Special Guests

Does anything ever happen in Burbank, CA? Find out at Frida Cinema, followed by a Q&A with director Emmanuel Duga at both screenings. Ever sat down with a couple of friends, doing nothing? Where nothing gets accomplished and having conversations? Those conversations don’t really lead to anything significant, just totally random. Yet...you don’t seem to mind. You enjoy the sensation of being in good company with your friends. This is a day in a life in Burbank, CA, for young Gen-Z. Through a series of short vignettes, we get a glimpse of the anxieties, joys, hopes, dreams and expectations from today's young adults. Nothing Ever Happens in Burbank, CA is a quietly funny, intimate portrait of a single day in the lives of Gen-Z young adults. Told through a series of short vignettes, the film captures the anxieties, small joys, drifting hopes, and unspoken expectations of growing up in Los Angeles. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff. Membership discounts and comp passes do not apply.

Just Our Heart collects rituals and stories of human, ecological and colonial grief in order to set the experience of loss in a context of meaning for us who remain. Please join us for a special screening of the film, introduced by director Maartje Nevejan, on February 19th at 5:30PM! This feature documentary by Amsterdam-based filmmaker Maartje Nevejan dives into the deep waters of grief—not only personal, but ecological, colonial, and spiritual. Sparked by the loss of her partner and the grief of her children in the face of ecological collapse, Nevejan resists centering her own story. Instead, she opens a space for something larger: a cinematic ritual that gathers four remarkable women—grief doulas, ritualists, spiritual disruptors—who guide others not toward closure, but transformation. In collaboration with visionary ecologist Dr. Monica Gagliano and Zen priest and grief pioneer Roshi Joan Halifax, Just Our Heart expands the mourning room. It invites voices that are usually silenced: the dead, the exploited, the Earth herself. This is a film that doesn’t offer answers—it invites participation in something older than language: ritual as a way of relating to loss, and as a method of resistance. This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

Join 18th & Grand and FanMail Cinema Club in a special event screening and the Santa Ana Premiere of 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story. The documentary delves into the history and cultural significance of an infamous downtown Los Angeles arena through first-hand accounts from attendees and stars of the Olympic’s ring, rink, and stage! The Olympic was a hub of outrageous entertainment for generations, where heroes and villains often came from the neighborhoods of the city. 18th & Grand was the closing film for Slamdance, lauded in Hyperallergic and Film Threat, and the inspiration for a major museum exhibition at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.  Told through the distinctive voices of wrestlers, boxers, punks and skaters, 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story remembers a lost, and more interesting L.A. Featuring John Doe (X), Julio César Chávez, Carlos Palomino, Mando Guerrero, The Destroyer, Gene LeBell, Roddy Piper and more! Enjoy a post-film Q&A, meet World Champion boxers Carlos Palomino and Danny “Little Red” Lopez, shop from themed-vendors, including Keely’s Cake Studio, VideoHero VHS, facepainting from La Rainbow Fiesta, and take photos in our boxing-themed photo-op. Q&A to follow the film including World Champion Boxer Carlos Palomino, Boxing Historian Gene Aguilera, family of luchador Mando “Superstar” Lopez! Moderated by LA Times Columnist and Reporter Gustavo Arellano! Doors: 1:00PM Vending: 1:00PM-6:00PM Film: 2:00PM Q&A: Right after the film! This program is a venue rental engagement. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.

The Frida Cinema is proud to present a special 75th Anniversary screening of The Day the Earth Stood Still, one of the most important science fiction films ever made whose message has only grown more urgent with time! Plus, get there early and see the iconic 8-Foot-Tall Gort Robot live-on-stage! Starring Michael Rennie in his unforgettable performance as Klaatu, this 20th Century Fox landmark follows an alien emissary who arrives on Earth with a message that could save humanity…or doom it! At his side the towering Gort Robot whose silent presence became a legend of science fiction design. Directed by Academy Award winner Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, The Haunting, Star Trek: The Motion Feature) The Day the Earth Stood Still rejected spectacle in favor of moral urgency during a time of high-anxiety, making it evergreen filmmaking at its finest.  Bernard Herrmann’s revolutionary score, featuring eerie theremins and groundbreaking electronic instrumentation, forever changed the sound of Science Fiction cinema. Lauded worldwide and praised by critics for its intelligence and restraint, the film was selected by the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance. Arnold Leibovit, a personal friend of Robert Wise, will host the evening and present two more of George Pal's Academy Award-winning Puppetoons he's restored: "A Hatful of Dreams" featuring a DC Comics use of Superman and "The Gay Knighties" with a mischievous Ogre.  Also: please join us for Bonus pre-screening of The Puppetoon Movie – A Legacy Revisited, at 5:00PM, a behind-the-scenes look into the making of The Puppetoon Movie with Joe Dante (Gremlins),  Floyd Norman(Walt Disney animator – Sleeping Beauty,  The Jungle Book),  Peter Lord (Aardman Animations – Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit),  Dennis Muren (Star Wars, Jurassic Park),  Phil Tippett (Starship Troopers), Mick Garris (Critters 2), Bob Kurtz (Animation Director), Marc Caballero & Seamus Walsh (Screen Novelties Directors), Art Clokey (Gumby Creator), Dallas McKennon (Actor), Jerry Beck (animation historian) and others. Produced & Directed by Arnold Leibovit with archival narration by Paul Frees. This showing will coincide with the new restoraton Blu-ray release of The Puppetoon Movie. 4:00PM Doors Open  5:00PM A Puppetoon Movie: A Legacy Revisited documentary (introduction by Arnold Leibovit) 7:00PM Two Puppetoons shorts + The Day The Earth Stood Still (introduction by Arnold Leibovit) Tickets are $20 to this event. Frida Cinema comp passes and member discounts do not apply.