The East Los Angeles Film Festival (ELAFF)

03/16/2026

So sad.

03/16/2026

Best

03/16/2026

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 with .repost
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Spike Lee came to the completely in his bag. 👜

📸 Penske Media

03/10/2026

with .repost
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Star Wars drew heavy inspiration from the work of Akira Kurosawa, especially his 1958 film The Hidden Fortress.

In Kurosawa’s movie, the story follows two bumbling peasants who become involved in a mission to es**rt a hidden princess and a general through enemy territory. This narrative perspective influenced the way the early Star Wars story is partly seen through the eyes of the droids.

George Lucas was such a fan of Kurosawa that he originally hoped to cast Kurosawa’s frequent collaborator Toshiro Mifune as Obi Wan Kenobi. Mifune had starred in many classic samurai films such as Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, and Lucas believed his presence would bring a strong samurai influence to the Jedi character.

Although Mifune declined the role, the samurai inspiration remained central to the Jedi. Obi Wan’s robes resemble traditional samurai clothing, the Jedi code echoes the ethical ideals of bushido, and lightsaber duels were choreographed with movements similar to Japanese sword fighting. The role of Obi Wan was ultimately played by Alec Guinness, but the Kurosawa influence remained a defining part of the Star Wars universe.

03/10/2026

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What was the L.A. Rebellion?

The L.A. Rebellion (also called LA School of Black Filmmakers or LA Collective) refers to Black filmmakers who studied at UCLA from late 1960s through 1980s.

These students were socially shaped by Civil Rights era, the aftermath of Watts Riots, and the Vietnam War. In the classroom, their aesthetic aims were fueled by revolutionary Third Cinema, Italian Neorealism, and English documentary films like those of Basil Wright (a UCLA teacher). Instead of pursuing “Blaxploitation” popularity, they chose a more radical path. They worked with social urgency, reflecting real conditions of contemporary Black life in their communities. Some stylistically reflected neorealism, others exhibited traits of revolutionary cinema and jazz.

“L.A. Rebellion” was coined by scholar Clyde Taylor in 1986. Look at credits of their films and you’ll see students acting as creative collaborators on one another’s projects. Many directors from the movement, like Haile Gerima and Charles Burnett, resist the label feeling it erases individual artistic aims and Native American, Latin, and Asian contributions.

03/10/2026

In 2008, the was made possible thanks to the support of Supervisor Gloria Molina, who provided staff and Belvedere Park’s outdoor theater in East LA for our very first East LA Film Festival. This year marks our 17th festival. 🎬

03/10/2026

01/03/2026

The Fall is one of the best films weve seen.

01/02/2026

Renowned Indian Filmmaker is the Mom of Zohran Mamdani 🤯 WOW with .repost
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Indian American filmmaker Mira Nair’s son, Zohran Mamdani is on track to become the next Mayor of New York City after winning the Democratic primary.

In her interview with BT Digital, Mira Nair reflected on why she’s always chosen purpose over popularity, refusing work that didn’t resonate, to protect her circle of love and time with her husband and only child. “I have one child, a son... he’s really capturing the zeitgeist of how to make the city affordable for the working class,” she said. “We’ve raised a good son. Whatever I do has to be worth the time spent away from them.”

Catch Mira Nair’s exclusive interview for our ‘League Of Leading Ladies’ Segment. LINK IN BIO

NYCPolitics VoicesOfChange

01/01/2026

La Catrina

12/29/2025