Los Angeles County Museum of Art, home of the Film Program

Restore LACMA's Film Program!

Target:

Michael Govan, Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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We signed the "Restore LACMA's Film Program!" petition!

# 2,803:

5:34 am PST, Nov 9, Sheila Bay, New Hampshire
I visit LA for the Academy Awards which I have attened 5 years now, and I hope you will reconsider your decision and continue Lacma's fantastic program, which is irreplacable. Sheila Bay

# 2,802:

3:57 am PST, Nov 8, Brynne Haymaker, California
My Grandmother Helped shape LACMA into the place it is today. For over 35 years she volunteered because she knew the importance of all forms of arts (including Music and Film) on our society today. Aside from the beauty in a painting, sculpture, or other graphic works; Film has this innate ability to cut across generations, sexes, or social classes by opening not just a dialogue for the imagination, but for topics like racial inequality, age discrimination, and the like. Film has been a useful tool for bridging families & strangers together, in the course of dialogue, that can be educational and entertaining. My grandmother would roll over in her grave just to spit on you Michael Govan. Your BA in art history from USD and NY background claiming the people of LA "need culture" (in your interview with LACMA magazine 2006) are false and misleading with the actions you take now. You sir, need the cultural change. Please take Scorsese's advise in his open letter to you (LA Times 8/12/09): this is an unfortunate course of action and you should reconsider. This is LA you are in now Govan dear. We love our people, our art (all forms), our family (meaning everyone), all cultural expositions (& don't take lightly to it being taken away), and more so we dislike bullies who murder artistic freedom for capitalist gain. That sir is for politics. Not our LACMA. Take your $1 million salary and put it to good use if you want to make a difference on culture in LA. Bring back the LACMA's film program & prove you aren't a schmuck. If you have bothered to meet your staff at the museum, go ask the volunteers or do a search for Shirley Sherman. She created more of an artistic vision and legacy in her 35+ years there, then you sir will if you make it to 5 years. Prove me wrong.

# 2,801:

6:05 pm PST, Nov 4, Jennifer Swann, California

# 2,800:

11:00 am PST, Nov 2, Marci Kislin Heskel, California
Save the film program! People should have the opportunity to view historical and foreign films, curated and discussed by film experts in order to educate themselves, rather than relying on recent Hollywood junk as the only standard.

# 2,799:

1:28 pm PDT, Oct 28, Name not displayed, California

# 2,798:

12:16 pm PDT, Oct 25, James Anthony Phillips, New York

# 2,797:

11:32 am PDT, Oct 22, Alexis Brodey, California
Please don't further lessen the quality of culture in our town. We need this stuff.

# 2,796:

6:25 pm PDT, Oct 12, Laura Norris, Georgia

# 2,795:

8:20 am PDT, Oct 11, Name not displayed, Colorado
The way a nation supports the arts speaks to the integrity and sense of history a country gives to future generations. Please allow for the inspirational and creative history of film to continue at LACMA.

# 2,794:

8:03 am PDT, Oct 10, Diana Franco, California
Please do not remove the only adult, sophisticated and world class theater that is to be found in Los Angeles, a city otherwise known to be devoid of depth and a slave to cheap entertainment in the international circuit.

# 2,793:

12:16 pm PDT, Oct 8, Name not displayed, California

# 2,792:

6:15 am PDT, Oct 7, Nicole Mosleh, Italy

# 2,791:

6:20 am PDT, Oct 6, ALVARO RUIZ, Spain

# 2,790:

3:54 pm PDT, Oct 3, Magali Martucci, Brazil

# 2,789:

10:20 am PDT, Oct 3, Diego Quemada-Diez, California
I have been attending LACMA film programs for over 13 years and I have seen the most amazing films in the best possible environment: brand new gorgeous prints of classics from US and the rest of the world in the big screen: H. Hawks, Eisenstein, F.F. Coppolla, A. Kiarostami, Kobayashi, Fukasaku, Kurosawa, Passolini, Bela Tarr, S. Ray, Alain Resnais.. I am very grateful for it and I hope it can continue for present and future generations, this films are a key aspect of culture. Watching "Last year in Marienbad", "Arabian Nights", "Harakiri", "Werckmeister Harmonies"... are a powerful mystical experience that has no comparison with small theaters or dvd.

# 2,788:

5:48 pm PDT, Sep 27, Alenka Pavlin, California

# 2,787:

10:34 am PDT, Sep 25, Joseph Peeler, California

# 2,786:

9:40 am PDT, Sep 25, Name not displayed, California

# 2,785:

11:36 am PDT, Sep 24, F. Paul Russell III, California
My wife and I have always loved he diversity of films shown at LACMA. When I was freelance, I occasionally was able to catch the free (Tuesday) shows. Keep the films rolling at LACMA. The theater is fantastic, and nobody else in Los Angeles does international film retrospectives the way the museum does. A true loss if it goes away.

# 2,784:

11:10 am PDT, Sep 24, Michael Bloecher, California
I have had many unforgettable movie experiences at LACMA screenings, and would miss the opportunity to see classic films there a great deal.

# 2,783:

5:50 am PDT, Sep 24, Iris Beyer, California
One of the reasons that I moved to L.A. was because of the rich cultural offerings. I love films---and have been impressed by the Museum Of Modern Art's film program in New York--so I would be extremely disappointed if you decide to discontinue yours.

# 2,782:

12:39 am PDT, Sep 24, Terrance Austin, California
Please restore the program!

