Los Angeles Plays Itself

A rare chance to see Thom Andersen’s landmark essay film, an extraordinary exploration of how cinema has represented and misrepresented its own hometown.

Drawing on more than 200 film clips, Andersen unpicks the myths Hollywood has created around Los Angeles, revealing the histories and communities they have obscured. Monumental yet endlessly engrossing, Los Angeles Plays Itself is a dazzling portrait of a city built on storytelling and one of cinema’s great works of film criticism.

“A manifesto as well as a monument… an essay in film form with near-universal interest and a remarkable degree of synthesis.” — J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Content Guidance: Contains scenes of violence, nudity, sexual content and drug use, and strong language.