It’s not often you hear about the filmmakers who bring the vision of a motion picture to reality outside of the project they were involved in, but recent news about an iconic piece of history of the film industry may make you see them in a whole new light. These reports are of the acquisition of the historic Westwood Village Theatre by prolific filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan and several others.
The theatre in question has been one of the most historic places in the world in terms of cinema as a whole since it’s also by far one of the oldest and biggest movie theatres in the world. When this property went for sale, prolific filmmaker Jason Reitman gathered the support of several industry veterans and accomplished directors to acquire and preserve it for the future.
Jason Reitman, Along With Christopher Nolan And Several Filmmakers Acquire The Westwood Village Theatre
While most people love to wait for a new film to hit the streaming services so they can enjoy it in their homes, cinema wouldn’t be cinema today if it hadn’t been for cinema theatres since the rise of motion pictures in the past. Thus, to preserve the sentimental and historical value of old-school cinema, several filmmakers like Jason Reitman, Christopher Nolan, and James Gunn among many others, have come to try and lend a hand in this endeavor.
It was reported earlier that Reitman, known for films like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was eyeing the theatre ever since it went on sale to acquire the rights to it and preserve the structure as a crucial part of cinema history. Thus, to make this dream possible, he approached several prolific directors like the directors of Oppenheimer and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and other legendary masters of the craft.
The historic Westwood Village Theater has been saved & bought out by 35 filmmakers, including:
• JJ Abrams
• Lulu Wang
• Chloé Zhao
• Seth Rogen
• James Gunn
• Lord & Miller
• Ryan Coogler
• Rian Johnson
• Karyn Kusama
• Alfonso Cuarón
• Denis Villeneuve
• Damien… pic.twitter.com/EIY6PPpc4F— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 22, 2024
These 16 legendary filmmakers, along with a handful more, have pooled their resources together to assume joint ownership of this cultural landmark as each of them has a sentimental value attached to it in one way or the other.
With them now acquiring Westwood Theatre, they plan on continuing to let it function for screenings with some minor and major changes the group has planned for it in the future.
Why Is the Westwood Village Theatre So Culturally Iconic?
The historical value of the Westwood Village Theatre can be seen as soon as you lay eyes on the distinctive Spanish mission revival-style infrastructure of the location.
The theatre was built back in 1930 and designed by architect Percy Parke Lewis for Fox, after which it had changed hands several times over the course of decades. The building is also iconic and sentimental for several filmmakers that have either watched their first films in this cinema or had their own films featured on its screen in front of an almost 1,400 seating capacity.
