When the best of last year’s films and performances are recognized at the 98th Academy Awards, the energy will carry on at a party on Fourth Street, as the Art Theatre of Long Beach celebrates its annual Red Carpet Awards Fundraiser and Gala.
Complete with a red carpet, food, drinks and Oscar statuettes galore, March 15 will mark the theater’s most glamorous night of the year. It’s also their most important evening of fundraising, said Kerstin Kansteiner, vice president of The Art Theatre.
“We kind of go all in for the event … It really celebrates our industry,” Kansteiner said. “We’re a small single-screen theater and it’s so important to go to a brick and mortar and not just see it [movies] at home.”
Long Beach’s sole independent theater is widely known for its eclectic and adventurous programming, highlighting indie films, documentaries, cult classics and overlooked auteur projects for all audiences and ages. In order to keep this spirit alive, the theater relies heavily on donations and memberships.
Despite the persistent need for donations, the Art team decided to lower ticket prices to $50 this year. While last year’s ticket proceeds went towards purchasing a new 4K projector, Kansteiner said this projector is now mostly paid for (and already installed), allowing them to keep tickets affordable for their party of the year.
“We’re a neighborhood theater, we really wanted to make sure that we’re not hurting the very same people that we’re counting on as regular moviegoers,” she added.
Letterboxd aficionados and cinephile geeks alike will be able to watch the 98th Academy Awards live on the theater’s new 4K projector, while enjoying a pop-up pizza bar and charcuterie cups from local business Miller Butler, plus wine, beer, award ballots, prizes, a photobooth and a silent auction. The crowd is typically as diverse as it is passionate, with people of all ages and interests yelling and cheering in reaction to seeing their favorite films of the year honored on the big stage.
Younger cinephiles have contributed their fair share to the theater’s recent resurgence, Kansteiner explained, with their recent board member additions skewing on the younger side and programming picks catering to students and families as well as seniors.
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A silent auction is the other part of the party that benefits the non-profit theater, and prizes include gift cards to local businesses, professional sports experiences, airplane tickets, hotel rooms, workout classes and more. The silent auction is open to everyone online, regardless if they’re attending the gala. Bidding ends on March 15 at 7 p.m.
Prizes will also go to random attendees throughout the night for best-dressed, best film-themed costume and those who guess the correct Oscar winners. Those who don’t walk away with a prize will at least be able to take home photo booth strips and memories of an evening worthy of the spotlight.
The Art Theatre’s annual Red Carpet Awards Fundraiser Gala is on March 15 at 2025 E. Fourth St. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the ceremony begins streaming at 4 p.m. and ends around 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for general admission and $40 for theater members and can be purchased on the theater’s website. Tickets come with a $10 Uber voucher for $5 each way.
