How true is the perception that Los Angeles doesn’t have a notable film festival? While the city’s film lovers debated the issue, Beyond Fest at American Cinematheque snuck in and became one of the city’s largest and most popular film events, with some 37,000 people expected by the end of the film celebration that runs through October 5.
Los Angeles has sometimes been a difficult city for film festivals. Over the years, several high-profile festivals struggled to stay afloat with consistently strong lineups, and dozens of niche festivals filled the gaps to serve the city’s diverse cinephiles. Then, 14 years ago, Beyond Fest stepped in and, by partnering with the American Cinematheque, was able to build a fan base so rabid that getting tickets became a blood sport for the city’s movie buffs.
Despite its October premiere and a lineup that includes titles like the TV series “Carrie” and the original “Friday the 13th,” the goal has always been to go “beyond” the obvious genre classics by programming a wide range of films with varied genre influences.
This year’s selection includes new releases like “Primetime” and “Musk,” as well as retrospectives from “Hoffa” to “Pan’s Labyrinth,” as well as under-the-radar titles that screen for free in Los Feliz 3 theaters, thanks to the sponsorship of Mubi.
«In those early years, the inspiration was always more than just terror,» says co-founder Christian Parkes. “(But we also) made ‘Dog Day Afternoon.’ Our movie collections, our movie tastes and our DVD closets are tremendously varied.”
The festival’s explosive growth trajectory coincides with young Los Angeles audiences’ year-round passion for attending classic and repertory film screenings since the pandemic, and Letterboxd played a major role in stoking interest.
“The rep scene has never been better from an attendance standpoint,” says Parkes, mentioning last week’s Robert Eggers marathon. «It’s now a rite of passage to see these movies. It’s not enough to see ‘The Witch’ in a theater now; I have to see ‘The Witch’ with Robert Eggers in person, along with ‘Lighthouse,’ ‘Northman’ and ‘Nosferatu’ and be able to say, ‘Yes, I was there.'»
“Things like Beyond Fest are a sign that things are completely changing,” says Juan Devis, president of Film Independent, the Los Angeles-based filmmaker organization that organizes the Spirit Awards. «Young people are returning to movies. They do it because they love doing it and they do it constantly.»
Christian Parkes, co-founder of Beyond Fest at American Cinematheque, left, and head of programming Evrim Ersoy
As the movie business struggles to find the next Curry Barker or Kane Parsons, programming chief Evrim Ersoy says the industry is keeping an eye on the short film blocks playing at the Los Feliz Theater.
“Studios and agencies come to those blocks, discover filmmakers and choose them for the next step in their careers,” Ersoy says.
Scoring hard-to-get tickets to Beyond Fest is a rite of passage for the city’s young movie buffs, some of whom think nothing of driving an hour from Silver Lake to Santa Monica or vice versa for a highly sought-after screening.
«Over the last 14 years, (the festival) has built a dedicated core group that is as crazy as we are. They will travel from one side of the city to the other; they will go from the Aero in Santa Monica and then they will be in Los Feliz. I love those people because it speaks to how much they love cinema,» Ersoy says.
Thanks to Beyond’s relationship with the American Cinematheque (the Cinematheque’s artistic director, Grant Moninger, is the festival’s co-founder), the event doesn’t have to fight for new theaters each year. Screenings take place at all Cinematheque locations: Aero, the recently reopened Egyptian in Hollywood, Los Feliz 3 and Directors Village in Westwood Village.
“We have grown in parallel (with the Cinematheque),” says Parkes. «We were rough and tattered and loose at the same time as the Egyptian Theater: the carpet was peeling, the floors were a little sticky, but that was fun. They’ve matured in this next iteration under the direction of Grant Moninger, who is the artistic and creative director there. It’s great the way that institution has grown and become something bigger,» says Parkes.
To the relief of frequent festival-goers, the Cinematheque updated its ticketing system this year, making the fight for seats a little more efficient, although tickets are still difficult to come by.
“Primetime”
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
«It’s impossible to get tickets to Cannes. It’s impossible to get tickets to the New York Film Festival. It’s impossible to get tickets to Sundance,» says Parkes. «There are always people who are going to miss it. The demand to see ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother’ and ‘Primetime’ in Los Angeles far exceeded the space we have to show these two films, so you have to give credit to the Cinematheque for completely revamping and creating the new ticketing system. You want to see movies in a packed house and you want to see movies with an audience excited to be there.»
This kind of excitement and scarcity is down to audience members driving the programming and not the other way around, Parkes says: «It’s the audience that really defines it and tells us what they want to see.» And all this without spending money on advertising and promotion.
«The intention was just to create a space where like-minded people who didn’t know each other could come together and find their people. Evrim and I and the people at the American Cinematheque are just kind of custodians,» says Parkes.
Retrospectives remain an important part of the program, often involving the filmmakers. «There’s a lot of emphasis on new movies, new movies, new movies, but these new movies don’t exist without the old movies,» Parkes says. «We have M. Night Shyamalan coming to Los Angeles for the first time in a long time, and the first time he’s doing a retrospective in Los Angeles. That’s super exciting, not only for us but for the audience. It sold out in an instant.»
Film Independent’s Devis believes the enthusiastic response is part of a cultural shift. «Young people are looking for something that is authentic, that is communal, that speaks to them, in a way that the last 10 years of cinema hasn’t. This constant type of franchises and IP, that culture that is being completely dethroned right now, in my opinion.»
Beyond Fest’s Parkes and Ersoy break down some of their top titles still on screen:
“Rumble in the Bronx” — “Bob Odenkirk is coming to present ‘Rumble in the Bronx’ because he is a big fan of Jackie Chan,” says Ersoy. «Being in that room, hearing him talk about it to an audience that hasn’t seen the movie. It’s a great way to contextualize, they have a way in and they connect with the movie in a really intense way.»
“Donnie Darko” — “We have ‘Donnie Darko’ at the Aero Theater where it was filmed, and that’s really exciting.”
“Vice in Miami” — “We have this new version of ‘Miami Vice,’ which has recently had a revival.”
“Welcome to G-Town” — “Two brothers from Glasgow made a movie for less than $10,000 straight out of school, and they’re here, and it’s like the first Peter Jackson, very Scottish humor.”
“Ten wills” — «There is a filmmaker from Los Angeles, Max DeFalco. With a budget of less than $50,000, filmed in Los Angeles. He is incredible, a huge future talent.»
«Wicker» – «BookTok people are hungry.»
«The Demons of Ken Russell» — “We projected the one I’m most excited about about 10 years ago,” says Parkes. «To be able to have this moment and come full circle with two simultaneous screenings at the Egyptian Theater and the Aero Theater, both in 35mm, the West Coast premiere of the restored director’s cut in 4k. It’s going to be something for all ages, and it’s going to be a quintessential Beyond Fest movie and a quintessential Beyond Fest moment.»
