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# For information, call (310) 452-1116. Movie buffs pony up to chat with director
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/for-information-call-310-452-1116-movie-buffs-pony-up-to-chat-with-director/
- Published: 2005-06-30T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:20:55.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Pier, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

A local theater is giving movie buffs a chance to meet a famed Hollywood producer and director.

The Santa Monica Conservancy brings director-actor-producer Sydney Pollack to Santa Monica’s recently refurbished historic Aero Theater to discuss the filming of “They Shoot Horses Don’t They?” This period piece, directed by Pollack, was filmed in Santa Monica and will be discussed in an interactive question and answer format moderated by Joe Morgenstern, film critic for The Wall Street Journal and KCRW radio.

Pollack directed the movie in 1969, creating a replica of a marathon dance ballroom on the Santa Monica Pier. Santa Monica’s role is spotlighted in the craze known as “Dance Marathons,” a phenomenon at its peak during the Great Depression, officials say.

Pollack received a nomination for best director for the film. Gig Young won the Academy Award for best supporting actor, and Jane Fonda was nominated for best actress in a leading role.

Pollack has received two Academy Awards for Best Director for “Out of Africa” and as its producer for Best Picture. He has directed 19 films which have been nominated for a total of 46 Academy Awards. Among his many other awards are two Golden Globes for Best Director and the Directors Guild of America John Huston Award, conferred by the Artists Rights Foundation. He is a founding member of The Sundance Institute; chairman emeritus of the American Cinematheque, and is on the board for the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Morgenstern, who lives in Santa Monica, is the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic of The Wall Street Journal. He also reviews films for KCRW, and is co-founder of the National Society of Film Critics.

Pollack will introduce the movie at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13 followed by an audience and director talk.

Tickets will be sold by the Conservancy, not American Cinematheque. Prices are as follows: conservancy members pay $25, non-members $30, and those wishing to join the conservancy and attend the event pay $40\. Prices include refreshments.

Checks for advance sales should be made payable to SMC and mailed with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to P.O. Box 653, Santa Monica, CA., 90406, or can be paid online with Paypal at the Conservancy’s Web site, www.smconservancy.org. Advance tickets must be paid by July 10 and will be sent by mail. Tickets sold on the day of the event are $40 for all. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information, call (310) 458-0633.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 30, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/063005.pdf?ref=smdp.com)