CITY
STYLE
FILM: The only nonprofi t art house theater in Orange County is succeeding in the streaming age by hosting events that bring people together.
A NEW WAY TO SEE THE BIG SCREEN
WORDS AND PHOTOS
ISA BULNES-SHAW
F
or 12 hours every Octo-
ber, The Frida Cinema
in Downtown Santa Ana
plays host to an overnight
horror movie marathon. Far from
just screening a few Halloween
fl icks, though, Camp Frida trans-
forms the only art house theater
in Orange County into a spooky
set, with a caution-taped forest of
trees and a fog-fi lled lobby. The
Frida’s volunteers dress as zom-
bies, serve brain-shaped cupcakes
and burst out from curtains to give
people a scare.
Immersive events like Camp
Frida are setting the theater apart
from traditional movie houses,
which have been slow to adapt to
moviegoer’s needs in the age of
streaming and Red Box. Opened
by a local cinephile in 2014, The
Frida is changing how the art of
cinema is presented to audiences
8
by focusing on daily screenings
that bring people together.
“I’m very much a believer of
the show; the movie starts when
you walk into the theater, [but]
the show starts when you walk
into the lobby,” says Bryan Terry,
volunteer coordinator for The
Frida. “[Film] is an art form that’s
permeated society like nothing
before. You may not be into art,
but I guarantee you have a favorite
movie. We play a lot of retrospec-
tives, and things you’d be hard
pressed to fi nd on the big screen.”
The Frida Cinema is a hands-
on museum of cinema that
honors the past and embraces
the present, capable of chang-
ing how you view fi lm entirely or
simply providing a community to
watch with. No one can predict
what festival or tribute will come
up next. From midnight cult
classics like The Room to anime
el Don Santa Ana College · December 2018
like Cowboy Bebop, the program-
ming refl ects the diverse tastes of
Southern Californians of all ages.
But being a community resource
is about more than just the movies
themselves. Sometimes, it means
taking a political stand. During
the 2017 Women’s March, The
Frida hosted seminars educating
immigrants about their rights. For
OC Pride, The Frida showed free
LGBTQ+ fi lms. As a fundraiser for
the annual Dia de Los Muertos
festival, Frida was screened while
the lobby displayed local chil-
dren’s altars.
“The Frida is a home for every-
one,” Terry says. “We’re a safe
space here to bring people up
through the art of cinema and
through the art of connecting
people. That’s something we lose
track of these days. I’m very happy
and proud that we continue to
strive to be that.”
3 Immersive Movie
Screenings to Watch
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
High-energy monthly
screenings feature
shadow casts and
props, from toilet paper
to toast thrown on cue.
THE ROOM
Celebrate the indie fi lm
that’s “so bad it’s good”
with costume contests
and odd props at this
monthly screening.
CAMP FRIDA
“Campers” are put in
their own horror movie
with games, goodies
and 12 hours of surprise
fi lms at this annual
event. Bring snacks and
a sleeping bag!