The Black Cauldron: Presented by Cinematic Void

Posted on April 15, 2026

Hidden by darkness. Guarded by witches. Discovered by a boy. Stolen by a king. Whoever owns it will rule the world. Or destroy it!

Cinematic Void is back at The Frida Cinema to present a slightly-late 40th anniversary screening of Disney’s rarely-screened gem The Black Cauldron!

Taran is an assistant pigkeeper with boyish dreams of becoming a great warrior. However, he has to put the daydreaming aside when his charge, an oracular pig named Hen Wen, is kidnapped by an evil lord known as the Horned King. The villain hopes Hen will show him the way to The Black Cauldron, which has the power to create a giant army of unstoppable soldiers.

This event is co-presented by both Cinematic Void and The American Cinematheque! Member discounts do apply!

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad: Hosted by Arnold Leibovit

Posted on April 13, 2026

From the Land Beyond Beyond…From The World Past Hope and Fear…The Frida Cinema is proud to present a brand new 4K restoration of the most influential fantasy adventures ever made: Ray Harryhausen’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad! See it the way audiences did in 1958, larger than life on the big screen! This special event includes a rare on-screen video appearance by child star Richard Eyer, along with two additional George Pal Academy Award®-winning Puppetoons, celebrating the golden age of fantasy filmmaking.

In this landmark stop-motion adventure, the legendary sailor Sinbad journeys to the mysterious Island of Colossa to save Princess Parisa, his fiancée, who has been magically shrunken by the evil sorcerer Sokurah. Along the way Sinbad confronts a towering Cyclops, battles a sword-wielding animated skeleton in one of the most famous duels in motion picture history, faces a giant two-headed Roc, and ultimately fights a fire-breathing dragon in a spectacular fantasy climax–adventure, monsters, and magic Featuring groundbreaking Dynamation effects by Ray Harryhausen and a thunderous, unforgettable score by Bernard Herrmann!

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad became one of the top-grossing films of 1958 and helped redefine fantasy filmmaking for generations to come–a giant-screen fantasy experience that launched a thousand filmmakers. Its influence can be seen in the work of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, John Landis, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Rick Baker and many others.

Hosted by producer-director Arnold Leibovit, who was inspired by the film as a child, later met and directed Ray Harryhausen in The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal, and stayed in touch with him for over 30 years. Leibovit also had the opportunity to meet George Pal and correspond with him for more than a year, and became a longtime friend of Pal’s widow, Mrs. Zsoka Pal. For decades, he has worked to restore and preserve the Puppetoons and carry forward the legacy of classic fantasy filmmaking. In 2008, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” and hailed as one of the finest fantasy films ever made, noted for its stunning color photography, imaginative creatures, and Bernard Herrmann’s thrilling score.

Doors open at 6:00PM and the show starts at 7:00PM! Tickets are $20 to this event. Frida Cinema comp passes and member discounts do not apply.

The African Queen

Posted on March 25, 2026

The greatest adventure a man ever lived…with a woman!

The penultimate film on our Bogie Fest series sees everybody’s favorite Hollywood tough guy taking on his greatest opponent ever…Katharine Hepburn! It’s John Huston’s The African Queen, the movie that finally landed Mr. Bogart his first and only Oscar!

Set against the chaos of World War I in East Africa, the film pairs two people who, on paper, should never work. Humphrey Bogart is Charlie Allnut, a scruffy, gin-soaked riverboat captain whose loyalties extend about as far as his next drink. Katharine Hepburn is Rose Sayer, a prim, devout missionary whose world has been defined by order, restraint, and moral certainty. Then…their world collapses. What begins as survival quickly becomes something else: a borderline absurd plan to take the boat downriver and attack a German warship.

Huston leans into the physicality of it all: the mud, the insects, the heat, the relentless push of the river. It’s not the ideal romantic backdrop, but with talent like Bogart and Hepburn on screen, they somehow make it all work.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Posted on March 25, 2026

The nearer they get to their treasure, the farther they get from the law.

Bogie Fest heads south of the border for one of the greatest adventure dramas ever put to film: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre! Directed by John Huston, this gripping tale of greed and survival unfolds in the rugged mountains of Mexico, where desperation and fortune are two sides to the same coin.

Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), a down-on-his-luck drifter, teams up with fellow American Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) and a seasoned old prospector, Howard (Walter Huston), to strike gold in the Sierra Madre. What begins as a hopeful quest for riches slowly unravels into a tense psychological battle, as paranoia and mistrust creep in and threaten to destroy everything they’ve worked for.

With its stark realism, iconic lines (“We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!”), and one hell of a performance from our beloved Bogie, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre remains a towering achievement in classic cinema. Walter Huston’s colorful turn as the wise and weathered Howard earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while his son, John Huston, took home Oscars for Best Director and Best Screenplay!

