WESTWOOD – One of Los Angeles’ most storied movie palaces is getting new life, with a group of roughly 30 filmmakers announcing the Westwood Village Theater will be operated and programmed by the American Cinematheque, with the renovated showplace set to reopen in 2027.
“Last year, some of the greatest living directors rallied to save the most beautiful movie theater in Los Angeles, the Village Theater in Westwood,” said director Jason Reitman, who spearheaded the purchase of the theater last year on behalf of a coalition known as the Village Directors Circle. “The Village is a storied movie palace, and a cathedral to cinema. And with the American Cinematheque, it will have its congregation.”
The VDC includes top Hollywood directors such as J.J. Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Alexander Payne, Jay Roach, Emma Thomas, Karyn Kusama, Hannah Fidell, Emma Seligman, Damien Chazelle, Judd Apatow, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Rian Johnson, Lulu Wang, Chloé Zhao and Denis Villeneuve.
American Cinematheque is a nonprofit film preservation and support organization that operates the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica and helps to program the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Los Feliz 3 theater.
“We are thrilled to announce that the American Cinematheque has entered into a new partnership with the Village Directors Circle, led by filmmaker Jason Reitman,” according to an American Cinematheque statement. “As part of this agreement, the AC will operate and program the VDC’s recent acquisition, the iconic Westwood Village Theater.”
Reitman said the Cinematheque “shares the directors’ vision for showcasing new work, rediscovering classics, and building filmmaker-curated programs. The Village Theater has also been the home for show-stopping Hollywood premieres since 1930, and we’re committed to carrying that tradition forward. We want to give audiences a place to experience the films they love with the people they love.”
The 1,000-seat theater will undergo a thorough restoration and remodeling, with the lobby serving not only as the location of concession stands, but also an exhibit space for artifacts from the VDC directors’ personal collections. It will also include retail kiosks and an event space for film premieres.
According to VDC and AC, the theater will present film screenings accompanied by in-person discussions, along with new theatrical releases, tributes, retrospectives and AC film festivals such as Beyond Fest, Bleak Week, This Is Not a Fiction and Ultra Cinematheque 70.
“Partnering with the brilliant and virtuoso Village Directors Circle to renovate the Village Theater is an exciting milestone for the American Cinematheque,” AC Chairman Rick Nicita said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring our expertise in film programming to Westwood, breathing new life into this iconic venue. Our goal is to create a vibrant cultural hub that not only celebrates cinema but also enriches the community and welcomes audiences from all over Los Angeles and the world.”
