Cinema @ The Wallis in association with Film Independent returns with a slate of five compelling programs for film lovers and awards season aficionados, featuring acclaimed stars, from both behind and in front of the camera, who spotlight a diverse range of contemporary and classic films from November 9 – 13, 2021, at The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater. 

The kickoff to the weeklong series of events will be An Evening With… Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, director of Dune, joining for a deep-dive discussion about his both intimate and expansive work leading up to and including the critically-acclaimed and box office success (November 9, 7:00 pm); then two-time Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat will “Bring The Noise” with commentary and performance pieces spotlighting his wide-ranging scores, with a particular focus on his frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson – especially The French Dispatch (November 10, 7:30 pm); and nearing the end of the week An Evening With... Maggie Gyllenhaal will feature clips about and conversation with the Academy Award-nominated actress and filmmaker about her groundbreaking and thought-provoking work that has helped shape and prepare her for her upcoming directorial debut, The Lost Daughter (November 12, 7:30 pm).

The week of events concludes with two of Film Independent's signature Live Reads. Academy Award-winning actress and star of CODA, Marlee Matlin, directs a Live Read of Billy Wilder’s classic Sunset Boulevard with both Deaf and hearing actors re-interpreting its iconic characters and quotable script actors (November 13, 2:00 pm); this will be the first of Film Independent's Live Reads to include ASL interpretation throughout. Then a surprise, to-be-announced guest director will take on a Live Read of Steve Martin’s L.A. Story in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary and Blu-ray release (November 13, 7:30 pm). Each event is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. 

Tickets, $40 per program ($30 per program for Wallis subscribers and Film Independent Members), are on sale now. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. To purchase tickets and for more information, please call 310-746-4000 or visit TheWallis.org/FI.

Event Details:

Tuesday, November 9, 7:30pm

An Evening with Denis Villeneuve from Dune

An Evening with Denis Villeneuve from Dune includes engaging  conversation about his career up until now, from Incendies to Blade Runner 2049, as well as a deep dive into Legendary Entertainment and Warner Brothers’ recently released blockbuster science fiction film Dune, co-written, directed and produced by Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya, Josh Brolin, among many others. It is the first of a two-part adaptation (with Part Two recently greenlit) from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name.

Wednesday, November 10, 7:30pm

Bring The Noise with Alexandre Desplat from The French Dispatch

“Bring The Noise” features an evening of conversation and performance celebrating the world-renowned, critically-acclaimed, and multi-award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, covering his decades of musical contributions to the film industry, from big studio to independent to international fare, with a particular focus on his ongoing collaborations with filmmaker extraordinaire Wes Anderson – including their most recent, Searchlight Pictures’ The French Dispatch. Two-time Oscar-winning composer, orchestrator and conductor, who has garnered eleven Academy Award nominations, has scored more than one hundred films, among them David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs, as well as Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. 

Friday, November 12, 7:30pm

An Evening With... Maggie Gyllenhaal

Oscar-winning writer, director, producer and actress Maggie Gyllenhaal discusses the choices she’s made and chances she’s taken throughout her celebrated, daring, and multifaceted film television and stage career that have shaped and prepared her for her upcoming directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, which will be release in select theaters on December 17 and available for streaming on Netfix on December 31. Gyllenhaal’s groundbreaking and thought-provoking performances include Secretary (2002), Sherrybaby (2006), Crazy Heart (2009),The Dark Knight (2008), Nanny McPhee Returns (2010), Frank (2014) and The Kindergarten Teacher (2018). In 2019, Gyllenhaal concluded a three-season run as the sex worker Candy who becomes a film director in the HBO drama The Deuce. She also starred as Yelena in Uncle Vanya (2009) and Masha in The Three Sisters (2011), both alongside her husband Peter Sarsgaard in Austin Pendleton’s productions at the Classic Stage Company. She debuted on Broadway in Sam Gold’s revival of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing opposite Ewan McGregor in 2014. 

Saturday, November 13, 2:00pm

Live Read of Sunset Boulevard Directed by Marlee Matlin

Academy Award winner actress and director Marlee Matlin directs a live read of Billy Wilder’s 1950 classic film Sunset Boulevard with a cast featuring both Deaf and hearing actors from the cast of CODA, the 2021 coming-of-age film about a hearing teenager who is the child of deaf adults (CODA). Sunset Boulevard, often ranked among the best films ever made and among the first group of films selected for preservation by the National Film Registry, stars William Holden as a down-on-his-luck screenwriter and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a delusional former silent-film star who fantasizes about returning to the screen. Martin lost her hearing at a young age but nonetheless pursued an acting career and became highly successful, winning an Academy Award in 1987 for her role in Children of a Lesser God. She went on to star in a number of other film and television movies. This will be the first of Film Independent's Live Reads to include ASL interpretation throughout.

Saturday, November 13, 7:30pm

Live Read of LA Story Directed by TBA Celebrating Film’s 30th Anniversary and Blu-Ray release

A special to-be-announced guest director will bring to life Steve Martin’s 1991 romantic comedy LA Story – an homage to LA’s quirks – about a former weatherman (Steve Martin) who decides to seek love and success in Los Angeles and discovers that a freeway sign is giving him romantic advice. By following it, he lands in a love triangle with a British journalist (Victoria Tennant) and a free-spirited Valley Girl (Sarah Jessica Parker). The program celebrates the film’s 30th Anniversary and Blu-Ray release for the first time in the United States (available everywhere as of November 9). Courtesy of Lionsgate, select attendees will receive a complimentary copy of L.A. Story on Blu-ray.