FILM
Real Women Have Curves with director Patricia Cardoso 7:30 PM, April 14: Vidiots is thrilled to welcome director Patricia Cardoso for a special screening of her essential East LA coming-of-age triumph Real Women Have Curves.
A humorous and warmhearted look at a Chicano teenage girl coming of age in a boiling cauldron of cultural expectations, class constrictions, family duty, and her own personal aspirations. In Boyle Heights, an 18-year-old struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desires of her domineering mother for her to get married, have children, and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory. Winner of several Sundance Prizes, The Humanitas Award, and Independent Spirit Awards, this slice of relatable life is an influential and powerful classic of Latina and independent cinema. Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.
Up in Smoke on 16mm – 7:30 PM, April 17: Two stoners unknowingly smuggle a van – made entirely of marijuana – from Mexico to L.A., with incompetent Sgt. Stedenko on their trail. A great pre-celebration to 4/20. Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena.
American Cinematheque presents ‘This Is Not a Fiction’ fest – April 16-24: The American Cinematheque’s ‘This Is Not a Fiction’ festival returns for its third annual edition from April 16-24, 2026. We are thrilled to welcome Barbara Kopple back in celebration of the 50th Anniversary and premiere of the new 4K restoration of Harlan County, USA along with the L.A. 4K Restoration Premiere of American Dream. Closing night will feature a homecoming L.A. Premiere of Los Lobos Native Sons followed by an in-person Q&A with the filmmakers Doug Blush and Piero F. Giunti and a special live musical performance by the band. This year’s festival also celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Popstar: Never Stop Stopping with co-filmmaker Akiva Schaffer in-person and the 20th Anniversary of Jackass Number Two with filmmakers Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville in-person.
This year’s lineup includes 45 films with 15 premieres, 7 restorations and 32 guests along with in-person tributes to filmmakers Gianfranco Rosi, Barbara Kopple, Caveh Zahedi and Ross McElwee. The fest will take place at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave. Santa Monica;
Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles; Los Feliz Theatre,1822 N Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles.
My Neighbor Totoro – 4 PM, April 17, 18: From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family. When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece. Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena.
The Man with the Iron Fists in 35mm with RZA – 7 PM, April 18: Vidiots is celebrating Record Store Day and we are thrilled to welcome multi-hyphenate icon RZA for a killer night of kung-fu – starting with his directorial feature debut The Man with the Iron Fists! Also featuring all-vinyl DJ sets from DJ Rare Form.
Hip Hop God RZA takes to the big screen with this action-packed update of the Kung Fu flicks of the golden era. In 19th-century China, a stranger (RZA) settles in a jungle village and becomes its blacksmith. Radical tribal factions force him to fashion elaborate tools of destruction, and the clans’ conflict soon erupts into a full war. Knowing he must take action, the blacksmith channels an ancient energy to transform himself into a human weapon. Fighting beside iconic heroes, the blacksmith harnesses this incredible power to defend his adopted people from an army of soulless villains. Get ready for epic battles, kick-ass kung fu, and two of our favorite bad-ass ladies (Pam Grier and Lucy Liu) wiping the field with their opponents. Don’t miss all the action on the big screen and stick around for more!
This screening will be followed by a conversation with RZA himself. Then, stick around for more martial arts madness with a rare screening of The Mystery of Chess Boxing introduced by RZA. And in honor of Record Store Day, there will be a limited number of signed reissued copies of The Man with the Iron Fists Vinyl for purchase on site! Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.
Other Music with filmmakers Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller and special guests – 1:45 PM and 4:30 PM, April 18: Vidiots celebrates Record Store Day with a special screening of the physical media-glorifying documentary Other Music featuring a conversation with filmmakers Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller plus special guests Gary Wilson and Dam-Funk (after the 1:45pm screening) and Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500 & Luna at the 4:30pm screening), and a pre-show montage of international music videos curated by our neighbors at Pop Overbite Records!
Other Music was an influential and uncompromising New York City record store that was vital to the city’s early 2000s indie music scene. But when the store is forced to close its doors due to rent increases, the homogenization of urban culture, and the shift from CDs to downloadable and streaming music, a cultural landmark is lost. Through vibrant storytelling, the documentary captures the record store’s vital role in the musical and cultural life of the city, and highlights the artists whose careers it helped launch including Vampire Weekend, Animal Collective, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, William Basinski, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sharon Van Etten, Yo La Tengo and TV On The Radio. Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.
COMEDY
Taskmistress – 7:30 PM, April 14: Taskmistress challenges your favorite comedians to complete absurd, confusing, and hilarious tasks all to please the Taskmistress, Silver Lake Drag Icon Tony Soto.
Watch live as Solomon Georgio, Alexis Bevel, Guy Branum, and Alaska Thunderfuck compete on stage and beg the Taskmistress for precious points. Only one will be crowned the champion.
Taskmistress is similar but legally distinct from a popular BBC Three panel show, but as we all know, plagiarism is okay if you are a drag queen. And if we’re going to steal from someone, why not the British? Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.
Never Let Go – 7 PM, April 15: Join us for a commemorative performance on the 114th anniversary of the Titanic disaster.
