Summer in the City: Los Angeles, Block by Block

“We might wonder if the movies have ever really depicted Los Angeles,” muses the voiceover in Los Angeles Plays Itself, filmmaker Thom Andersen’s epic 2003 essay film that weaves hundreds of clips from cinema history into a rich tapestry that showcases the city as a character and as a subject. From Beverly Hills to Watts, filmmakers have been drawn to the region for its alluring light, its year-round mild weather, and the intoxicating gravity of the movie industry—though some were born here, of course, and drew stories from their own backyards. Through cinema, the demolished domiciles of Bunker Hill are erected once again, Valley teens flock to the brand-new Sherman Oaks Galleria, and Central Avenue is bustling with late-night juke joints.

This summer, we’re celebrating dozens of neighborhoods around the Southland through a diverse array of films that highlight the “real” people in the City of Angels for a series that creates an idiosyncratic road map of LA location films.