Our Concrete Dreams series wraps up with The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Joe Talbot’s poignant 2019 drama.
The film follows Jimmie Fails (playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself) as he dreams of reclaiming his childhood home, a grand Victorian house in San Francisco, which his grandfather supposedly built. With the help of his best friend Montgomery Allen (Jonathan Majors), Jimmie embarks on a heartfelt quest to restore and reclaim the house amidst a city undergoing rapid change. As their journey unfolds, the film delves into the complexities of home, friendship, and the cultural dislocation faced by Black communities in a gentrifying city.
Praised for its lyrical storytelling, stunning cinematography, and heartfelt performances, the film won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance and solidified its place as a modern cinematic masterpiece.
Concrete Dreams: Black Identity in the Urban Frame is a series that explores the profound relationship between Black Cinema and the cities that shape its narratives. Each film in the series not only tells a compelling story, but also positions the urban environment as a central character—its streets, culture, and communities influencing the lives, struggles, and triumphs of its inhabitants. By highlighting stories that intertwine identity, culture, and place, this series invites audiences to reflect on the dynamic interplay between people and the environments they call home, showcasing how these cities pulse through the heart of Black storytelling.
Read More
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is coming back at The Frida for some matinee encores!
A visually inventive and emotionally raw exploration of love and loss, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind follows Joel (Jim Carrey), a reserved man who discovers that his impulsive ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has undergone a medical procedure to erase all memories of their relationship.
The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Actress (Winslet). It’s often cited as one of the defining films of the 2000s, and a certified Frida Cinema classic that we have thrown on our screens every February for years now. Don’t miss your chance to see this cult classic on the big screen with a crowd!
Read More
Bogie Fest rolls on as we revisit one of the most beloved films of all time: Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca!
The story unfolds in the titular Moroccan city, a haven for refugees seeking passage to the Americas. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), the jaded owner of a popular nightclub, unexpectedly reunites with his former lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), who arrives with her husband, resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). As Rick grapples with lingering feelings for Ilsa, he must decide whether to help the couple escape the clutches of the Nazis, risking his own safety in the process.
With its unforgettable performances and a rich blend of romance and moral dilemmas, Casablanca earned three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and remains one of the most celebrated films in cinematic history. Bogart’s role as Rick continues to be the go-to for fans of hard-shelled man with a soft heart.
Read More
Nicolas Winding Refn’s stylish 2011 action drama Drive is finally back at The Frida Cinema! And this time around, we’re screening it as part of our LA Fires Fundraiser series. Ticket proceeds from this special screening will be donated to American Red Cross California Wildfires Disaster Relief Fund.
Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he’s been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Irene’s husband (Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail, he enlists Driver’s help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
Impressing critics and audiences alike with its potent combination of striking cinematography and graphic violence, Drive is regarded as one of the definitive portrayals of LA of modern cinema.
For more information on the Red Cross’ California Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund, please visit: https://www.redcross.org/local/california/los-angeles/about-us/our-work/california-wildfires-response-january-2025.html
Member discounts and Frida Cinema comp passes not valid.
Read More
For the first time ever, The Frida Cinema is proud to present Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, starring the incomparable duo of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. This screening is part of our LA Fires Fundraiser series. Ticket proceeds from this special screening will be donated to American Red Cross California Wildfires Disaster Relief Fund.
Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
Earning a record-tying 14 nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, La La Land is the heartful celebration of LA that we all need right now.
For more information on the Red Cross’ California Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund, please visit: https://www.redcross.org/local/california/los-angeles/about-us/our-work/california-wildfires-response-january-2025.html
Member discounts and Frida Cinema comp passes not valid.
Read More
Love rains with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, the 1964 musical romance from Jacques Demy! Now in a brand new 4K restoration!
This simple romantic tragedy begins in 1957. Guy Foucher, a 20-year-old French auto mechanic, has fallen in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery, an employee in her widowed mother’s chic but financially embattled umbrella shop. On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Geneviève make love. She becomes pregnant and must choose between waiting for Guy’s return or accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant.
Winning the Palme d’Or at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is celebrated by many as one of the best musicals of all time.
Read More
Hot off of its 10 Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design, The Frida Cinema is proud to present Brady Corbet’s audacious masterwork The Brutalist!
Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Tóth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.
All screenings of The Brutalist will include a 15 minute intermission.
Read More
Our 21st Century Cult series marches along as we present the controversial 2002 film Secretary, starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal!
he film follows Lee Holloway (Gyllenhaal), a socially awkward young woman recently released from a mental health institution, who takes a job as a secretary for the demanding and enigmatic lawyer E. Edward Grey (Spader). As their professional relationship evolves into an unorthodox BDSM dynamic, Lee begins to reclaim her sense of agency and identity, while Edward confronts his own vulnerabilities and desires.
Read More
Wong Kar-Wai Month comes to an end the only way we know how: screening the iconic filmmaker’s year 2000 masterpiece In The Mood For Love.
The story follows Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung), neighbors who discover that their spouses are having an affair. As they grapple with this betrayal, they form a bond over their shared pain, reenacting their spouses’ infidelity in a bid to understand it. Despite their growing feelings for each other, they remain bound by societal expectations and their own moral codes, creating a story brimming with unspoken emotions and unfulfilled desires.
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
