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After the recent success of independent films such as mania and Back roomsOjai Playhouse launches Left Turn, a new programming series aimed at highlighting emerging independent filmmakers, Hollywood Reporter can reveal.
The inaugural event, scheduled for August 8, is a free, one-day screening featuring screenings of independent releases followed by a live Q&A with participating filmmakers. It will be shown at the Ojai Playhouse, one of California’s oldest independent theaters. Built in 1914, this place is among the first single-screen movie theaters in the state.
The assortment includes Positions $, Our hero, Balthazar, Damn games, Cases, Napa Boys and Crumb catcherin which the latter got a place THR List of the best horror movies of 2024. Her debut in Ojai is Crumb catcher, Cases and Our hero, Balthazar. Journalist Daniel Spielberger (NBC News, Esquire) will moderate each discussion for filmmakers.
“I am thrilled to host this eclectic lineup and welcome filmmakers and fans of independent cinema to the Ojai Playhouse,” theater owner and programmer David Berger said in a statement.
Harrison Neff, creative branding consultant and designer, added: “The visual direction of Left Turn was heavily inspired by drive-in movie nights and the sense of community around sharing cinema as a culture and hobby. By playing on bright colors and collage-style image compositions, we pulled from the nostalgia of yesteryear to highlight the films of tomorrow.”
See the full schedule below. Free tickets for each show are available to reserve at ojaiplayhouse.com.
10 am — Crumb catcher + 11:45 AM Q&A with Chris Skochdopol
12:30 PM — Positions $ + 2 PM Q&A with Brandon Daly
3 pm — Our hero, Balthazar + 4:30pm Q&A with Peter Gould, Miles Skinner and Chris Power
5:30 pm — Damn games + 7:15 PM Q&A with Annapurna Sriram
7:45 p.m. — Cases + 9:15 PM Q&A with Greg Vrotsos
10 pm — Napa Boys + 11:30pm Q&A with Nick Corirossi, Paul Rust and Armin Weitzman
