creating La Bamba, a blockbuster that brought Mexican-American life to a global audience.

Now in its 60th year, El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino creators. American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez is the first feature documentary about this American original, narrated by Edward James Olmos reprising his legendary El Pachuco role, featuring Cheech Marin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dolores Huerta, and Linda Ronstadt. The film weaves 4K-restored archival footage, including over 80,000 feet of deteriorating 1970s celluloid rescued and digitized for the first time, with the story of a man who proved that Chicanos have always been America.

Don’t worry, you’ll like it.

Gregg Araki’s long-awaited return to the big screen, I Want Your Sex, is coming to The Frida Cinema!

When fresh-faced Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.

More than thirty years after the Teen Apocalypse Trilogy shocked independent cinema, I Want Your Sex proves Araki hasn’t lost his appetite for challenging audiences, reminding us why he is one of American cinema’s most fearless and singular voices.

Frida Cinema favorite Kiyoshi Kurosawa is back, yet again, with his latest epic: The Samurai and the Prisoner!

When Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Oda (Bando Shingo), he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda), a brilliant yet dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon. Helped by his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and his most loyal generals, Murashige must uncover the truth before the castle falls.

A restrained samurai mystery that uses the genre to explore morality, The Samurai and the Prisoner boasts an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoesand was one of the major standouts at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Don’t miss your chance to see it on the big screen!

Directors. Dorks. Deviants. This ain’t no Multiplex.

It’s the 10th anniversary of Out of Print, so we’re bringing it back to The Frida Cinema! And make sure to stick around after the film, as we’ll be joined by the director of the film, Julia Marchese, for a very special in-person Q&A!

Out of Print is catnip for anyone who has ever fallen in love with a movie theater. Director Julia Marchese’s affectionate documentary celebrates the dying, and now thankfully enduring, art of repertory cinema and 35mm film exhibition through the legendary New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Featuring interviews with filmmakers and cinephiles including Edgar Wright, Rian Johnson, Joe Dante, Patton Oswalt, Kevin Smith, and more, it’s both a time capsule of a pivotal moment in film history and a passionate defense of seeing movies the way they were meant to be seen.