# 2,781:

7:15 pm PDT, Sep 22, Kathy Suszko, California
Please restore this film program, Los Angeles provides a historic link to the art of movie making world-wide. To lose international cinema would also lose the perspective from world artists. Please reconsider.

# 2,780:

2:58 pm PDT, Sep 21, Courtney Cowan, California

# 2,779:

8:30 am PDT, Sep 20, Dan Fink, California
The mainstream movie industry is a disaster. We MUST keep programs like this alive to support real films. Please keep Film at LACMA going!

# 2,778:

1:09 pm PDT, Sep 17, Chris Morrison, Nevada

# 2,777:

12:29 pm PDT, Sep 17, Megan Goldstein, California

# 2,776:

2:39 pm PDT, Sep 16, David Reiman, Arizona
LACMA has become a landmark of the filmgoing experience in LA. Please reconsider.

# 2,775:

1:23 pm PDT, Sep 16, Jodi Finkel, California
I love the classic films and special director/actor festivals.

# 2,774:

12:11 pm PDT, Sep 16, Brandi Cryer, Michigan

# 2,773:

10:57 am PDT, Sep 15, Christine Kivork, California

# 2,772:

5:49 am PDT, Sep 14, DENNIS BARTOK, California

# 2,771:

2:33 pm PDT, Sep 11, Nelly Sloan, Germany

# 2,770:

11:59 am PDT, Sep 11, Lawrence Joseph Schubert, California
And save Ian Birnie- a stellar programmer and Herculean worker-along with it. LAWRENCE JOSEPH SCHUBERT

# 2,769:

7:58 am PDT, Sep 11, Maxi Villafan, Washington
I was ron haver's assistant and we ran the lacma film department under extraordinary diress and derision from 1988 to 1993. We were never considered a true art form, and like the music departmet, were forced to subsist on ticket sales to exisit beyond our reluctant budgetary accomodation. Ron haver was a visionary and mentor to me. We brought famous and powerful people to lacma, yet were disregarded nontheless. We pointed out that new york has moma, yet la has only ucla, thank goodness for them. I am just saying, you'd think hollywood would acknowledge its own art. The filmgoers and critics loved us, we cooperated with international film lovers and governments, and local corporations, and the museum of television in new york... But no. The bosses of lacma viewed us askew. Contact me.

# 2,768:

10:56 am PDT, Sep 10, Joe Fucillo, California

# 2,767:

10:20 am PDT, Sep 10, Name not displayed, California
In these times of economic crisis and turmoil it is always funding for the arts that goes first. Although no one wants LACMA to turn into the next MOCA I think it is important for LACMA to do its part in restoring faith in the arts, in all mediums. Programs like this (Weekend Film), should remain open as they offer an important element to the cultural landscape of LA. Part social, part educational, and part, pure enjoyment, these films bring the type of experience that many Americans and Angelinos need to broaden their already narrow minded outlook on culture, and the role of the arts in contemporary society. IF the weekend film program leaves, what will go next, and where will it end?

# 2,766:

9:39 am PDT, Sep 10, Dorothy Braudy, California

# 2,765:

11:38 pm PDT, Sep 9, Jesko Jockenhoevel, Germany

# 2,764:

4:56 pm PDT, Sep 8, Mark Sprecher, California
I've been attending film programs since 1970. It is time for the program to be seriously funded - the CineClub approach is a great idea - and to go back to comprehensive retrospective programs rather than the "best of" approach of mini-programming that has been the norm for the past decade.

# 2,763:

4:03 pm PDT, Sep 8, Irwin Winkler, California

# 2,762:

2:41 pm PDT, Sep 8, Alan Morales, California

# 2,761:

8:41 pm PDT, Sep 7, Nick Smoke, California

# 2,760:

12:33 pm PDT, Sep 7, Jonathan Pacheco-Bell, California

# 2,759:

10:44 am PDT, Sep 7, Evan Grant, California

# 2,758:

11:20 am PDT, Sep 6, Paul Galvin, California

# 2,757:

7:44 pm PDT, Sep 5, Barbara Summers, California

# 2,756:

7:19 pm PDT, Sep 5, Sarah Gettings, California

# 2,755:

7:38 am PDT, Sep 5, Edward Watz, New Jersey
This country has very few remaining places where film lovers can gather and see all types of movies in the setting -- a real movie theater -- where they were meant to be seen. If you take away LACMA's film series and remove Ian Birnie, you will tarnish our rich film heritage in the very town where movies grew up and have flourished over the past 90 years. Do the right thing and keep our film treasures alive!

# 2,754:

7:01 am PDT, Sep 5, Andrew Feltus, Massachusetts
I recently saw 500 days of the summer and loved the references to classic films in it. but I told my wife I don't know where the current generation will see these movies. Always visit the LACMA when in LA but think the film program is even more important.

# 2,753:

3:59 pm PDT, Sep 4, Sean Hathwell, California
I have been going to LACMA's Film programs for more than 25 years, as Ian Birnie took the torch from Ron Haver, and I am so upset and distraught that LACMA would even think of ending the weekend film series that I am considering boycotting the museum for good until you reinstate Ian Birnie and the film program to its rightful place. Film is the preeminent artform of the 20th century and, as Los Angeles is the center of the film world, it is essential that the museum of record for Los Angeles, LACMA, have a place for cinema among its other art works.

# 2,752:

12:38 am PDT, Sep 4, Tracy McCowan, California
In the film capital of the world, this program ending would be a crime. Why can't some of the LA film industry millionaires and billionaires chip in to help, especially in a summer of record box office receipts?

# 2,751:

6:20 pm PDT, Sep 3, Faith Hudson, California

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