Sunset 5 Theatre, Which Launched LGBT Hit Films, To Close

The Laemmle Sunset 5, a once-popular cinema in West Hollywood, Calif., which specialized in many films from New Queer directors such as Todd Haynes and Lisa Choldenko, and served as a venue for Outfest, will close December 1, reports Indiewire's Anne Thompson.

Though in the 1990s the venue had long-running hits with gay-directed films such as Gods and Monsters, The Usual Suspects, and Trick, the five-screen theater located at the heavily-trafficked corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards saw business decline during the past few years. Thompson writes that Sundance Cinemas will renovate the space and reopen in late spring 2012.

"The Laemmles understood the needs of the local audience and always programmed the theatre to serve the community," says Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing. "The Laemmles created a rich history in that site, one that will leave an indelible mark in Strand's history as well as in the memories of cinephiles and filmmakers who had their careers launched at the Sunset 5."