about us

Mezzanine is a screening series based in Los Angeles. We show the finest arthouse and independent films year-round, and in the spring we put on the Los Angeles Festival of Movies.

“A vital addition to the film scene in Los Angeles." -Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times

“[Mezzanine] has cultivated a young, hip audience willing to trust their programming taste, with sustained crowds at buzzier titles and more esoteric restorations alike.” - Caleb Hammond, Actual Violence

Mission
Mezzanine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization building an audience for independent film in Los Angeles, providing dynamic and inclusive spaces for great movies to thrive. Ranging from revival screenings to new film premieres, our programs are frequently done in collaboration with local artists, writers, curators and other luminaries from a range of disciplines. Building on Los Angeles’ history of alternative cinema spaces, we seek to make hidden gems accessible and legible; provide a platform for vital emerging film artists; and develop a younger and more diverse audience for art cinema in the city.

Los Angeles Festival of Movies
Los Angeles Festival of Movies, presented by Mezzanine and Kino Film Collection, is our annual film festival and the city’s foremost showcase of arthouse cinema. Every spring, we showcase new independent films and restoration premieres at multiple venues across the east side of Los Angeles. Since 2024, LAFM consistently brings buzzy L.A. premieres, major international discoveries and new American classics to an energetic and adventurous audience. We’ve hosted talks with local tastemakers, premiered cutting-edge short films, and thrown unforgettable parties. For the city’s indie film community, LAFM is a hub where they can gather, discover, exchange ideas, and rejoice. Click here to go to the LAFM website.

“A hub for genuine cinematic discovery.” - Filmmaker Magazine, Natalia Keogan

“A thoughtfully curated oasis in a desert of slop.” -Artillery

Vision
Independent cinema in Los Angeles is currently experiencing a crisis of distribution and exhibition. Many independent movie theaters and film festivals have shuttered. When new films and restorations are lucky to secure a theatrical release, they open at independent theater chains or commercial cinemas with little press or fanfare; or are placed on streaming platforms, eclipsed by studio content with multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. With no alternative press covering local cinematic events, and limited social media exposure, it can be difficult for audiences to discover these films; as such, contemporary art films have an increasingly limited shelf life.

Inspired by the ciné-club model native to France and building on Los Angeles’s history of alternative film spaces, Mezzanine is answering a need for creative marketing and renewed audience engagement around independent and art cinema. Since 2022, we have designed and implemented carefully curated events that seek to build bridges between the world of independent film with contemporary art and literature, inviting guest curators and speakers across the spectrum of artistic achievement. By emphasizing the nature of cinema as a hybrid of different art forms, we have cultivated a young and diverse audience hungry for cinematic discovery.

We commission original essays by emerging and established writers that provide context for specific films, published in risograph zines and ephemera, so as to make our programming legible and tactile. We activate spaces across the city including 2220 Arts + Archives, Brain Dead Studios and elsewhere, attracting audiences with dedicated poster graphics and campaigns.

Above all, Mezzanine aims to sustain the art of curated theatrical film programming in a landscape of algorithmic monocultures, and provide resources for vital independent film art to be seen.

Staff
Micah Gottlieb, Executive Director
Becca Rieckmann, Program Associate
Pauline Kraatz, Membership Manager
Carly Hildebrant, Marketing & Photo Manager
Ellie Sunlight Moon, Graphic Design
Lily Grossbard, Development Associate
Taylor Rowley, Business Manager
Julian Lattu, Intern

2026 Los Angeles Festival of Movies
Micah Gottlieb, Artistic Director
Sarah Winshall, Festival Director
Ash Cook, Deputy Festival Director
Glyne Pease, Director of Operations
Becca Rieckmann, Programming Manager & Print Traffic
Pauline Kraatz, Memberships & Partnerships Manager, Programming Manager - Revivals
Elenie Chung, Ticketing & Customer Service Manager
Anisse Elias, Artist Relations Manager
James Chapa, Creative Director
Carly Hildebrant, Marketing Director
Connor McIlveen, Volunteer Manager
Joshua Adam Fu, Social Media Manager
Andrea Torres, Artist Relations Coordinator
Hanna Mason, Volunteer Coordinator
Joey Briggs, Production Manager
Taylor Rowley, Business Manager
Bobby Sheppard, Logo Design

Board of Directors
Abby Sun
Austin Lee Brown
Maida Lynn
Rebekah Weikel
Dylan Redford

Board of Advisors
Adam Piron
Alex Mechanik
Athina Rachel Tsangari
Courtney Muller
Discordia
Eric Allen Hatch
Hedi El Kholti
James Belfer
Jon Dieringer
Katy Crown
Kiva Reardon
Kyra Rogers
Maya S. Cade
Michelle Carey
Miriam Bale
Riel Roch-Decter
Samy Burch
Sandi Tan
Sean Baker
Sean Buckelew

For Mezzanine ticket information, please visit our individual screening pages.

For general inquiries, please email: info@mezzaninefilm.org

Follow us on social media at: @mezzaninefilm @lafestivalofmovies

Please join our mailing list for the latest information on screenings below: