Following news and the eventual closing of Malibu Cinemas, the Malibu Film Society (MFS) has been preparing to take the mantle as Malibu’s destination for film screenings.
“Just because we lost our only theater doesn’t mean we’ve lost movies on the big screen here in Malibu,” Scott Tallal, MFS executive director, said in an emailed interview.” We founded the film society nine years ago because we knew back then that the theater’s lease would eventually run out, and we wanted to keep movies on the big screen in Malibu.”
As executive director, Tallal has overseen day-to-day operations, which include everything from scheduling the film screenings to moderating Q&A panels with guests, for years.
Since its inception, MFS has been hosting “Awards Season Screening Series.” The series involves screenings of top Oscar and Golden Globe contenders. Fifteen films are set in stone for this season; dates are being confirmed for “at least 15 more.”
A unique aspect to MFS screenings is that they often involve a post-film Q&A session with a guest speaker—usually of notable fame.
This season, Tallal mentioned big news for an upcoming guest speaker: “In fact, just last week we confirmed that Sir Patrick Stewart will be joining us after our screening of ‘Logan’ on Thursday, Nov. 2.”
Some guests are booked by the film’s respective studios; Tallal said, “it’s really up to them to figure out how to parse out their limited Q&A opportunities.”
Other guests are booked by the MFS itself, depending on the film.
Given Malibu’s abundance of famous residents, the society will occasionally find a resident who worked on a film and ask for permission to invite him or her to a Q&A session. The sessions are not exclusive to awards season, either; the nonprofit prides itself on the abundance of guest speakers it is able to book.
Confirmed screenings and guest speakers for the next two months are as follows: “Marshall” with producer-director Reginald Hudlin, “Darkest Hour” with producers Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten (who also wrote the screenplay), “Cries from Syria” with producer-director Evgeny Afineevsky and “Logan” with actor Patrick Stewart.
A few pending screenings—movies are confirmed, dates not so much—include “An Inconvenient Sequel: Speaking Truth to Power,” “Lady Bird,” “Molly’s Game” and “mother!”
Tallal explained that film studios will sometimes do a “qualifying” week-long run of a film prior to its release to drum up interest before awards season. For example, some movies that have an early 2018 release date will show for a week or so in 2017 so that people such as Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) members can watch the movies and deliberate on their votes. To “qualify,” Tallal said movies must be show in regular New York and Los Angeles movie theaters. MFS has been home to such movies in the past.
MFS was started in 2009 in association with The Malibu Times, Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue and CommCinema.
The society went from 15 screenings and 26 members in 2009 to 54 screenings and over 200 members (and growing) by its last season, according to the MFS website.
The screenings take place in the multipurpose room at Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue with a maximum seating capacity of 220 people. It operates as a flat floor theater, though it has been compared to notable cinemas such as the Arclight, iPic and Cinepolis by audiences, according to Tallal.
The location offers a more informal setting for Q&A sessions with those involved in the film industry.
“…we’re delighted that the studios, distributors and filmmakers have been so incredibly supportive,” Tallal said.
The shows are open to the public, but free admission is available to MFS members, AMPAS members, film industry guilds and their guests.
To become a member, visit mfsreservations.org. While the membership is open to everyone, a single membership is $250 while a couple membership is $450.
As the organization is volunteer-based, anyone can apply to become a volunteer. The job description is open-ended; tasks include manning the concession stand, selling memberships, soliciting prizes for silent auctions, assisting with setup and connecting the society to key professionals.
Moreover, Tallal hopes the MFS will foster a community among Malibu’s residents. A special post-Thanksgiving event has already been planned. Families are invited to come see Pixar’s latest animated feature “Coco,” directed by “Toy Story 3” director Lee Unkrich.
“We just hope that everyone who’s been so concerned about the theater’s closing will come see what we have to offer at the Malibu Screening Room,” Tallal said. “Plus they often get to see and hear from the actors and filmmakers involved in an intimate and informal setting.”
