The inaugural Nuart Festival has been set for Oct. 21-30 to celebrate the reopening of the Nuart Theatre following its renovation. The 10-day fest will open with Oscar-winner Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light” including an eclectic mixture of sneak previews and special screenings of films that made midnight movie history at the Nuart.
Among the advanced screenings is “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” from Eric Appel, and starring Daniel Radcliffe ahead of its release on The Roku Channel. Co-presented with Film Independent, the film had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September. With Variety’s Owen Gleiberman calling it “witty and inventive.”
Members of Film Independent will receive free popcorn and drinks with ticket purchase and proof of membership.
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Furthermore, the Slamdance Film Festival’s Audience Award winner “The Civil Dead” from co-writers Clay Tatum and Whiter Thomas, will screen for audiences. Preceding the film, the duo will be awarded the 2022 Slamdance Screenplay, co-presented by Slamdance.
Among the notable classics in the lineup is Jim Sharman’s quintessential midnight movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) starring the magnanimous Tim Curry. The midnight screening will include a performance from the shadow cast, Sins O’ the Flesh, who are celebrating their 35th anniversary.
Other special screenings include John Waters’ “Pink Flamingos” (1972), Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950), Penelope Spheeris’ “The Decline of Western Civilization Part III” (1998) and David Lynch’s “Eraserhead” (1977), with an “Eraserhead photobooth” for patrons to partake.
There is a “TBD film” on the schedule for Wednesday, Oct. 26 that will be chosen by screenwriting partners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have been longtime fans of the theater since their USC film school days in the 1980s. The writing duo is best known for penning incredible works such as “Ed Wood” (1994) and “The People vs. Larry Flynt” (1996). In addition, the Nuart will screen “Myron,” Scott’s student film entry in the Teen Super 8 Film festival from 1982 the same evening.
Built in 1930, the single-screen, historic Nuart, located in Santa Monica, California, is the very first theatre in the Landmark Theatres chain.
“Landmark’s inaugural Nuart Fest is a celebration of the theatre’s historical significance as a rite of passage for Los Angeles moviegoers and creatives,” said Landmark Theatres’ President Kevin Holloway.
Tickets will go on sale Thursday, Oct. 6. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, Oct. 6 via the Landmark Theaters website, as well as in person at kiosks when the theatre opens on October 21.