FILM
Grey Gardens – 7:30 PM, January 22: Join us as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of one of the most intriguing documentaries ever made. Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.
Under the Shadow – 3 PM, January 24: Set in 1980s Tehran during the “War of the Cities” between Iran and Iraq, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) is barred from returning to medical school due to her involvement with leftist groups. When her husband is summoned for military service, Sideh stays behind with her daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). A missile crashes into their building, bringing with it a malevolent wind spirit known as djinn. These invisible entities – recognized in the west as genies – are connected with desert wind and possess magical abilities. They originate from Arabian and Islamic folklore and are referenced in the Quran as either benevolent or sinister spirits. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles.
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song 55th Anniversary screening featuring introduction by filmmaker and actor Mario Van Peebles – 4 PM, January 24: A landmark of Black and American independent cinema that would send shock waves through the culture, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was Melvin Van Peebles’s second feature film, after he walked away from a contract with Columbia in order to make his next film on his own terms. Acting as producer, director, writer, composer, editor, and star, Van Peebles created the prototype for what Hollywood would eventually co-opt and make into the blaxploitation hero: a taciturn, perpetually blank-faced performer in a sex show, who, when he’s pushed too far by a pair of racist cops looking to frame him for a crime he didn’t commit, goes on the run through a lawless underground of bikers, revolutionaries, sex workers, and hippies in a kill-or-be-killed quest for liberation from white oppression. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’s incendiary politics are matched by Van Peebles’s revolutionary style, in which jagged jump cuts, kaleidoscopic superimpositions, and psychedelic sound design come together in a sustained howl of rage and defiance. Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N Vermont Ave. Los Angeles.
COMEDY
Free Donut Tuesdays w/ Maria Bamford – 9 AM, Tuesdays through March 31: Wake up early and have a laugh and a donut with a stand-up comedian, actor, and New York Times bestselling author Maria Bamford. Outside In ArtBox, 5319 York Blvd., Los Angeles.
Dynasty Tonight! Comedy, Music, Ritual, & Variety! w/ Mae Martin, Chinedu Unaka, Roz Hernandez + More! – 7:30 PM, January 24: Nestled in the beating heart of LA’s most magical theater, Dynasty Tonight! is Dynasty Typewriter’s long running one-of-a-kind variety show extravaganza! The show is hosted by Dynasty proprietors Jamie Flam and Vanessa Ragland who welcome their favorite comedy, music, and variety acts! They also lead celestial manifestation ceremonies and host impromptu audience driven game and fashion shows, lost and found auctions, and occasional conga lines, puppet shows, fish funerals, human weddings, and whatever else the night calls for. All with the soundtrack of their backing jazz/soul band The Dynasties! And if that wasn’t enough, sometimes super famous comedians pop in for surprise sets! Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.
MUSIC
“How Nina Simone Changed the World” – 7 PM, January 23: How Nina Simone Changed the World brings Pulitzer Prize–winning writer and critic Salamishah Tillet to the University of Southern California for a special conversation in anticipation of the 2027 publication of her forthcoming work, All the Rage: Nina Simone and the World She Made.
In this thought-provoking conversation event with Jason King, Dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, Tillet explores Simone’s enduring legacy as a cultural force and freedom fighter. Presented as part of Thornton’s Nina Simone: Beyond Category series, the evening invites audiences to consider Simone not just as an artist, but as a cultural innovator who, years after her passing, continues to reshape the landscape of possibility. Newman Recital Hall, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles.
ART
Visible and Vibrant: LGBTQ+ Artists in LACMA’s Collection – 4 PM, January 23: This series of docent-led tours celebrates LGBTQ+ artists in the permanent collection, exploring how personal experiences shaped artworks on view in the Modern Art Galleries. Participants of all ages and identities are invited to join us and discover creativity, community, and surprising stories behind beloved pieces of art. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.
