December 19, 2003
Echo Park Film Center
Yesterday, I finally visited the Echo Park Film Center. I discovered it a few weeks ago, there was an article on the LA Weekly, which turned twenty-five last Thursday by the way. So I clipped the article and added it to my neat-places-to-visit list. Yesterday was their last screening of the year; they were paying homage to Jojo Hilsenrad, one of the cofounders three years ago. They are a non-profit organization, and one of their aims is to share cinema with the community, specially teenagers. I wish there had been something like it when I was a teenager, I would have liked it a lot. The place is small and funky. It’s not a theater, but a retail space. The outlet next door (33 1/3) sells artsy stuff: paintings, posters, postcards done by local artisans, books, magazines, etcetera. The center is sectioned into three parts, at the front they’ve got computers, old eMacs, which are used to teach kids editing, retail cases filled with camera stuff, and of course the donation jar. The middle is graced with movie theater seats, chairs and a rust colored wall with a shelf brimming with movies for everyone to see. At the back is the projector and bathroom. They accept donations by the way, they can always use computers, still-functioning dvd players and cameras. Or you can make a tax-deductible contribution.
We got a private screening, the cofounder, Ken Fountain, was a bit shy about it, he said, “We didn’t really expect a lot of people to show up to this screening, but it’s usually filled.” He was apologetic, and we were rather like, “Oh no, this is great.” The shorts were good. The first one titled “In the Shadow of Osama," which again made me realize how often I take my living conditions for granted. Surprise surprise, this happens often. The last short was a political animation. Jojo took an animated story, recent voice clips from political figures, such as George Bush and Blair, and put the two together. It must have been hard to make. He wasn’t there to talk about it, as he is in Oregon. Since they don't charge for movie tickets, they ask for a five-dollar donation per person at the end of a screening, which I was glad to give to Ken. He came over to talk and see if we had any questions, he was very nice. Oh yeah, at the beginning of the film, he offered us candy canes, which is very descriptive of the spirit and attitude found there. This project qualifies for CityWorks LA, which I am involved in, I’m going to talk to Leslie about it to see what we can do to help. :-)
There is a vintage Italian café next door (Downbeat Cafe) if you would like to have something to eat, I can vouch for the Mediterranean salad without artichokes, as they didn’t have any. Otherwise there’s Mexican food and goodies all over the place, as it’s located on Alvarado St.