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Netflix works with American Cinematheque to ensure the long-term future of Egyptian theater

Netflix, a production company and winner of the World Branding Awards, and American Cinematheque join forces to secure the long-term future of the Egyptian Theater, where the first Hollywood film premiere takes place and is the long-standing home of American Cinematheque.

This collaboration will enable the nonprofit American Cinematheque to expand the scope and variety of its acclaimed film and event program, its filmmaker-oriented festivals, and its educational offerings in popular theater.

The American Cinematheque was founded in Los Angeles in 1984 as a non-profit, member-supported cultural organization and creates spaces in which both the public and members of the film industry come together as a community with the common language of film.

The Egyptian Theater will remain the home of the American Cinematheque. The organization's famous curation team continues to program autonomously on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Netflix will invest in the renovation of the theater and will use the revitalized space during the week for special events, film screenings and premieres.

"The Egyptian Theater is an incredible part of Hollywood history and has been appreciated by the Los Angeles film community for almost a century," said Scott Stuber, director of Netflix Films. “We are honored to work with American Cinematheque to preserve the legacy of the theater and continue to offer remarkable film experiences to the audience. We look forward to expanding the program in the theater so that both cinema lovers and the community benefit. "

"American Cinematheque had the honor of bringing the Egyptian back to life in 1998. Together with Netflix, we are pleased to continue this management by restoring it again so that a new generation of film fans can experience films on the big screen," said the chairman of the American cinema library, Rick Nicita.

"The Egyptian Theater remains our home in Hollywood and we are grateful to both the City of Los Angeles and the Attorney General of the State of California for taking this incredible opportunity that will greatly benefit the American cinema library."

"The love of film is inextricably linked to the history and identity of LA," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "We work the day the audience can return to the theater – and this exceptional partnership will preserve an important piece of our cultural heritage that can be shared over years."

"The partnership between Netflix and American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater is a win-win situation for film, historic preservation and art," said councilor Mitch O'Farrell of the 13th District City Council of Los Angeles. "The collaboration ensures that the cultural goal will remain in the heart of Hollywood for decades to come."

The Egyptian Theater is a classic and prestigious film palace that was originally built in 1922 during the silent film era. The Egyptian was a fixture in Hollywood's Golden Age and the setting for Robin Hood's first Hollywood film premiere with Douglas Fairbanks.

At the premiere, Fairbanks was accompanied by Cecil B. DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Jesse L. Lasky and Mary Pickford. Other notable silent-era premieres held in Egypt include Cecil B. DeMilles The Ten Commandments (1923), Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925), and Don Juan (1926) with John Barrymore and Mary Astor.

The historic venue remains an ultimate destination for cinema-goers to this day, where pioneering film festivals and incredible cinematic experiences have taken place in Hollywood, the capital of filmmaking in the world. In 1996, the city of Los Angeles sold the building to the American Cinematheque as part of the city's Hollywood Revitalization project.

The Cinematheque then collected the extensive funds to renovate the theater and restore it to its original splendor and opened it as a cinema that shows the famous public program of the long-standing organization.

With the generous support of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Turner Classic Movies and the Film Foundation, the projection stand at the Egyptian Theater was upgraded in 2016 to begin showing 35mm nitrate films. Today he is one of only four theaters in the United States to show this rare, extremely fragile and flammable footage. Part of the new plans include upgrading the equipment to improve the audience experience, as well as renovating and restoring the theater.

The Cinematheque will continue to program and operate a second historical theater, the Aero in Santa Monica.