From its first few moments on a bumper-to-bumper overpass, La La Land became a classic of at least three different movie subgenres: musical, car culture and Los Angeles. What better way to revisit the six-time Oscar winner than by celebrating each of those with a big, scenic outdoor screening featuring a live 53-piece orchestra and jazz band? (Okay, you can’t watch from your car, but those people in the movie quickly left theirs to join each other in busting out Mandy Moore’s choreo like you can here.)
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This September, cinephiles can don their technicolor best and head to the Los Angeles State Historic Park, where director Damien Chazelle’s 2016 masterpiece will screen for two nights (Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21). Composer Justin Hurwitz will conduct his Oscar-winning score, which stands gorgeously alongside Pasek and Paul’s melancholy lyrics, including the nominated weepie “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” and that year’s big winner, “City of Stars.”
The movie’s swings from ecstatic jazz to lowkey drama, anchored by Ryan Gosling and Oscar winner Emma Stone’s phenomenal performances, will find themselves right at home in the park, which will feature a large main screen for the orchestra pit, and four smaller ones for those watching from behind.
A mini-museum will display some of Mary Zophres’s Academy Award-nominated original costumes, as well as set pieces from the film’s Oscar-winning production design. Doors will open at 4:30pm, three hours ahead of the screening time, to give patrons plenty of options to check out themed photo-ops, cocktails and several food trucks.
Seating options range from GA picnic-style lawn spots (starting at $48) to reserved seats ($158), all the way through ground seats, closest to the orchestra ($147). If you’re still mad that the movie lost to Moonlight during the Oscar ceremony’s infamous Envelopegate, you can shell out $427 for a premium box, with VIP amenities, delicacies and lounge chairs for two.
This is the third year that Street Food Cinema brings its immersive concert screenings to Los Angeles, taking advantage of the city’s glorious skyline to elevate its beloved local art form where it belongs.
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land opened in 2016 and became an instant hit, grossing over $472 million worldwide and netting 14 Academy Award nominations. It won six, for director, actress, cinematography, original score, original song and production design.
More information can be found at Street Food Cinema’s website.