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ABOVE AND BEYOND, Documentary About the Volunteer Fighter Pilots from Abroad Who Helped Save Israel in ’48, Opens February 6

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In 1948, a group of World War II pilots, mostly from the United States, volunteered to fight for Israel in its War of Independence.  As members of “Machal”– volunteers from abroad – this ragtag band of brothers turned the tide of the war, preventing the possible annihilation of Israel at the very moment of its birth.  ABOVE AND BEYOND is their story, told for the first time and we are pleased to open the film Friday, February 6 at the Town Center in Encino and the next day at the Royal in West L.A. ABOVE AND BEYOND producer Nancy Spielberg will participate in Q&A’s after the 10:30 AM screening at the Royal and after the 7:50 PM show at the Town Center on Sunday, February 8.

ABOVE AND BEYOND recounts the harrowing missions of the men who helped repel five Arab armies. The film follows them from the United States – where they met and trained in secret and struggled to stay two steps ahead of the FBI – to Panama, Rome and even behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia, where they flew versions of the very Nazi planes they had tried to shoot down in World War II.

Set against the backdrop of an emerging nation still reeling from the horrors of the Holocaust, ABOVE AND BEYOND uncovers the motivations of these volunteers – Jews and non-Jews, some Zionists, many others not.  It recounts the personal stories of the young pilots, whose experiences in Israel were life altering. And ultimately, the film taps into universal themes of courage, commitment and sacrifice.  At a time when a fledgling nation was under attack, a tiny band of airmen answered the call for help. They risked their citizenship, their futures and even their lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNMJGaptDds&feature=youtu.be
Volunteer pilots, 1948.

MONK WITH A CAMERA Q&A’s with the Filmmakers this Weekend at the Royal

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MONK WITH A CAMERA chronicles the life and spiritual quest of Nicholas (Nicky) Vreeland, who for the past twenty-eight years has been a Tibetan Buddhist monk. The son of a United States Ambassador, grandson of legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, and a photographer by trade, Nicky left his privileged life behind to follow his true calling. He moved to India, cutting his ties with society, photography, and his pleasure-filled world, to live in a monastery with no running water or electricity.

MONK WITH A CAMERA co-directors Tina Mascara and Guido Santi will participate in Q&A’s after the 11 AM screenings at the Royal on Saturday and Sunday, January 31 and February 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07LL-r-Sqzk

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

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Did you know that if the San Fernando Valley were its own city, it would be the fifth largest in the United States? That alone would merit the a serious museum devoted to its history, art and culture, but especially a place as rich and strange, as somehow simultaneously bland and colorful, as the Valley. As of last November, the Museum of the San Fernando Valley is a reality and, as reported recently in the L.A. Times, it’s in Northridge. As longtime and proud Valley movie theater owner-operators, Laemmle Theatres strongly encourages a visit!

David Orenstein of Woodland Hills examines images of Valley architecture at the new Northridge site. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

 

See the World’s Great Exhibitions with Laemmle’s Culture Vulture Series: HERMITAGE REVEALED, POMPEII and VIKINGS: LIFE & LEGEND

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With our Culture Vulture series we want to include more than just live theater, opera and ballet. Hence these three upcoming titles that feature exhibitions: HERMITAGE REVEALED on January 26 and 27; POMPEII on February 16 and 17; and VIKINGS: LIFE & LEGEND on March 9 and 10. Like the other films in this series, each provides vivid access to the pinnacles of world culture, minus the air and hotel fare.

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, holding over three million treasures and boasting more curators than any other art institution. To mark the momentous occasion of its 250th anniversary, the museum opened its doors for the filming of HERMITAGE REVEALED – a cinematic event that is a must-see for all fans of art, architecture and the culture and history of Russia.

