Westwoods Village Theater to be run by American Cinematheque upon 2027 reopening

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

At a moment when some of Los Angeles’ most storied movie houses remain dark — most notably the ArcLight Hollywood and Cinerama Dome — and many others are still fighting through a fragile recovery, one of its oldest is taking a significant step toward revival.On Tuesday, director Jason Reitman and a coalition of more than 30 filmmakers announced that the American Cinematheque will operate and program the Village Theater in Westwood as it undergoes a $25-million restoration aimed at a 2027 reopening.The directors — who purchased the 94-year-old movie palace in February 2024 — have tapped the nonprofit to run the more-than-1,300-seat venue and help shape its future.The agreement brings together two unusually powerful forces in Los Angeles film culture: a who’s-who roster of A-list directors and, in the American Cinematheque, one of the city’s most visible and ambitious programming institutions.

Reitman’s coalition — including Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Damien Chazelle, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Ryan Coogler, James Gunn, Denis Villeneuve, Karyn Kusama, Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao and many others — bought the Village in an effort to preserve it as a hub for communal moviegoing at a time of deep uncertainty for theaters.“Last year, some of the greatest living directors rallied to save a Los Angeles monument, the Village Theater in Westwood,” Reitman said in a statement.“We often like to think of movie theaters as churches.

If so, the Village is a cathedral and with the American Cinematheque, we found our congregation.”Under the new agreement, the American Cinematheque will manage daily operations and lead programming at the theater, with “active participation from the filmmakers,” according to the announcement.The remodeled venue is expected to host special screenings with in-person conversations, premieres, awards-season events, new releas...