The City of West Hollywood will host “WeHo@30 Film Festival: A Digital Time Capsule.” The festival will feature films, oral histories, and images that capture West Hollywood’s origins and progressive history, including the movement for LGBT equality and the fight for affordable housing, which gave birth to the city. The festival will also pay tribute to the thriving community of nearly 4,000 people from regions of the former Soviet Union who call West Hollywood home.
The WeHo@30 Film Festival will take place on Friday, October 23, 2015 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the City of West Hollywood’s City Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard.
Among the Festival’s events is the opening of an exhibition of images: In a New Land: 10 Years Later/Photography by Russian-Speaking Immigrants. This project is a 10-year follow-up of In a New Land, which documented the Russian-immigrant experience in West Hollywood, as viewed by Russian-immigrant youth. The opening reception for In a New Land: 10 Years Later will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The exhibition will be on display through December 2015; following the exhibition, its photographs will be placed into the City’s archives.
The WeHo@30 Film Festival screenings and discussions will include:
Friday, October 23
· 4 p.m. — Shorts Program 1: films plus Q&A with Dale Madison, Heath Daniels, Sofia Canales, Byron Jose, Marisol Nava, Kimberly Esslinger, and Gregorio Davila;
· 5 p.m. — Shorts Program 2: films plus Q&A with Dante Alencastre, Eli Rarey, Jason Jenn, Rich Tap, and Betsy Kalin;
· 6:15 p.m. — Pride Slides & WeHo Buildings Slideshow plus Q&A with Angela Brinskele and Tony Coelho;
· 7 p.m. — WeHo@30: An Introduction, Q&A with James Roman and members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and
L.A. A Queer History featuring a Q&A with Gregorio Davila and his crew; and
· 8:30 p.m. — Reception.
Saturday, October 24
· 3 p.m. — Roundtable with filmmakers and panel discussion;
· 4 p.m. — Shorts Program 3: films plus a Q&A with Jonathan Skurnik and Tatiana Rodzinek;
· 4:45 p.m. — Shorts Program 4: Architecture, Sculpture, Billboards! featuring a Q&A with Tony Coelho, Shana Mabari, Vera Mijojlic, John Garry III, Radan Popvic, and Robert Landau;
· 5:30 p.m. — Film: From Red State to Golden State plus a Q&A with Gabriele and Mark Hayes; and
· 7 p.m. — Reception, hosted by the City’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission and the City’s Russian Advisory Board to celebrate festival artists and the opening of the exhibition: In A New Land: 10 Years Later/Photography by Russian-Speaking Immigrants.
Admission to the WeHo@30 Film Festival and In A New Land: 10 Years Later/Photography by Russian-Speaking Immigrants is free and open to the public. Validated parking will be available in the West Hollywood Park five-story parking structure.
For more information and a complete list of all WeHo@30 Film Festival screenings and events, please visit www.weho.org/arts.