POMPEII FROM THE BRITISH MUSEUM is the very first cinema event from the museum and will offer an exclusive private view of the British Museum’s blockbuster exhibition Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The exhibition focuses on the homes and lives of the inhabitants of the thriving industrial hub of Pompeii and the small seaside town of Herculaneum nearly 2,000 years ago when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Introduced by British Museum Director Neil MacGregor, this fascinating show will take you around the exhibition with insights from renowned experts who will bring these extraordinary objects to life with accompanying music, poetry and eyewitness accounts.

This special British Museum cinema event VIKINGS: LIFE & LEGEND offers an exclusive private view of the BP exhibition Vikings: life and legend – the first exhibition about the Vikings at the museum for 30 years. Introduced by British Museum Director Neil MacGregor and presented by the celebrated broadcasting historians Michael Wood and Bettany Hughes, the exhibition is brought to life by curator Gareth Williams, alongside experts on Viking ships and swords, burial and beliefs, language and legacy. With demonstrations, stunning close-up photography of the Viking objects in the exhibition and a torch-lit burial staged in the grounds of the museum, Vikings from the British Museum is a reminder of how the Vikings have shaped modern lives across four continents including North America.

http://vimeo.com/98912705

AMERICAN BEAR Filmmaker-Adventurers at Both Laemmle Screenings for Q&A’s

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As seen in the documentary AMERICAN BEAR, Sarah and Greg set out to critically explore American culture, compassion, and fear by relying on the kindness of strangers for a home each night. Traveling through 30 states in 60 days, they spend every day in a new town, learning why people may or may not be willing to open their homes. Sarah and Greg spend time getting to know their hosts – each uniquely, culturally American – while the film raises questions about how we define American identities.

AMERICAN BEAR co-directors Gregory Grano and Sarah Sellman will participate in Q&A’s after both the January 28 screening at the NoHo 7 and the January 29 screening at the Claremont 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5yJtP4IFhU

ABOVE AND BEYOND Q&A’s at the Royal and Town Center 5 with Producer Nancy Spielberg

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In 1948, a group of World War II pilots volunteered to fight for Israel in the War of Independence. As members of ‘Machal’ — volunteers from abroad — this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war, preventing the possible annihilation of Israel at the very moment of its birth; they also laid the groundwork for the Israeli Air Force. ABOVE AND BEYOND is their story. The first major feature-length documentary about the foreign airmen in the War of Independence, ABOVE AND BEYOND brings together new interviews with pilots from the ’48 War, as well as leading scholars and statesmen, including Shimon Peres, to present an extraordinary, little-known tale with reverberations up to the present day.

ABOVE AND BEYOND producer Nancy Spielberg will participate in Q&A’s after the 11 AM screenings at the Royal on Saturday and Sunday, February 7 and 8 and after the 7:50 PM show at the Town Center on Sunday, February 8. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNMJGaptDds&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LAST UNICORN Novelist/Screenwriter Peter Beagle will Introduce All Laemmle Screenings

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Since its 1982 release THE LAST UNICORN has enchanted audiences everywhere with its moving story about a unicorn trying to find and rescue her lost people, and the price she pays for bringing magic back into the world. Considered one of the great fantasies of the last century, the original novel has sold over six million copies in 25 languages, while the film adaptation has sold more than four million home video copies in America in just the last nine years.

THE LAST UNICORN novelist/screenwriter Peter Beagle will introduce all Laemmle screenings.

LITTLE ACCIDENTS Q&A at the NoHo Opening Weekend

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When a teenage boy goes missing in a small town already devastated by a fatal mining accident, three strangers find themselves drawn together in a tangle of secrets, lies, and the collective grief of the community. Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas and Boyd Holbrook star in the new indie drama LITTLE ACCIDENTS.

LITTLE ACCIDENTS cinematographer Rachel Morrison will participate in a Q&A moderated by Hilari Scarl of the Alliance of Women Directors after the 7 PM screening at the NoHo 7 on Saturday, January 17.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrTTsvs05U&feature=youtu.be