Westwood's Village Theater to be run by American Cinematheque upon 2027 reopening

At a infinitesimal erstwhile immoderate of Los Angeles’ astir storied movie houses stay acheronian — astir notably the ArcLight Hollywood and Cinerama Dome — and galore others are inactive warring done a fragile recovery, 1 of its oldest is taking a important measurement toward revival.

On Tuesday, manager Jason Reitman and a conjugation of much than 30 filmmakers announced that the American Cinematheque volition run and programme the Village Theater successful Westwood arsenic it undergoes a $25-million restoration aimed astatine a 2027 reopening. The directors — who purchased the 94-year-old movie palace successful February 2024 — person tapped the nonprofit to tally the more-than-1,300-seat venue and assistance signifier its future.

The statement brings unneurotic 2 unusually almighty forces successful Los Angeles movie culture: a who’s-who roster of A-list directors and, successful the American Cinematheque, 1 of the city’s astir disposable and ambitious programming institutions. Reitman’s conjugation — including Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Damien Chazelle, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Ryan Coogler, James Gunn, Denis Villeneuve, Karyn Kusama, Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao and galore others — bought the Village successful an effort to sphere it arsenic a hub for communal moviegoing astatine a clip of heavy uncertainty for theaters.

“Last year, immoderate of the top surviving directors rallied to prevention a Los Angeles monument, the Village Theater successful Westwood,” Reitman said successful a statement. “We often similar to deliberation of movie theaters arsenic churches. If so, the Village is simply a cathedral and with the American Cinematheque, we recovered our congregation.”

Under the caller agreement, the American Cinematheque volition negociate regular operations and pb programming astatine the theater, with “active information from the filmmakers,” according to the announcement.

The remodeled venue is expected to big peculiar screenings with in-person conversations, premieres, awards-season events, caller releases, repertory titles and an expanded slate of AC’s signature festivals, including Beyond Fest, Bleak Week, This Is Not a Fiction and Ultra Cinematheque 70 Fest. The Village has been a showcase for Hollywood premieres since its opening successful 1931, a contented the partners accidental they mean to continue.

The Village Theater successful Westwood is acceptable to acquisition a large restoration nether a filmmakers’ partnership.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The Village’s lobby volition beryllium redesigned arsenic a multipurpose abstraction for concessions, filmmaker artifacts, retail kiosks and premiere-related events. The directors and AC are successful the quiescent signifier of a $25-million superior run to enactment the renovation, which is scheduled to statesman aboriginal adjacent year. Reitman said helium is “very excited by the aboriginal enactment commitments by individuals and a large exertion sponsor” and emphasized that they privation to springiness audiences “a spot to acquisition the films they emotion with the radical they love.”

For the American Cinematheque — which operates the Aero Theatre successful Santa Monica and co-programs some the Egyptian Theatre successful Hollywood and the Los Feliz 3 — the concern importantly expands its footprint. Founded successful 1984, the Cinematheque is simply a member-supported nonprofit dedicated to fostering a divers and engaged movie assemblage done immersive programming, speech and presentation, staging much than 1,600 screenings a twelvemonth crossed formats ranging from 35mm and 70mm to integer and uncommon nitrate.

“Partnering with the superb and virtuoso Village Directors Circle to renovate the Village Theater is an breathtaking milestone for the American Cinematheque,” AC Chair Rick Nicita said. “Our extremity is to make a vibrant taste hub that not lone celebrates cinema but besides enriches the assemblage and welcomes audiences from each implicit Los Angeles and the world.”

The announcement lands arsenic Los Angeles continues to navigate a theatrical ecosystem reshaped by the pandemic. The Vista reopened nether Quentin Tarantino’s stewardship, Vidiots rebounded successful Eagle Rock and the Egyptian welcomed audiences backmost successful 2023 aft a large restoration. Yet the betterment has been uneven, with immoderate theaters thriving and others inactive struggling to regain pre-COVID audiences.

Meanwhile, the presumption of 2 of L.A.’s astir celebrated movie houses remains uncertain. The ArcLight Hollywood and the adjacent Cinerama Dome, closed since 2020, took a tiny measurement guardant this week erstwhile the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council offered unanimous enactment for a conditional-use licence allowing the analyzable to service alcohol. The theaters’ owners, the Decurion Corp., which is controlled by the Forman family, person said they stay committed to redeveloping the property, though nary timeline has been announced.

The Village’s revival dovetails with broader efforts to revitalize Westwood Village up of the 2028 Summer Olympics. With the theatre perchance repositioned for an attention-grabbing relaunch, the Village Directors Circle and the Cinematheque anticipation to crook the venue into a taste anchor that could basal alongside Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and Griffith Observatory.

Speaking to The Times past twelvemonth aft the purchase, Reitman enactment it this way: “You know, there’s thing successful the sanction — Westwood is simply a colony and this theatre is called the Village. I deliberation that’s what we each yearn for. No substance however technologically precocious we get, nary substance however overmuch we crave the metropolis center, there’s a portion of america that ever yearns for a village. This is simply a colony for movies.”