Finding the next Tarantino at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 theater

Friday, October 11, 1996

FILM:

Independents rule at multiplex, where unknown talent often sees
its first lightBy Vanessa VanderZanden

Daily Bruin Contributor

Sterile white paint glares out from beneath strips of purple
formica. Framed movie posters stretch across the wall in a
regimented row. Yet, the films depicted in foreign lettering are as
obscure as the pictures behind the Laemmle Sunset 5’s thick,
soundproof doors. And because of the obscurity of the films, the
audiences at the Laemmle Sunset 5 are often made up of a little
more than the film’s cast and crew.

"Sometimes if it’s some little film that’s halfway a student
film, it’s virtually a cast and crew party," says theater manager
Roger Christensen. "The only people that come are the filmmakers
and their friends, and they’re thrilled to see it on a regular
movie theater screen."

Along with such small-scale productions, the Sunset 5 showcases
a wide variety of better-known attractions. However, it’s these
unheard-of movies which keep the theater unique.

"We offer a lot of things like independent filmmakers that
simply aren’t seen," says Christensen. "So a lot of times there’ll
be a little film that’ll play at 11 in the morning, only on
Saturdays and Sundays or at midnight or so."

Recognized for their willingness to show such low-budget flicks,
father-and- son owners Bob and Greg Laemmle are often times
approached personally by the independent filmmakers. After
experiencing such success this way with their main branch, the
Royal Theater, the two opened the Sunset multiplex in August of
1992. Here, the off-hours viewings of small productions allows for
extended running of otherwise short-lived flicks.

"It gives these films a chance," says Bob Laemmle. His
motivation for helping out such unknown shows stems from his
"always having had an interest in unusual films."

Theater operation remains a tradition in the family, as Max
Laemmle (Greg’s grandfather) is famed for pioneering the
foreign-film movement in Los Angeles. Today, Laemmle’s Sunset 5
continues to help out the starving artist.

"You see these filmmakers who have a film they’ve worked on
­ they’ve gone into debt with their credit cards, borrowed
money from their mom hawking this film," Christensen notes. "It’s
interesting because whether the film is good or bad, it’s a real
personal experience for them. They make little flyers and pass them
out and encourage people to come."

Such an example is found in Eric Vesbit. Occupying lobby space
by the theater exit, he’s been handing out leaflets advertising his
film, "The Four Corners of Nowhere" for the past eight weeks. On
average, he spends four hours here each night and 12 hours on the
weekends. So far the show has run for six weeks, while word of
mouth keeps spreading.

"It’s a film we shot in 1993 and we have been touring around the
country ever since," says Vesbit. "The Sunset 5 is where we wanted
to be because out of the independent film theaters around L.A.,
this is where most of the youth go. Our film is a young film so we
wanted to be here."

Outside of a younger crowd, the Laemmle branch appeals to what
Christensen would term a brighter, more educated group of
film-goers. Many regulars are considered by Christensen to be
eccentric, while the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Glenn Close
have been known to make an appearance. Even fellow employee Tami
Darrell notices the one-of-a-kind audience.

"I worked at a mainstream movie theater for eight years and this
is a completely different clientele." She goes on to note, "These
people have to think through a movie."

Many of these thought-provoking films are shown not just for the
theater’s sophisticated audience, but also for the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. These 10- to 20-minute pictures
are required to play once or twice a day in order to qualify for
the Academy Awards. Christensen and his staff spend a fair amount
of time writing letters to the Academy informing them of the
short’s qualified status. But that’s not all they do at the Sunset
5.

"We have a lot of advance screenings," Christensen adds. "We’re
rented out a lot on the weekdays for promotional screenings. A lot
of times filmmakers just want to run it through an audience."

As for the smaller films displayed at the Laemmle Sunset 5
location, Christensen says, "These are films that just aren’t going
to be shown at the AMC."

FILM: For more info, call (213)848-3500.

SHAWN LAKSMI

Laemmle’s Sunset 5 shows art-house fare.

"I worked at a mainstream movie theater for eight years and this
is a completely different clientele."

Tami Darrell

Employee, Laemmle’s Sunset 5