Mondo Celluloid - About Us

Howdy! Welcome to MondoCelluloid.com!

MISSION STATEMENT

Mondo Celluloid Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the celebration of classic cinema and to providing opportunities for audiences to experience film classics on the big screen in Long Beach; by curating special events that incorporate film with live music and multimedia art; by collaborating with independent organizations and theatres in shared community events; by supporting the outreach efforts of Southern California’s independent repertory cinemas; by supporting with grants the efforts and dreams of student filmmakers; and by welcoming guest speakers such as filmmakers and film historians to speak to audiences as part of their cinematic experience.

HISTORY

We had our humble beginnings as a Myspace site before launching this site on November 11, 2008. Our goal: to help promote the programming efforts of L.A.’s many independent cinemas by providing an updated calendar to let people know what’s playing across L.A. in cult, horror, and repertory cinema, as well as showcase reviews of horror and cult cinema releases and screening events. From classic movie houses like the New Beverly and Nuart to newer venues like Cinefamily and Long Beach’s recently restored Art Theatre, home to Mondo Celluloid’s monthly MONDO MIDNIGHTS series, we are dedicated to make sure you don’t miss a screening of your favorite, sometimes rarely-screened classics, and to make sure you know what’s coming up in horror and sci-fi cinema.

MONDO MIDNIGHTS was a happy accident - launched on May 10 2008 at Silver Lake’s classic Vista Theatre with a screening of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the series was a response to our many Myspace readers who urged us to start a cult cinema screening series of our own. After a few successful screenings at the Vista, we were excited to move our series to Long Beach’s meticulously restored Art Theatre, with our legendary December 12 2008 screening of Richard Elfman’s Forbidden Zone, with Mr. Elfman and producer Jack Murphy in attendance. Since that night Mondo Celluloid has brought over sixty 35mm prints of classic films to Long Beach, ranging from Award-winning classics like The Graduate to underground gems like The Holy Mountain to midnight favorites like Pink Flamingos to contemporary classics like Pulp Fiction.

In the summer of 2010 we proudly kicked off two new series in Long Beach. The first, Reel Queer Cinema, was launched June 30, 2010 in collaboration with the dedicated team behind the Amp Organization, curators of Long Beach’s legendary series of Cut&Paste Rock & Roll concerts spotlighting LGBT musicians and artists, while raising funds for student scholarships. This series began with a screening of Jamie Babbit’s 1999 comedy classic But I’m a Cheerleader, with an on-stage presentation of scholarships to three local students before the show! On July 1, 2010, we launched an exciting collaboration with CineMolaa, a film series held at Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), with a screening Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo preceded by a live performance by Long Beach band NOPAL!

Our goals for the future include more outdoor cinema in Long Beach, the return of the Zombie Walk (to be held on October 30, 2010! - visit http://mondocelluloid.com/zombiewalk for information!), and at least two film festivals focusing on local film makers.

See you in the aisles!

- Logan Crow, Executive Director/Founder

THE MONDO CELLULOID TEAM

Logan Crow
Executive Director/Founder
Event and Film Reviews, Event Programming