Ojai Playhouse January Newsletter

This month, Ojai Playhouse celebrates bold, visionary filmmaking with a lineup spanning contemporary auteurs and cinematic icons. Highlights include this weekend’s David Lynch Celebration (now–January 20), honoring the legendary filmmaker’s life and influence through landmark screenings, immersive moments, and live programming, as well as an upcoming Safdie Day (January 31), featuring a full day of films from the Safdie brothers.

For the full schedule of screenings and events, visit www.ojaiplayhouse.com.

Featured Events:

Friday, January 16

Saturday, January 17

Desert Films LIVE with

James Franco

$50 | Show Times: 7:30PM

Directed by: James Franco and Peter Gold

Starring: James Franco and Blaine Kern III

Produced by: James Franco & Ashton Ramsey

Actor, director and writer James Franco presents a bold new work-in-progress: a surreal stage trip through fame, fantasy, and the myth of Robert Blake.

��️ Tickets

Friday, January 16

Blue Velvet

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 9:15PM | R

Director: David Lynch

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Running Time: 2hr

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

��️ Tickets

Saturday, January 17

Lost Highway

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 9:15PM | R

Director: David Lynch

Starring: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette

Running Time: 2hr 14min

Anonymous videotapes presage a musician's murder conviction, and a gangster's girlfriend leads a mechanic astray.

��️ Tickets

Sunday, January 18

The Elephant Man

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 6:30PM | PG

Director: David Lynch

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud

Running Time: 2hr 4min

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.

��️ Tickets

Monday, January 19

Mulholland Drive

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 7:00PM | R

Director: David Lynch

Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux

Running Time: 1hr 58min

After a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.

��️ Tickets

Tuesday, January 20

David Lynch: The Art Life

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 7:00PM | NR

Director: Rick Barnes, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Jon Nguyen

Starring: David Lynch

Running Time: 1hr 28min

Celebrating David Lynch.

Artist and filmmaker David Lynch discusses his early life and the events that shaped his outlook on art and the creative process.

Come early for prelude of David Lynch short videos + David Lynch coffee starting at 6pm.

��️ Tickets

Recent News and Fun Facts:

New Year's Festivities

On New Year’s Day, Ojai Playhouse hosted Este Haim’s post-wedding private movie marathon, curated by Paul Thomas Anderson. Drawing from his personal collection, Anderson programmed a lineup that included Repo Man, Casablanca, Barry Lyndon, Casino, The Birdcage, and Father of the Bride—all presented on 35mm.

Upcoming Comedy Events:

Thursday, February 5

Neil Hamburger & Friends

$20 | Show Time: 7:30PM

��️ Tickets

Upcoming Music Events:

Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore

Saturday, February 21, 2026

8:00PM | $45

Tragic Magic brings together Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, two of contemporary ambient, experimental and electronic music’s most celebrated composers, for a unique collaboration at the Philharmonie de Paris, with extraordinary access to the Musée de la Musique’s instrument collection, in partnership with the French label InFiné.

The album features seven immersive, evocative compositions guided by the human spirit – intimate, grounded in friendship, both earthly and cosmic – and part of a greater continuum, reflecting the solace and transformative power of artistry across generations.

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Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Thursday, February 26, 2026

7:30PM | $55

Ladysmith Black Mambazo sings a traditional music style which developed in the mines of South Africa.

During the dark years of South African Apartheid, the group followed a path of peaceful protest through songs of hope and love.

In the mid-1980s, American singer/songwriter Paul Simon famously visited South Africa and incorporated the group's rich harmonies into his renowned Graceland album, the beginning of a global musical career that shows no sign of ending.

��️ Tickets

Safdie Day - Saturday, January 31:

Heaven Knows What

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 11:00AM

Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Starring: Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, Buddy Duress

Rated: R

Running Time: 1hr 37min

A heroin addict living on the streets of New York City, a young woman tries but fails to break free from her addiction and her abusive boyfriend. Between chemical highs and violent outbursts, she searches for beauty in unexpected places.

��️ Tickets

The Smashing Machine

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 1:00PM

Director: Benny Safdie

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Kenny Rice, Ryan Baderl

Rated: R

Running Time: 2hr 3min

The story of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion, Mark Kerr.

��️ Tickets

Uncut Gems

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 3:30PM

Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel

Rated: R

Running Time: 2hr 15min

With his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.

��️ Tickets

Marty Supreme

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 6:30PM

Director: Josh Safdie

Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler the Creator

Rated: R

Running Time: 2hr 29min

Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.

��️ Tickets

Good Time

FREE SCREENING | Show Time: 9:15PM

Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Starring: Robert Pattison, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Rated: R

Running Time: 1hr 42min

After a botched robbery lands his brother in jail, a small-time criminal traverses the depraved underbelly of New York City in search of bail money.

��️ Tickets

Bio

ABOUT THE OJAI PLAYHOUSE

Nestled in the heart of Ojai, California—a renowned destination for arts, entertainment, and nature lovers—the Ojai Playhouse is a historic treasure that has stood since 1914 as one of the state’s earliest single-screen cinemas. After a decade-long closure, this cherished landmark was restored and reopened in November 2024, blending state-of-the-art amenities with its enduring charm. The revitalized 200-seat venue now features cutting-edge audio and visual technology, live performance capabilities, and carefully preserved architectural details that honor its century-long legacy. Offering a curated mix of first-run arthouse films, timeless classics, live events, and community gatherings, the Ojai Playhouse serves as a vibrant hub for film, arts, and connection—proudly celebrating Ojai’s rich artistic spirit and cultural heritage for locals and visitors alike.

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For more information on the Ojai Playhouse, contact

Shore Fire Media at ojaiplayhousepr@shorefire.com.