Summer KCET Cinema Series Schedule
The Summer KCET Cinema Series is back at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The series previews new Hollywood and independent films prior to their theatrical release.
Hosted by nationally recognized film expert Pete Hammond, each film is followed by a lively Q & A with the talent or filmmaker.
Films screen June 7 - August 2 on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM.
Reserve a Summer KCET Cinema Series spot here. Limited walk-up passes are available at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on the day of each screening for $25 per pass.
Summer Series:
JUNE 7 - GENIUS
From Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, Skyfall) and acclaimed, Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage in his feature film debut, which is based on the biography, "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius." The film follows the true story of famed writer Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) and his close relationship with prominent literary editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth). The cast features Nicole Kidman as costume designer Aline Bernstein, Laura Linney as playwright Louise Perkins, Guy Pearce as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dominic West as Ernest Hemingway.
Q & A immediately following with film critic and historian Leonard Maltin
JUNE 14 - LIFE, ANIMATED
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, LIFE, ANIMATED is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films.
Q & A immediately following with Paul Davidson, Executive Vice President of Film and TV, The Orchard.
JUNE 21 - CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
This film is the winner of the Best Director Award for Matt Ross at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival. The story tracks a father (Viggo Mortensen) who has dedicated his life to creating a sheltered environment for his six young children deep
in the rural forest of the Pacific Northwest. But when a tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to leave this self-created paradise and begin a journey into the outside world that challenges the idea of the family’s idealistic life.
Q & A immediately following with writer/director Matt Ross (American Psycho, The Aviator)
JUNE 28 - EQUITY
The film follows a top senior investment banker, played by Emmy Award-winning actor Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) who heads a controversial tech IPO in the post financial crisis world of stricter regulations, but the pressure to bring in “big money” remains
high. The film is directed by Nora Ephron Prize-winning director Meera Menon, who was named by Glamour Magazine as one of the 35 Women Under 35 Running Hollywood.
Q & A immediately following with director Meera Menon and star Anna Gunn, and co-star/producer Alysia Reiner.
JULY 5- FIVE NIGHTS IN MAINE
A young man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to seek answers from his estranged mother-in-law, who is herself confronting guilt and grief over her daughter's death. The film stars Dianne Wiest, Teyonah Parris and David Oyelowo.
Q & A immediately following with director, Maris Curran (Via Skype from Italy)
JULY 12- HELL OR HIGH WATER
A gripping crime thriller about two desperate brothers living in a small town in West Texas who plan a bank robbery in order to save the family farm from foreclosure with two Texas Rangers in close pursuit. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Gil Birmingham.
Q & A immediately following with producer, Carla Hacken
JULY 19- FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
A British film directed by Stephen Frears starring Meryl Streep as the New York heiress Florence Foster Jenkins who fancies herself as an accomplished opera singer. She performs despite her lack of talent with the assistance of her husband St. Clair Bayfield portrayed by Hugh Grant.
Q & A immediately following with producer Simon Helberg
JULY 26- LITTLE MEN
Director Ira Sachs offers a contemporary interpretation of the novel Little Men: Life At Plumfield With Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott. The film is set in Brooklyn and revolves around the friendship of two thirteen year old boys and the life changing circumstances that affect their families. The cast includes: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle and Theo Taplitz.
Q & A immediately following with writer/director Ira Sachs and actor Theo Taplitz.
AUGUST 2- DEAD HEAT ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND
The 1966 Columbia Pictures' crime caper written and directed by Bernard Girard and stars James Coburn in the lead role of the smooth talking con man Eli Kotch. The film was made at the top of Coburn's popularity, and co-stars Camilla Sparv, Aldo Ray, Nina Wayne, Rose Marie and the young Harrison Ford making his film debut as a bellhop.
Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round producer Carter DeHaven will be our special guest. He was the film’s only producer and it was his first! This is the movie’s 50th anniversary and the first film appearance by the young actor Harrison Ford.
Additional films will be posted here as soon as they are announced. All films and guests are subject to change.
