See It On 16mm is once again invading The Frida, and this time they’re bringing a print of the legendary documentary Gimme Shelter, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year!
A detailed chronicle of the famous 1969 tour of the United States by the British rock band The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert held on December 6 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, an event of historical significance, as it marked the end of an era: the generation of peace and love suddenly became the generation of disillusionment.
Read More
Our 4/20 Weekend comes to a close with the legendary 3 hour documentary Woodstock. This pick comes directly from Finn, who is our second Volunteer Of The Month for April!
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.
Two nights only. Don’t miss this epic picture of peace, music, and love on the big screen!
Read More
As Alina undergoes a transformative metamorphosis into Legerin, her personal evolution mirrors the broader transformation within the Women Life Freedom movement. Commencing in Cuba, her engagements with the Zapatistas in Mexico, her journey through Europe and exploration of the Kurdish cause in Syria symbolize a convergence of struggles. These experiences forge vital connections between seemingly distant realities, significantly contributing to the overarching fight for women’s rights globally.
Through the lens of Alina’s journey, Legerin: In Search of Alina provides a compelling insight into why women around the world draw inspiration from the Women Life Freedom movement. The film captures not only Alina’s unique and transformative experiences but also sheds light on the broader message of women’s agency, resilience, and the pursuit of a life free from oppressive structures.
This film will be presented in its original Spanish and Kurdish languages with English subtitles.
The Los Angeles Kurdish Film Festival (LAKFF) is a vibrant cultural celebration showcasing the rich diversity of Kurdish stories from Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora. Through compelling films, this festival brings to light the complexities of Kurdish identity, history, and the ongoing struggles faced by Kurdish communities worldwide. With a diverse lineup of feature films, documentaries, and short films, LAKFF offers a platform for Kurdish filmmakers to share their voices, fostering dialogue and understanding around universal themes like displacement, resilience, and cultural preservation.
This program is a venue rental engagement. Member discounts and Frida Cinema comp passes not valid. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of The Frida Cinema or its staff.
Read More
For half a decade, Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist, filmed his community of Masafer Yatta being destroyed by Israel’s occupation. He built an unlikely alliance with an Israeli journalist that wanted to join his fight. The result is the Academy Award winning documentary No Other Land.
Director’s Statement: We’re making this film together, a Palestinian-Israeli group of activists and filmmakers, because we want to stop the ongoing expulsion of the community of Masafer Yatta, and resist the reality of Apartheid we were born into–from opposite, unequal sides. Reality around us is becoming scarier, more violent, more oppressive, every day–and we are very weak in front of it. We can only shout out something radically different, this film–which at its core, is a proposal for an alternate way Israelis and Palestinians can live in this land–not as oppressor and oppressed, but in full equality.
Read More
Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d’État is a gripping documentary that examines the intersection of music, politics, and Cold War-era power struggles in Africa.
The film explores the 1961 assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, revealing how Western governments —particularly the U.S. and Belgium — manipulated political events to maintain control over Africa’s resources. Against this backdrop of covert operations and geopolitical maneuvering, the documentary highlights the role of jazz musicians, such as Louis Armstrong, who were sent as cultural ambassadors, often unknowingly aiding in political cover-ups.
Read More
Relive the zany antics of Andy Kaufman with Thank You Very Much, Alex Braverman’s new documentary about the madcap comedian!
In his short, enigmatic life, Andy Kaufman entertained and transfixed audiences while simultaneously driving them away. His work dissolved the boundaries separating reality from fiction, and his commitment to performance, both on stage and off, rendered any distinctions between his characters and his real life useless. Was he a comic, an affable sit-com star, a washed-up lounge singer, a bus boy, a professional wrestler, a hoaxer, a provocateur or a pest? Nearly 40 years after his supposed death, one question still puzzles fans and haters alike: “was that for real?”
Read More
Chantal Akerman Month continues with 1976’s News from Home, a meditative exploration of isolation, distance, and the immigrant experience.
The film juxtaposes static and slow-moving shots of 1970s New York City — its streets, subways, and anonymous crowds — with Akerman’s voiceover reading letters from her mother in Belgium. These letters, filled with mundane updates and expressions of maternal concern, contrast with the urban alienation and quiet detachment of the visuals, creating a poignant reflection on homesickness and the unspoken tensions of familial bonds.
Read More
Join us for a very special screening of the new documentary Time Passages with an in-person Q&A with director Kyle Henry after the screening!
A pandemic rages across the globe. In the final months of his mother Elaine’s late-stage dementia, gay filmmaker Kyle Henry uses his extensive family archive to travel back in time, exploring the complicated bonds of identity, history, and belonging in his large Texas family. Charting Elaine’s promising early life through her years of motherhood and self-sacrifice, finally tracing their relationship to its inevitable end.
Time Passages explores Kyle’s conflicting feelings of love, grief, guilt, and helplessness. Beneath the Kodachrome smiles and grainy Super-8 home movies lie the difficult truths that so many families hide. With their unearthing, Time Passages becomes a memento mori: a testament to love, legacy and the things that carry us through life’s most challenging times.
Read More
Experience a one night only screening of the iconic 1980s docu-drama Rude Boy in a brand new 4K restoration!
In Rude Boy, Jack Hazan and David Mingay (A Bigger Splash) once again merge documentary and fiction in their tale of Ray Gange, a roughneck roadie for the most fiery, revolutionary rock ‘n’ roll band of their era–The Clash.
Proving a difficult, sometimes reactionary subject and a foil to the band’s idealism, Gange plays observer to The Clash’s legendary 1978 Rock Against Racism concert in London’s Victoria Park and their studio recording of Give ’Em Enough Rope. Set against a background of riots, racist and anti-racist demos, and police hostility towards black British youth, this unforgettable, absorbing film portraits a UK on the brink of Thatcherism, and a moment when subcultural shock troops met those of a rising right wing in the streets.
Read More
Revisit the rivalry between two legendary 90s bands in DIG! XX, a new edition of Ondi Timoner’s acclaimed 2004 documentary!
The film chronicles the tumultuous relationship between two bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This enhanced version delves deeper into their intertwined journeys, highlighting the collision of art and commerce through their star-crossed friendship and intense rivalry.
Read More
