There has been a Laemmle in the movie business since there’s been a movie business. ONLY IN THEATERS shines a spotlight on the beloved Arthouse Cinema chain with an astonishing Hollywood legacy that includes four generations of Laemmle’s dedicated to elevating the art of filmmaking and the filmmakers who make them. Responsible for bringing foreign film to Los Angeles and popularizing countless foreign independent films and their filmmakers, the Laemmle Theatres’ impact on Hollywood and world cinema cannot be overstated. In a world of growing conglomeration, the Laemmle circuit of theaters has become even more of an anomaly: a family-owned and operated art house theatre chain. Filmed over 2 1/2 years, ONLY IN THEATERS, chronicles a family business, and their determination to survive. But in a changing world this is also a story about the future of Cinema. Interviews with Ava DuVernay, Cameron Crowe, James Ivory, Nicole Holofcener, and others. ONLY IN THEATERS, a film by actor /director Raphael Sbarge who follows one of the most dedicated members of the Laemmle clan, Greg, the intimate and moving journey have been taken by the Laemmle family, spanning nearly three years of challenges, losses, and personal triumphs. Director Raphael Sbarge (Emmy Nominated for directing “LA FOODWAYS,”) and subject Greg Laemmle joins us for a conversation on the sheer joy of getting to know world class artists, writers, producers and director, connecting with a wildly diverse community of people who support them as well as a being the preferred platform for many of the world’s most influential and talented filmmakers.
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For more go to: onlyintheaters.com
For filmmakers: thefilmcollaborative.org/onlyintheaters
About the filmmaker – Director / Producer / Writer / Actor Raphael Sbarge’s résumé includes more than 100 guest appearances and series regular roles on network television shows, including the long-running ABC hit Once Upon a Time, the TNT series Murder in the First, and The Guardian for CBS. He has recurred on series including Star Trek Voyager, Dexter and Prison Break. Raphael has also performed on stage in theaters around the country and appeared in five Broadway productions. He has done extensive voice work in video games, including a lead role in Mass Effect, The New York Times Game of the Year, and its two sequels. In 2020, Raphael earned his first Emmy nomination for LA Foodways, a one-hour feature documentary and a six-part digital series that he directed and produced. It debuted in 2019 on KCET- PBS, which also co-produced the project. The film highlights Los Angeles’ vast farming history, contrasted against the fact that there are now 1.5 million people dealing with food scarcity or living in food deserts in Los Angeles county, the largest in the country. Raphael’s first narrative short, The Bird Who Could Fly, immigrant Korean story, set in K-town, Los Angeles with an all-Asian cast, has won numerous awards and garnered many laurels at film festivals around the country. Raphael recently completed The Tricky Part, a film based on the Obie Award-winning one-man play of the same name. The film, which was co-produced with Anthony Edwards, is now out to festivals. Raphael has also been teaching and coaching actors for more than a decade. He ran a highly successful Lab in Los Angeles for actors, directors, writers and producers, with guest speakers including director Thomas Schlamme, actors James Cromwell and Richard Schiff, and Jazz musician Grace Kelly, among many others.
“The Story here is beautiful and complicated, one in which the twin weights of legacy and calling bear down on the need to survive in changing times” – Robert Abele, LA Times
“An intimate portrait of a man burdened by legacy, navigating uncharted waters, not even sure that he wants to.” – Katie Walsh, TheWrap
“It’s great…a fascinating and poignant look at the Laemmle family.” – Claudia Puig, KPCC’s FilmWeek
“The narrative about the theaters’ present-day fight for survival is undeniably compelling” – Glenn Kenny, New York Times