The Livonian Cinema was established in the driveway of an apartment complex scheduled for demolition in the South Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles. The inaugural event, which included the premiere of a 3D home movie of the building, was programmed by tenants and screened for neighbors. Since losing its first driveway, the Livonian Cinema has sought to expand its community, partnering with local artists and organizations to present original artwork (e.g., short films, multimedia installations, musical performances, etc.) alongside curated movies that speak to the places we set our screen.

Screenings from this past year include:

1) A movie night at Los Arboles Rocketship Park, a hillside space-travel themed playground in Torrance, to see Kidlat Tahimik’s story of a Filipino guest worker and aspiring astronaut living in Yodelberg. We hosted a free yodeling workshop in the playground with the founder of the Kreuzberg Yodeling School and sang to the moon at intermission

2) A movie night at the Stringed Crane Conservatory, a saz (Anatolian lute) making workshop in Mid-City, to see a documentary about Turkish popular cinema of the 50s through 70s. The proprietor served tea and played music on his most recently built saz.

3) A movie night on a hill overlooking the Port of Los Angeles to see two movies charting the passage of shipping containers by land and by sea. Organized by artist members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the night included the premiere of an original experimental movie shot along the Alameda Corridor, as well as a screening of Peter Hutton’s At Sea projected on 16mm with live musical accompaniment provided by Magnetic Vines and Patrick Shiroishi.

To remember these ephemeral events, the Livonian Cinema designs and handcrafts original lenticular (3D) postcards as parting gifts for audience members.