Cinephiles rejoice at Santa Monica's Aero Theatre, where the packed lineup of screenings ranges from iconic black and white comedies to imaginative animated creations, to world premieres of new international films, thought-provoking documentaries and beyond. Curated by American Cinematheque, the theater also hosts panel discussions where movie insiders talk shop with filmmakers, cast members and other creative talent. Check the description for a list of upcoming events and find out why the Aero has been a go-to destination for movie lovers since 1940.

Event Description:

Photo credit: Margot Gerber.

May 7, 4:00pm — Restored Laurel & Hardy Shorts
“Busy Bodies” (1933, 19 min. Dir. Lloyd French): Laurel and Hardy are at their slapstick best here playing safety-challenged workers at a sawmill.
“Scram!” (1932, 20 min. Dir. Ray McCarey): A drunk invites Stan and Ollie to his mansion but leads them to the wrong house.
“Me and My Pal” (1933, 20 min. Dir. Charley Rogers): Ollie is about to get married to an oil heiress when he and best man Stan get distracted on the way to the wedding.
“One Good Turn” (1931, 20 min. Dir. James W. Horne): Depression-hit Stan and Ollie mistakenly think an old woman who gives them a meal is poor herself.

Join us before the show in the lobby, where author Randy Skretvedt will sign his book, Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies.

May 15, 7:30pm — New Films From the EU
“The Runner" (2015, Spain, 12 min. Dir. José Luis Montesinos): Five years after downsizing his company, a boss literally runs into a former employee; heated conversation and revelations about the men’s lives ensue, culminating in an intense foot race. In Spanish with English subtitles.
All The Best (2016, Croatia, 102 min, Dir: Snjezana Tribuson): It’s a Christmas tale with poisoning in writer-director Snjezana Tribuson’s charming feature. An opera singer, a handyman, a pastry shop worker and a farmer are all looking for love and coming up empty until a strange series of events – driven by cockroaches, beet-root soup and an opera aria – brings these lonely lives together. May 22: (I AM SUN MU – Human Rights Watch Film Series!)

May 22, 5:30pm — Human Rights Watch Film Series
I Am Sun Mu (2015, 86 min, Dir: Adam Sjöberg): “No boundaries” are the watchwords for painter Sun Mu, a former North Korean propaganda artist who defected to the south in the 1990s, and the focus of this striking documentary. Now employing the Socialist Realist style for satirical purposes, Sun Mu targets the repressive regime of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un – a potentially dangerous subject as he prepares for a solo exhibition in China.

Panel discussion following with I Am Sun Mu’s producer-editor Mariana Blanco and director of animation Ryan Wehner, and Human Rights Watch’s Asia Policy Director John Sifton, moderated by KPCC’s “The Frame” host John Horn.