Vidiots Celebrates 40 Years: Comedy Show & Special Q&A Screenings This November!

Vidiots, a non-profit cinema organization based in Los Angeles, which also operates the historic Eagle Theatre and video rental service, is set to kick off its 40th anniversary celebrations in November. The festivities will start with film screenings from the year it was founded, 1985, alongside special guests and additional events, including a unique comedy night. The celebrations are planned to extend over the upcoming year.

The celebration begins with the 40th Birthday Bash and Benefit on November 13. This event, themed around the year 1985, will showcase music from Vidiots’ own DJs, host a silent auction, and feature a comedy tribute to Vidiots led by Paul Scheer at the Eagle in East L.A. The comedy show will also include appearances by Ike Barinholtz, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Emily V. Gordon, Ify Nwadiwe, Kumail Nanjiani, Tai Leclaire, and Timothy Simons. The night will wrap up with a lively dance party, with all proceeds going towards supporting Vidiots’ future initiatives.

The celebrations continue on the next day with two showings of the 1985 cult hit “Clue” by Jonathan Lynn, featuring appearances by cast members Colleen Camp and Michael McKean. The following week, on November 21, director Michael Schultz and cinematographer Ernest Dickerson will attend screenings of their 1985 works, the musical dramedy “Krush Groove” and the musical martial arts film “The Last Dragon.”

Other iconic films from 1985 that will be shown throughout the month include “Lifeforce,” “Tampopo,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Thief,” “Ran,” “Return to Oz,” “To Live and Die in L.A.,” “Explorers,” “Police Story,” “Fast Forward,” “Back to the Future,” and “Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird.”

Beyond the birthday events, Vidiots will also maintain a diverse program of screenings and activities throughout November. These include a Día de los Muertos celebration on November 2, with arts, crafts, and Spanish language screenings of “Coco” and “Macario”; an “Amadeus” screening paired with a masquerade ball on November 12; and a series remembering Diane Keaton with films like “Baby Boom,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “The Godfather,” and “The Godfather: Part II” featured throughout the month.