Echo Park Film Mobile

Angelenos are invited to discover and explore their changing urban landscape when the Filmmobile projects an array of classic films at (actual or implied) cinematic locations across the city. Film historians and filmmakers provide introductions and context. The 2009 schedule includes:

June 13, 2009 – Them (adjacent to LA RIVER @ Santa Fe & 6th Street)
June 20, 2009 – Sunset Boulevard (Across from Paramount Studios)
July 3, 2009 – Safety Last! (Olive & 7th Street, Downtown LA)
July 12, 2009 – Echo Park (rooftop screening @ eighteen-thirty collective)
July 25, 2009 – A Salute To Edendale: Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin, Tom Mix and More (north             end of Echo Park, beside the lake)
July 31, 2009 – The Music Box and other Laurel & Hardy Shorts (Vendome Street – Silverlake)
August 7, 2009 – The Exiles (Los Angeles, Hill Street between 3rd and 4th)
September 25, 2009 – Killer of Sheep (South Los Angeles)

Filmmobile community workshops invite filmmakers of all ages to work together on projects that explore the history of cinema, direct animation and community stories. 2009 events include:

May 2, 2009 – a two-hour direct animation workshop for children as part of the Valle del Oro Community Festival in Newhall.

May 2 & 3, 2009 - a two-day family documentary workshop in conjunction with the Watts House Project and Big Sunday.

June 21, 2009 - a day-long direct animation workshop as part of the Kermes street fair in Echo Park, organized by ARTScorpsLA.

Since our inception in 2002, Echo Park Film Center has placed a fundamental focus on media literacy and access for youth. We have always provided free film and video making classes to any student between the ages of 12 - 19 as we believe in the power of media to create positive change in individuals and society. The Filmmobile has allowed us to take these ideals and share them with people than ever before.

Filmmobile classes work in a similar fashion as those at the Echo Park FIlm Center. Visiting the sites on a weekly basis for 8 weeks, Filmmobile instructors provide students with the tools, training and one-on-one mentorship necessary to create short documentary works that focus on family, community and the contemporary issues that affect them. The Filmmobile also provides students with an opportunity to learn about sustainable energy and community building strategies. Classes culminate with a screening, potluck reception and a DVD release on EPFC Films.

September – October 2008: Youth Film Workshop - Mar Vista Gardens, Culver City (8 weeks)
The first Filmmobile Youth Film Workshop took place during the fall of 2008 at Central High Continuation School in the Mar Vista Gardens Housing Project. Nine first-time filmmakers created powerful short films on the realities of life in a challenging urban environment. Films created in this workshop were official entries in the 2009 San Diego Latino Film Festival and the 2009 Reel Rasquaache Film Festival.

March – April 2009: Youth Film Workshop – Crenshaw Area (8 weeks)
Films From Sojourner Truth, the second Filmmobile Youth Film Workshop, was completed in April at the Central High Continuation School Sojourner Truth Campus in LA’s West Adams District. With help from project instructors Paolo Davanzo, Alex Marin, Lisa Marr and Sharmaine Starks, fifteen first-time filmmakers created short documentaries about what goes on in and outside of the classroom.

July 2008: West Coast Tour (4 weeks)
Summer 2008 marked the launch of the new Filmmobile as we took our maiden voyage through the backroads and byways of America from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada and back again. The mission was simple: conduct free community film and video-making workshops during the day and present free film screenings at night. Participants and audience members ranged in age from 3 to 73; programs were held in schools, parks, community centers, yards and a mountaintop farm.

Please e-mail us if you wish to set up a workshop in your town. We are completely self-contained and can teach up 15 students (ages 13 - 19) in any school, church basement, community center, town hall, or backyard.