This uproariously queer one-man with Michael Kinnan show takes you back to the Ship of Dreams. It distills the three-plus hour epic and packs into one hour a surprisingly subversive punch. As told by Rose, the play takes you on an intimate journey into the fateful romance that is shadowed by one of the most devastating man-made disasters of modern history – the sinking of the Titanic. Dynasty Typewriter 2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.
Happy Hour Saturdays with Jenny Yang – 6 PM, April 18; May 16, 23, and 30: Comedian Jenny Yang will work out new material about her Chinese medicine fertility experiences in Taiwan, the necessity for women to be single, childless and moisturized, and what it means to be more gay, Mexican and immigrant every single day in 2026.
These work-in-progress standup comedy shows feature a pay-what-you-can suggested ticket price of around twenty bucks, a 5PM pre-show happy hour, 6PM comedy show AND you can be on your way home or to dinner by 7:30PM. OutsideIn Theatre, 5317 York Blvd, Los Angeles.
COMMUNITY
Fútbol on Film: Pelé – 7:30 PM, April 17: As we count down to the upcoming World Cup, this outdoor screening invites audiences to revisit iconic moments from soccer history. Bring friends, family, and a picnic and experience the beautiful game on the big screen in a communal, joyful setting. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Fútbol Is Life, this series highlights how transcendent moments on the pitch become lasting cultural memories that connect people across generations and borders.
Pelé chronicles the life of the Brazilian football player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé. The documentary looks back at the extraordinary period when Pelé, the only player to win three World Cup titles, went from a young superstar in 1958 to a national hero, amidst a radical and turbulent era in Brazilian history. The film charts Pelé’s remarkable journey to becoming the “King of Football” and leading his nation’s team to their historic win at the 1970 World Cup. With rare and exclusive filmed access to Pelé himself, the film emotionally showcases the star reflecting upon his impressive career. Hancock Park at the LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.
THEATRE
Kim’s Convenience by Ins Choi – through April 19: Soulpepper Theatre Company & Adam Blanshay Productions in association with American Conservatory Theater brings the award-winning comedy drama to the Ahmanson Theater. The play, which inspired the Netflix hit, follows the Kim family and their Korean family-run corner store. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canadian-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the titular character, calls Kim’s Convenience his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home.” Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles.
Fantastic Tales: Improvised Stories of the Strange & Unusual – through April 19: Inspired by the speculative imagination of H. G. Wells, Mary Shelley, and their contemporaries, Fantastic Tales transforms the stage into a world of gaslit parlors, impossible inventions, and moral reckonings unfolding without script or rehearsal. Imagine, if you will, a turn-of-the-century The Twilight Zone — performed live. Each night is entirely original, never to be repeated, and remembered only by those who dare to bear witness. The ensemble crafts a complete speculative drama in real time, where ambition collides with consequence and invention reveals both wonder and cost. OutsideIn Theatre, 5317 York Blvd, Los Angeles.
Latino Theater Co. presents Level Up! by Gabriel Rivas Gómez – through May 3: Desi, a trans tween, is afraid to come out to her family and only feels like she can be herself in her virtual world. A quest to save her dying dog pushes her to deal with challenges both in the virtual and real worlds. Level Up! is a play about gaming, family and growing up. The Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles.
“Master Harold”…and the Boys – through May 10: Step into the charged atmosphere of a 1950s South African tea shop in Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold”…and the Boys, a gripping, deeply personal drama that unflinchingly confronts the realities of race, power, and betrayal. On a rainy afternoon, Hally, a white teenager, passes the time with Sam and Willie, two Black waiters who have helped raise him by filling the gaps of a broken home with warmth, wisdom, and laughter. But as the day unfolds, playful memories give way to painful truths, and a single moment threatens to shatter the fragile bond between them forever. Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles.
The Storyteller of East LA – through May 17: Evelina Fernandez’s The Storyteller of East LA explores memory loss, caregiving, family conflict, and the sustaining power of love. Developed in our Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group. This is East L.A. storytelling at its most intimate and urgent. The Storyteller of East LA underscores the sustaining power of love, compassion and storytelling, and the resilience of family, despite its conflicts and complexities. The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles.
MUSEUMS AND ART
A New Song: Langston Hughes in the West – through September 13: One of the world’s most famous Black poets, Langston Hughes (1902–1967) is often associated with the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance in New York. But starting in the 1930s, though the upheavals of the Great Depression, World War II, and McCarthyism in America, Hughes spent significant time in the West where he maintained deep connections and produced important work, including lectures, film scripts, plays, and his first book of short stories. Through recorded interviews, lyrical texts, archival photographs, and historic posters and prints, A New Song: Langston Hughes in the West reveals little-known aspects of Hughes’s work as a champion for justice and the special relationships he cultivated during his many sojourns in California, Nevada, and Mexico. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles.
Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985 – through June 14: Amid the turbulent decades of the mid-20th century, African American and Afro-Atlantic diaspora artists sought to celebrate Black culture and advance the struggle for civil rights. Photographic images contributed in myriad ways to the lively exchange of pan-African ideas that propelled the Black Arts Movement. See how an incredible range of artists and activists—from studio and street photographers to graphic designers and community organizers—used photography as a tool for social change. Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles.
