Sixty years after the 1965 uprising, the neighborhood America wrote off picked up cameras. Twenty residents of Watts, rival gang members, police officers, students, parents, and victims of violence, filmed their own lives across three years and 200 hours of footage, each owning their material outright. The hard part came in the editing room, where people with every reason to distrust each other had to agree, unanimously, on how their community would be seen. They screened the finished film for the leadership of Watts’ four largest gangs. A peace agreement followed. In the twelve months after, homicides fell 90 percent.Â
 Variety’s highly anticipated Screening Series returns for the 2026–2027 awards season, bringing audiences closer to the year’s most talked-about films and the talent behind them. Each screening offers an exclusive opportunity to experience awards contenders on the big screen, followed by candid, in-depth Q&As with the filmmakers and cast.
For more than 18 years, the Variety Screening Series has been a must-attend destination for awards season, connecting Guild Members and Academy voters with the creative voices shaping the year in film through conversations led by Variety’s acclaimed Film and Awards Season teams.
The season is just getting started. Stay tuned for more film announcements in the coming weeks. Screenings are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are exclusively reserved for Guild Members and Academy voters.