About this Event
Part of our SECRET MOVIE CLUB FILM FESTIVAL 2026 series
Friday, November 13, 2026-Sunday, November 15, 2026
LOCATION: The Palace Theatre, 630 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014
SPECIAL NOTE: Our Secret Movie Club Film Festival 2026 will run from Friday, November 13, 2026 through Sunday, November 15, 2026. You can purchase an All-Access pass or individual tickets to specific screenings. You BUILD your film festival. All events, including parties, will be held at the Palace Theatre, dtla.
We will have concessions, food options, and a full bar open all festival - pay as you go, so bring a card.
Please note, while all filmmakers are planning to be in attendance for post-screening Q&A's, it is always subject to their availability. The show must go on if they cannot attend.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2026 (OPENING NIGHT PREMIERE + PARTY)
PREMIERE! 730p DRINK COFFEE, TALK FAST (Directed by Meghna Balakumar & Kevin Konrad Hanna, produced by Ink On Paper Studios, documentary, USA 2026)
Followed by filmmaker Q&A
930p-11p OPENING NIGHT FILMMAKER & AUDIENCE PARTY, MEET & GREET
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2026
12p SHORTS BLOCK #1 (approx 90mns, various short films)
Followed by onstage filmmakers Q&A
230p SHORTS BLOCK #2 (approx 90mns, various short films)
Followed by onstage filmmakers Q&A
5p CELEBRITY CAREGIVER (dir by Frank Heygi, Parrot House Productions, documentary, USA)
Followed by filmmaker Q&A
8p OUT OF PRINT & SPECIAL "SECRET" SHORT SCREENING (dir by Julia Marchese, 135mns total combined run time, One Ski Production, documentary/short film, USA)
Followed by filmmaker Q&A and podcast recording with audience questions
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026
1230p SHORTS BLOCK #3 (approx 2hrs, various shorts film)
Followed by filmmakers Q&A and a special 1 hour presentation by Carlos Fernandez Puertolas, the head of Dreamworks Animation, titled 1 Artist. 1 Year. 1 Hour a Day.
330p AMERICAN COMIC (dir by Daniel J. Clark, wri by Joe Kwaczala, Feature, USA)
Follwed by filmmaker Q&A
6p CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS CEREMONY & PARTY
***
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2026
PREMIERE! 730p DRINK COFFEE, TALK FAST (Directed by Meghna Balakumar & Kevin Konrad Hanna, produced by Ink On Paper Studios, documentary, USA 2026)
Followed by filmmaker Q&A
Our opening night documentary is a premiere where filmmakers Meghna Balakumar & Kevin Konrad Hanna deliver the ultimate valentine to fans of the hit U.S. television show, Gilmore Girls
Filled with new interviews and behind-the-scenes insights from cast members including Kelly Bishop, Jared Padalecki, Keiko Agena, Sally Struthers, and Chad Michael Murray, Drink Coffee, Talk Fast reflects the series' signature rapid-fire, caffeine-fueled dialogue, exploring the multi-generational fandom, cultural history, and writing style of the show.
The Secret Movie Club Film Festival 2026 is devoted to looking at the narrative art form experience from all angles-audience, moviemaker, celebrity, creative. What better way to kick off the fest then an exploration of a long-form narrative show that captured the zeitgeist and created multi-generations of fans.
We'll follow the premiere with an onstage Q&A with the filmmakers and some special guests!
930p-11p OPENING NIGHT FILMMAKER & AUDIENCE PARTY, MEET & GREET
After our Drink Coffee, Talk Fast premiere & Q&A, we host an opening night filmmaker and audience meet & greet. All filmmakers (+1) screening at the fest are invited to attend.
If you're an audience member, you can get an Afterparty ticket a la carte but afterparty only tickets are currently limited to only 250 tickets. So grab them while you can.
