About Town

Art House Theaters Fight On While some small independent movie houses have closed indefinitely, others persevere with a mix of drive-ins, virtual screenings and concession sales as they apply for federal COVID-19 relief By Justina Bonilla The COVID-19 relief package passed in December is expected to distribute $15 billion for artistic venues, which includes independent movie theaters. If you are going to close all these businesses, why not create a liaison, or an arbitration system for dealing with rent, for dealing with taxes, just so small business can make plans?" THE FRIDA CINEMA Orange County's only nonprofit art house cinema is presenting films at pop-up drive-ins in various O.C. locations and streaming through its website (.thefridacinema.org). Native Americans in Stand-Up: A New History Author Kliph Nesteroff discusses his book about visibility in the comedy world, efforts in the silent era to fight stereotypes and the two upcoming sitcoms that are part of a new wave of representation By Ciantel Tattoli Laughter is so important to our communities, but you would never know from the way we've been portrayed," says Seminole Nation filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, one of the voices in comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff's new book, We Had a little Real Estate Problem (Simon & Schuster, $27), titled after a reliable punchline by late Oneida Nation comic Charlie Hill about the loss of homelands. When Hill got to L.A. in the 70s, Indigenous activism - which could be macho, being inspired by the Black Panthers - had been in the news for a handful of years, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee [Dee Brown's history of Native Americans and their treatment by the U.S. government] had been published, and there was more public sympathy.