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Ojai Playhouse Launches ‘Left Turn,’ a Free Indie Film Showcase Featuring ‘Our Hero, Balthazar,’ ‘Crumb Catcher’ and More (Exclusive)
Ojai Playhouse, one of California's oldest single-screen cinemas, is launching a new free showcase series called "Left Turn" to spotlight emerging independent filmmakers, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The inaugural event takes place on 8 August and follows the venue's recent success screening independent films such as Obsession and Backrooms, reflecting a broader effort by smaller theatres to champion low-budget and lesser-known cinema outside the traditional studio pipeline.
The one-day event will feature screenings of seven films, including $Positions, Our Hero, Balthazar, Fucktoys, Situations, The Napa Boys and Crumb Catcher, the last of which appeared on THR's best horror films of 2024 list. Crumb Catcher, Situations and Our Hero, Balthazar will make their Ojai debuts, with each screening followed by a live Q&A moderated by journalist Daniel Spielberger and featuring the respective filmmakers. Tickets are free and can be reserved via the Ojai Playhouse website, with theatre owner David Berger and designer Harrison Neef both emphasising the series' community-driven, nostalgic aesthetic.
In short
- Ojai Playhouse launches free "Left Turn" indie film showcase on 8 August
- Lineup includes Crumb Catcher, Our Hero, Balthazar and five other films
- Each screening followed by a live filmmaker Q&A; tickets free online
Explained simply
Independent films are made outside the major studio system, often with smaller budgets and less access to wide cinema releases. Local cinemas can give these films a public screening and bring audiences into direct contact with the people who made them.
Ojai Playhouse is a single-screen cinema in Ojai, California, owned by David Berger. The venue has screened independent films and is introducing a showcase for emerging filmmakers, with designer Harrison Neef helping shape its look.
The programme includes films such as Our Hero, Balthazar and Crumb Catcher. Screenings followed by filmmaker Q&As offer audiences a chance to hear how the films were made, while free entry makes the event accessible to the local community.
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