Netflix reveals locations for 70mm screenings of ‘Roma,’ including in L.A.

Netflix has locked in the theaters for the large-format version of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” shot on 70mm film.

The special screenings will take place in Los Angeles at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Jan. 10-11. The special version will also be shown in San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, Hartford, Conn., and Austin, Texas. (Those dates are listed below.)

The black-and-white film — based on the Oscar-winning director’s childhood in Mexico City — is currently available on Netflix. The new, special screenings are in addition to the theatrical engagements the streaming giant launched last month, Netflix said Thursday. The large-format release had been long planned.

“We’re excited to make this cinematic experience possible as another part of the release of this special film,” Scott Stuber, head of Netflix’s film group, said in the statement. “With our theatrical engagements in over 700 theaters worldwide and release on Netflix, ‘Roma’ is now available to millions of people all over the world.”

Cuarón, who directed the film, also served as its cinematographer and editor, making him a front-runner this awards season. The movie has been generating buzz since it debuted at the Venice Film Festival and garnered the Golden Lion award for best picture.

“‘Roma’ is designed to be meaningful whether experienced at home or on the big screen, but offering cinema lovers the opportunity to see it in theaters is incredibly important to me,” Cuarón said in the same statement.

“The 70mm print of ‘Roma’ shows unique details not available on any other version. Being shot in 65mm, these prints bring live detail and contrast only possible using a big format film. It is for sure the most organic way to experience ‘Roma.’”

According to Netflix, a 70mm film is actually shot on a 65mm negative in camera, but exhibited on 70mm print. The higher-resolution format is twice the size of standard 35mm and has an inherently widescreen aspect ratio.

Cuarón shot “Roma” on the Alexa65 digital camera, mastering at 4K resolution. FotoKem, the only remaining 70mm print lab worldwide, handled the transfer from digital to film, as well as the production of 70mm film prints.

Below are the theaters and dates showing the 70mm version:

• Los Angeles: The Egyptian Theatre, Jan. 10-11
• San Francisco: The Castro, Jan. 2-5; Alamo Drafthouse, Jan. 12-14
• Chicago: The Music Box, Jan. 9-13
• New York: Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn, Jan.11-17
• Hartford, Conn. : Cinestudio, Jan. 23-26
• Austin, Texas: Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, Dec. 26-Jan. 1
• Toronto: Bell TIFF Lightbox, through Dec. 20

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