Big Trouble in Little China + Q&A w/ Alan Howarth, Gerald Okamura, & James Pax: Presented by Moviebusters

Posted on March 23, 2026

Just added: James Pax “Lightning” will be joining us for this screening! Aside from appearing as Lightning in Big Trouble in Little China, James has also appeared in such movies as Invasion USA with Chuck Norris, The Dark Knight, Year of the Dragon, and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects with Charles Bronson. James will join our other guests for a signing before the the film and will also be part of the on stage post Q&A!

Jack Burton’s in for some serious trouble…and you’re in for some serious fun.

The Moviebusters are back at The Frida Cinema, and this time they’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of the John Carpenter and Kurt Russell’s 1986 cult classic Big Trouble In Little China! In addition to the film, we will have guests Alan Howarth, who worked with John Carpenter on the film’s soundtrack, and actor and martial artist Gerald Okamura, who played the Wing Kong Hatchet Man in the film join us after the screening for a Q&A hosted by Scott Zillner! They will also be signing autographs in the lobby before the film begins!

Truck driver Jack Burton gets embroiled in a supernatural battle when his best friend Wang Chi’s green-eyed fiancée is kidnapped by henchmen of the sorcerer Lo Pan, who must marry a girl with green eyes in order to return to the human realm.

This kind of Kung Fu-Western-Sci Fi-Action-Horror genre mashing is common now, but in the 1980s, it was unheard of. Big Trouble In Little China embraced the chaos then, and has become even more beloved as the years have worn on. Come see it on the big screen!

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. Frida Cinema member discounts and comp passes do not apply.

Labyrinth

Posted on March 19, 2026

Celebrate 40 years of Labyrinth magic as The Frida Cinema presents a limited run of the fantasy cult classic in a brand new restoration!

Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers.

Starring a very young Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth has withstood the test of time due to its handmade aesthetic, groundbreaking practical effects, and David Bowie’s iconic role as Jareth the Goblin King! Don’t miss it on the big screen for this very special anniversary!

Up in Smoke: Presented by See It On 16MM

Posted on March 19, 2026

It will make you feel VERY funny!

Our 4/20 Weekend celebrating continues as our friends at See It On 16mm present the Cheech and Chong comedy classic Up In Smoke on glorious celluloid!

An unemployed pot-smoking slacker and amateur drummer, Anthony Stoner ditches his strict parents and hits the road, eventually meeting kindred spirit Pedro de Pacas. While the drug-ingesting duo is soon arrested for possession of marijuana, Anthony and Pedro get released on a technicality, allowing them to continue their many misadventures and ultimately compete in a rock band contest, where they perform the raucous tune “Earache My Eye.”

The Goonies

Posted on March 17, 2026

They call themselves “The Goonies.” The secret caves. The old lighthouse. The lost map. The treacherous traps. Join the adventure!

April’s Staff Pick comes from our beloved Eddie, who has chose Richard Donner’s 1985 classic The Goonies!

Young teen Mikey Walsh and his friends set off on a quest to find Pirate One-Eyed Willie’s treasure in hopes of saving their homes from demolition. However, on their quest to find the treasure, they run into a family of recently escaped criminals, determined to capture the kids and reach the treasure first.

A key touchstone of 1980s cinema, The Goonies has a legacy rooted in pure nostalgia and youthful imagination. Its simple premise has now turned into a defining blueprint for kid-led adventure stories for the rest of time!

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Posted on March 17, 2026

Just beyond your dreams lives a secret world. Where every tree is a home. Every sound is a song. And humans only exist in fairy tales. Until now…

Join us on Earth Day, April 22nd, as we present special screenings of FernGully: The Last Rainforest on a beautiful big screen for everyone to enjoy!

When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy, Zak, down to her size, he vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home: the pristine rainforest known as FernGully. Zak and his new friends fight to defend FernGully from lumberjacks and the vengeful spirit they accidentally unleash after chopping down a magic tree.

Way before Avatar, this Don Bluth-esque animated rainforest romp warmed the hearts of kids everywhere with the voices of Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, Robin Williams, Cheech & Chong, Harry Shearer, Tone-Loc, Pamela Adlon, and even David Lynch favorite Grace Zabriskie. We’re delightfully buzzed to be playing a brand new DCP of this psychedelic ‘90s staple from our buds at Shout! Studios and American Genre Film Archive!

The Great Escape

Posted on March 17, 2026

Our second Volunteer Of The Month pick for April is courtesy of Brett, as he has chosen the 1963 classic The Great Escape!

The story follows a group of captured Allied soldiers are held in a high-security German POW camp designed to be escape-proof. Instead of waiting out the war, they band together to plan a meticulously coordinated breakout. As they dig tunnels, forge documents, and risk everything for a chance at freedom, one small mistake could lead to their ultimate demise.

Led by an all-star cast including Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough, this WWII classic is remembered for its unforgettable set pieces, making it one of the most thrilling escape adventures ever put on screen.