Vidiots, the Los Angeles video store and nonprofit film organization, will open its new home its new home on Thursday, June 1, at the historic Eagle Theatre in L.A.’s Eagle Rock neighborhood.
From 1985 to 2017, the organization operated out of a location in Santa Monica. They took over the nearly century-old cinema, originally opened in 1929 as the Yosemite Theatre, in September 2019.
Sneak preview events for Vidiots’ “Founding Members” and supporters will be held in May.
Vidiots will operate seven days a week. The lineup of the opening months’ screenings and events will be shared in the coming weeks.
Vidiots’ new home, located at 4884 Eagle Rock Boulevard, will include:
- A 271-seat, state-of-the-art movie theater with 35mm, 16mm, and digital projection
- A beer and wine bar with concessions and a light menu
- A flexible micro-cinema and community space
- A video store with a 50,000-title physical media library
The almost 11,000 square-foot venue will provide flexibility for various screenings, special events, workshops, and community gatherings.
Vidiots has been a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization since 2012. Individual and corporate Founding Members are invited to join the organization until Vidiots’ public opening in June. Founding Member levels start at $5,000.
Notable founding members include Rian Johnson, Aubrey Plaza, Elijah Wood, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Charlie Day, Patton Oswalt, Amy Pascal, Jessica Williams, Alex Winter, and Ike Barinholtz.
Notable corporate founding members and sponsors include A24, Alamo Drafthouse, Criterion Collection, Final Draft, IFC Films Letterboxd, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, and Writers Guild of America West.
“We’re overjoyed to finally see our dream of bringing Vidiots back to Los Angeles,” Vidiots founders Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber said in a press release. “We could not have accomplished this incredible feat without the loyal and steadfast support of a community truly devoted to cinema and creating a space for new generations to be inspired and enlightened by the arts, and where they can fall in love with film as we have.”
“There are not enough words to describe our gratitude for the incredible community that’s rallied around us for so many years, making the dream of our reopening a reality,” said Executive Director Maggie Mackay. “We’re counting the seconds until we can welcome all of L.A. and beyond back to the video store and the beautiful Eagle Theatre. In our corner of Northeast L.A., film will once again thrive as the social, communal, inspiring, life-changing art form it has been for over 100 years.”
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