Cult movie icons Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero recently visited Amoeba Hollywood for an in-store signing of The Disaster Artist, the biopic about the making of their now infamous film, The Room. Before the event the two went looking for some of their favorite films. Wiseau gravitated toward movies featuring his favorite actors, while Sestero was inspired by his favorite LA-based flicks, like Drive, his "favorite, modern, LA noir film." Wiseau was also a fan, commenting, ""If they don't make Drive 2, I will make my own Drive." Fingers crossed that actually happens!

Actor/writer/director Tommy Wiseau and actor/author Greg Sestero are instantly recognizable as the forces behind the 2003 cult film The Room. The pair met in acting class in 1998, with Sestero originally agreeing to help with casting and other behind-the-scenes duties in the six-million-dollar film before eventually taking on the role of Mark, the best friend of Wiseau's character Tommy. The Room still screens regularly worldwide and has attracted an eager fandom that dresses like the film's characters and throws plastic cutlery and footballs at the screen at key points in the narration. The process of making the film is detailed in Sestero's 2013 memoir The Disaster Artist, the inspiration behind the Oscar-nominated film of the same name.

Don't miss the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema, which is taking place April 11-15 at Regal LA Live. This year's lineup features exciting, award-winning new work from Indian filmmakers around the world. Gala tickets and passes, as well as regular screening tickets, are now available at www.indianfilmfestival.org. Get a $2 discount on all regular screening tickets with promo code AMOEBA2018PP.

The festival will open with In The Shadows, starring Manoj Bajpayee in a tour de force performance as a reclusive shopkeeper who vows to rescue his young neighbor from abuse at the hands of his father. The film premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival and features an impressive Bollywood cast that also includes Ranvir Shorey, Neeraj Kabi, Shahana Goswami, and introduces Om Singh as the young boy. The film’s award-winning Los Angeles-based director Dipesh Jain – making his feature debut – will be in attendance along with star Manoj Bajpayee.

The festival closes with the Los Angeles premiere of Village Rockstars, one of the most lauded Indian films on the festival circuit in the past year. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and is directed by emerging Indian filmmaker Rima Das. The film -- written, shot, edited, and directed by Das -- is a touching coming of age story of a ten-year-old girl in a remote Assamese village who dreams of buying a guitar and starting her own rock band. Purchase your IFFLA Gala ticket for this event on Sunday, April 15. The screening is preceded the Awards Ceremony featuring a prestigious jury: Reza Aslan, Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour, and Sundance breakout Aneesh Chaganty.

The 2018 Indie Music Channel Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, April 22nd at Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood. Be sure and check this out as awards for Pop, Rock, Country, R&B, Classical, Folk, Instrumental, Alternative, Gospel, Jazz, Contemporary Christian, and more will be given out.

You can download the new Indie Music Channel App on Google Play or the Apple Store. For more info and to submit your music, click HERE.

The Leimert Park Village Book Fair returns to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 19th from 10am-6pm. This free summer literary event attracts over 200 authors, poets, spoken word artists, storytellers, performers, and literary/educational exhibitor participants. With five outdoor stages (fiction, children’s literature, poetry, and cooking and health), fabulous exhibits, film screenings, panel discussions, fun kids' activities, workshops, and more, this fair has it all!

Amoeba is delighted to sponsor the Leimert Park Village Book Fair. Please find our booth and say hi!

For more information on the event, visit their website HERE.

Ricardo Lemvo

Sidestepper

Buyepongo

Grand Performances presents high-quality music, dance, theater, and more at California Plaza in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. For 30 years, Grand Performances has delivered the best of global culture to inspire community among the diverse peoples of Los Angeles, and reflect the many cultural interests across the region.

This July brings a full line-up of top-notch shows. Visit us at the Amoeba booth and spin the prize wheel to score Amoeba swag and gift certificates! We will be attending the following events:

Saturday, July 15, 8pm:
Sway to silvery guitar riffs and deep polyrhythms by L'Orchestre Afrisa International with special guest Ricardo Lemvo. Embodying the Afro-Latin Diaspora, Lemvo blends his Afro-Cuban rhythms with pan-African styles (soukous, Angolan semba, and kizomba) to create an amazing package of music with L’Orchestre Afrisa International. Info.