And please remember, the bar, food, concessions are pay as you go, so your ticket gets you into the party, and you pay for drink + food.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2026
12p SHORTS BLOCK #1 (approx 90mns, various short films)
Each of our Shorts Blocks will run approx 90-120mns including a pre-screening intro and post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
This is a chance to see some of the most exciting new work from up and coming moviemakers. These are the people who will be the next generation of moviemakers telling compelling stories, filling cinemas, and writing the next chapter of the movies.
We view our 2026 edition as the affordability film festival. Therefore all Shorts Block tickets are just $5 for early bird (through 11/6), $8 for week of (through 11/12), and $10 for day of.
The confirmed line-up for SHORTS BLOCK #1 includes:
Rusteen Honardoost, Apartment D Kaiju Kid 8 minutes
Gary Conrad Grandma's Feather Bed 2:15
Matthew Oquendo FLOWERS Trailer (LA Metro Series) 1
????? Is Coming To Town Kasey 02:57
Alex Schulman & Max Levine When Jacob Jinkers Came to Town 12:25
Take Me to Your Merch Symone Baptiste 21
The Love Song Of Theodore Whitlock Phil Kronenberg 12 minutes
230p SHORTS BLOCK #2 (approx 90mns, various short films)
Each of our Shorts Blocks will run approx 90-120mns including a pre-screening intro and post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
This is a chance to see some of the most exciting new work from up and coming moviemakers. These are the people who will be the next generation of moviemakers telling compelling stories, filling cinemas, and writing the next chapter of the movies.
We view our 2026 edition as the affordability film festival. Therefore all Shorts Block tickets are just $5 for early bird (through 11/6), $8 for week of (through 11/12), and $10 for day of.
The confirmed line-up for SHORTS BLOCK #2 includes:
BROTHERS ON A BRIDGE Anabelle LeMieux & Nevo Shirazi 3 minutes
Devon Diffenderfer Love You Tyler 8:42
Harry Chaskin Steel Cut Oats 16:12
Mary Neely, FIdel Ruiz-Healy, Ther
American Standard FIlm Co. Stars Diner 11:03
Yibo Xu WALKIE 4:53
Jared Jacobsen Mike's Words 10:30
Amber Steigelfest NO WORRIES 14:25
Sof Puchley Pretty Boys 17:24
Big Time Maca & Christian Klein Bed By 9 00:03:27
5p CELEBRITY CAREGIVER (dir by Frank Heygi, Parrot House Productions, feature documentary, USA)
When family tragedy propels a local gas station owner into the world of international celebrity, can he hold onto the man he used to be? Is that man even worth preserving? This reality-bending documentary is what Awards Wire calls "a stunning meditation on the healing power of self promotion." Featuring appearances by Martha Stewart, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Rod Stewart, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Ice Tea and Coco, Evander Holyfield, Ashton Kutcher, Larry and David Ellison, Suzanne Summers, David Blaine, Marc Benioff, Kaitlin Jenner, Rick Caruso, and introducing…Dave Nassaney, the Celebrity Caregiver.
Filmmaker Frank Heygi pulls off a kind of documentary magic trick as he both scrutinizes and humanizes U.S. culture's almost manic need to achieve some kind of celebrity.
A true documentary for our strange times.
Followed by filmmaker Q&A
8p OUT OF PRINT & SPECIAL "SECRET" SHORT SCREENING (dir by Julia Marchese, 135mns total combined run time, One Ski Production, feature documentary/short film, USA)
Out of Print is a love letter to watching movies on film, in independent cinemas, with an audience. The documentary features Los Angeles’ iconic New Beverly Cinema and London’s legendary Prince Charles Cinema as stand-ins for the thousands of extraordinary movie houses around the globe that keep cinema's rich culture alive.
The film includes interviews with Kevin Smith, Edgar Wright, Rian Johnson, Stuart Gordon, Joe Dante, Tom Holland, Mark Romanek, John Landis, Lloyd Kaufman, Joe Carnahan, Fred Dekker, Richard Kelly, Seth Green, Patton Oswalt, and more—all reflecting on why movies, and the places we watch them, still matter.
