The Village Directors Circle, the collective of filmmakers Jason Reitman brought together to save the Westwood Village Theatre, has entered into a partnership agreement with American Cinematheque that will have the L.A.-based non-profit program, manage and be the operating partner for the century-old, 1000+-seat movie palace upon its 2027 reopening.
Reitman and co. announced their intention to acquire the theater, located in the center of Westwood Village in West Los Angeles, in February 2024.
“Last year, some of the greatest living directors rallied to save a Los Angeles monument, The Village Theater in Westwood,”Reitman recounted. “We often like to think of movie theaters as churches. If so, the Village is a cathedral, and with the American Cinematheque, we found our congregation.”
Reitman continued: “The American 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.”
Featuring the likes of Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg, the Village Directors Circle has committed to raise funds to completely restore and remodel the Westwood Village Theatre into a multi-purpose screening and event facility.
The remodeled theater will be home to special screenings with in-person conversations, awards season events, new theatrical releases, retrospectives and tributes, as well as AC’s long-established year-round programming and popular AC film festivals such as Beyond Fest, Bleak Week, This Is Not a Fiction and Ultra Cinematheque 70, among others. As referenced by Reitman, the partners also intend to continue the theater’s nearly one-hundred-year legacy of hosting theatrical world premieres. The lobby will be used as a multi-purpose space for concessions, exhibits of artifacts from VDC members’ personal collections, retail kiosks, and an event space for premieres.
The vision for the venue is for it to be a cultural center within Westwood Village’ s ongoing renovation of its own walking district and civic center.
American Cinematheque Chair Rick Nicita commented, “Partnering with the brilliant and virtuoso Village Directors Circle to renovate the Village Theater is an exciting milestone for the American Cinematheque. 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.”
Reitman and AC are in the early phase of a $25 million capital campaign to transform the existing space which will stand among L.A.’s great landmarks.
In addition to Reitman, previously announced partners of the Village Directors Circle include J.J. Abrams, Judd Apatow, Damien Chazelle, Chris Columbus, Ryan Coogler, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Dayton, Guillermo del Toro, Valerie Faris, Hannah Fidell, Alejandro González Iñárritu, James Gunn, Sian Heder, Rian Johnson, Gil Kenan, Karyn Kusama, Justin Lin, Phil Lord, David Lowery, Christopher McQuarrie, Chris Miller, Nolan, Alexander Payne, Todd Phillips, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Jay Roach, Seth Rogen, Emma Seligman, Brad Silberling, Spielberg, Emma Thomas, Denis Villeneuve, Lulu Wang and Chloé Zhao.
