E37
My Vintage Movie Theater Owner - Judy Kim
Daniel sits with Gardena Cinema's Judy Kim, who is fighting to keep the last family-run, single-screen movie theater in LA operating with the help of local volunteers. Celebrating its 80th year in existence and 50 years in the Kim family, Gardena Cinema has become a labor of love, pivoting from first run films to cult classics and event screenings in 2023 to stay relevant, and finding an unlikely ally in Academy Award winning director Sean Baker, a personal friend of Judy's who encouraged her to start a nonprofit "Friends of Gardena Cinema" to help keep the lights on.
Judy opens up about what it actually takes to keep an independent theater alive, the volunteer community that shows up every week to make it happen, and the popcorn that Eater named Best Old-School Popcorn in LA.
In a city that tears everything down, Gardena Cinema is still standing. For now.
Jul 21, 2026 63m