Director, Only in Theaters

This week, Ira spoke with Raphael Sbarge, director of Only in Theaters, a documentary about a family business and the future of cinema. In this screened episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Raphael talks about the fourth-generation Laemmle family (going back to the origins of Hollywood) and its challenges as an independent theater operator; why we have lost touch with what is the movie experience; how at some point the documentary tells you what it wants to be; the response of the Laemmle family to the film; and what he thinks is the future of cinema and the Laemmle family’s role in it.

After five successful decades working as an actor in front of the camera, Raphael began exploring life behind the camera, adding the titles of director and producer to his resume in 2011. As an award-winning conscious creator, producer and director, Raphael has focused many of his films around social justice, environmental justice, and underserved voices. 

Most recently, he completed his work on the four-part docuseries for KCET, called “10 Days in Watts,” set in Watts, California.  The series follows another legacy story of a third-generation family working to “improve the lives of the citizens of Watts” for over 57 years. Through the series, viewers will meet many of the long residents of Watts, as they prepare for the opening of a 2 ½ acre farm at the foot of one of the most notorious housing projects, Jordan Downs.