We'll also be screening director Julia Marchese's short film adaptation of a very famous living U.S. author's short horror story. Maybe THE most famous living U.S. author.
Following these movie-drunk screenings, director Marchese we'll join us onstage for a dual recording of her very own Horror Movie Survival Guide podcast and our very own Secret Movie Club podcast.
Audience questions and participation encouraged and welcomed!
Followed by filmmaker Q&A and podcast recording with audience questions
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026
12p SHORTS BLOCK #3 (approx 2hrs, various shorts film)
Followed by filmmakers Q&A and a special 1 hour presentation by Carlos Fernandez Puertolas, the head of Dreamworks Animation, titled 1 Artist. 1 Year. 1 Hour a Day.
Each of our Shorts Blocks will run approx 90-120mns including a pre-screening intro and post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
This is a chance to see some of the most exciting new work from up and coming moviemakers. These are the people who will be the next generation of moviemakers telling compelling stories, filling cinemas, and writing the next chapter of the movies.
We view our 2026 edition as the affordability film festival. Therefore all Shorts Block tickets are just $5 for early bird (through 11/6), $8 for week of (through 11/12), and $10 for day of.
The confirmed line-up for SHORTS BLOCK #3 includes:
Sofia Azpe & Dara Insixiengmay A Dog's Tail 53s
Memory Palace Silver Gleaming Death Machine 10 min
Zachary Eglinton You're An Angel 8 minutes
Yes, Daddy GG Hawkins 4s
Blake Winston Rice Disc 13s
Alosha Robinson Public Park 16s
Dave Paige Deep Tish 13:28
Jason Gudasz Everitt Montaine 11min
Julia Aks & Steve Pinder Jane Austen’s Period Drama 13min
Carlos Fernandez Puertolas How Not to Die on an Alien Planet
And his 1 Artist. 1 Year. 1 Hour a Day, 45minute post film talk that explores how "I created my animated short film How Not to Die on an Alien Planet during my spare time. I'll share the creative process, the tools and shortcuts I used, and how embracing limitations helped me complete the film while working full-time at DreamWorks. More than a technical breakdown, it's about staying creative and finding time for personal projects.
330p AMERICAN COMIC (dir by Daniel J. Clark, wri by Joe Kwaczala, Feature, USA)
We close our Secret Movie Club Film Festival 2026 with an incredibly topical and insightful movie on the state of stand-up comedy.
American Comic is a verité-style mockumentary from Daniel J. Clark and Joe Kwaczala. It follows two up-and-coming stand-up comedians, who, despite their superficial “cultural” differences, share remarkable similarities when it comes to egotism, self-destruction, and social ineptitude. Joe Kwaczala plays both of them.
"Oh Jesus... I'm experiencing PTSD. Wow."
- Patton Oswalt
“I loved every frame. So funny, the story was able to pull off an accurate portrait of the state of comedy today- Joe is phenomenal. With all of my heart I urge you to watch, it's absolutely brilliant. There's no way you're not going to love it!“
- Kristen Schaal
"I’ve thought about American Comic every day since I first saw it. Hilarious and entertaining, it summed up the state of comedy in America so succinctly.”
- James Austin Johnson, Saturday Night Live
Follwed by filmmaker Q&A
6p CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS CEREMONY & PARTY
After our American Comic screening & Q&A, we host our Closing night awards ceremony & party. All filmmakers (+1) screening at the fest are invited to attend.
If you're an audience member, you can get an Awards/Afterparty ticket a la carte but awards/afterparty only tickets are currently limited to only 250 tickets. So grab them while you can.
And please remember, the bar, food, concessions are pay as you go, so your ticket gets you into the awards ceremony & party, and you pay for drink + food.
Event venue & nearby stays
Palace Theatre, 630 South Broadway, Los Angeles, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.