As part of Theater Thursdays: International Cinémathèque, we continue our screenings with a film that explores identity, exile, and the struggle to remain true to oneself amid political upheaval and social change. Told with humor, honesty, and striking visual simplicity, this story reflects on growing up between cultures and carrying one's history across borders.

Persepolis follows a young girl coming of age during and after the Iranian Revolution as she navigates family, rebellion, war, and self discovery. Through its distinctive black and white animation, the film offers an intimate perspective on life under authoritarianism while celebrating resilience, individuality, and the enduring power of memory.

Join us for a discussion following this poignant and beautifully crafted cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Theater Thursdays: International Cinémathèque

Persepolis [PG-13]

Thursday, July 9th, 2026

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

As part of Theater Thursdays: Westerns Double Feature, we conclude our June screenings with a film that explores justice, vengeance, and the enduring mythology of the American West. Positioned between history and legend, this story examines how violence becomes inseparable from identity on the frontier.

Tombstone dramatizes the escalating conflict between lawmen and outlaws in a town defined by ambition, corruption, and survival. Through its iconic performances and larger than life characters, the film reflects on friendship, masculinity, and the cost of living by personal codes in a lawless world.

Join us for a discussion following this iconic and fiercely entertaining cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Tombstone [R]
Thursday, June 25th, 2026
5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

As part of Theater Thursdays: Westerns Double Feature, we continue our June screenings with a film that explores outlaw mythology, loyalty, and the blurred line between legend and history. Set in the fading days of the Old West, this story reflects on how rebellion becomes romanticized long after the violence has passed.

Young Guns II follows Billy the Kid and his surviving companions as they evade capture while confronting betrayal, mortality, and the stories told about them. Blending action with reflection, the film examines how the western hero is constructed through memory, exaggeration, and cultural mythmaking.
Join us for a discussion following this energetic and revisionist cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Young Guns II [PG-13]
Thursday, June 25th, 2026
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

The Tiny Shelf Concerts are back.

Live music is returning to the Studio inside Downey City Library with a series that transforms the library into an intimate concert venue featuring stripped-down performances filmed live in the library.

Join us for our second Tiny Shelf Concert featuring Micah Giovanni with an intimate acoustic set with dark romantic textures, vulnerable songwriting, and a one-night-only atmosphere.

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Doors 4:30 PM. Show 5:00 PM.

The Studio at Downey City Library

Free admission. All ages welcome.

Limited capacity. Early arrival strongly recommended.

Come experience the library in a completely different way.

As part of Theater Thursdays: Double Feature, we continue our May screenings with a film that turns to satire to examine cycles of conflict, ideology, and human contradiction. Mixing political satire, family drama, and propulsive action, it follows a former radical pulled back into conflict when his past resurfaces.

One Battle After Another follows a former radical pulled back into conflict when his past resurfaces. When Pat’s hidden past is exposed, he and his daughter are forced into a desperate flight across California, with set-pieces that blend absurd humor and paranoid political intrigue.

Join us for a discussion following this sharp and thought provoking cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Theater Thursdays: Double Feature

One Battle After Another [R]

As part of Theater Thursdays: Double Feature, we continue our May screenings with a film that uses satire to confront power, paranoia, and the absurd logic of war. Rather than offering straightforward drama, this story exposes the fragility of political systems through humor that is as unsettling as it is incisive.

Dr. Strangelove follows a chain reaction of decisions that escalate toward nuclear disaster, revealing how ideology, ego, and miscommunication can override reason. With sharp wit and unsettling humor, the film dissects the machinery of war, asking how rational systems can produce irrational outcomes.

Join us for a discussion following this darkly comedic and enduringly relevant cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Theater Thursdays: Double Feature

Dr. Strangelove [PG]

🎓📸 For the grads, the milestones, and the memories to last a lifetime 🏫✨

The Downey City Library Studio is celebrating the Class of 2026 with a free drop-in graduation photo shoot for grads of all ages, whether you're crossing the stage or stepping up from Pre-K, come capture the moment with friends, family, or a solo shot that's all yours.

📱 Bonus! Photos can be airdropped directly to your cell phone so you can share and save your favorite graduation memories instantly 📸✨

🗓️ Wednesday, May 27th

📸 Open Studio Hours

⏰ 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

🎟️ Free | No registration required

🏁 Walk-in friendly

⭐ All ages welcome

📱 For more info contact (562) 904-7360

As part of Theater Thursdays: International Cinémathèque, we continue our screenings with a film that explores chance, consequence, and the invisible threads that connect lives across a vast and unequal city. Set against the intensity of urban life, this story reflects on how love, loss, and survival intersect in moments that alter everything.

Amores Perros weaves together three narratives linked by a single car crash, tracing the emotional and moral fallout that follows. Through its raw and unflinching lens, the film examines loyalty, violence, and desire, revealing how human connection persists even in the midst of fracture and desperation.

Join us for a discussion following this powerful and uncompromising cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Theater Thursdays: International Cinémathèque

Amores Perros [R]

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

💕📸 For the moms, the moments, and the memories 💐✨The Downey City Library is offering a Mother’s Day drop-in photo shoot celebrating the everyday magic of motherhood, love, connection, and all the little moments in between.

💝Make it extra heartfelt! After your photo shoot, stop by the Children’s area to make a lovely spring flower keepsake.🌷Craft time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm ✂️While supplies last✂️ Click for more info➡️ CRAFT

📱 Bonus! Photos can be airdropped directly to your cell phone so you can share and save your favorite shots instantly 📸✨

🗓️ Friday, May 8th 

📸 Open Studio Hours ⏰ 10:30 am – 4:30 pm

🎟️ Free | No registration required

🏁 Walk-in friendly

⭐ All ages welcome

❤️ Caregiver supervision required

🗓️ Visit our calendar for more information:

✅ Downeylibrary.org/calendar 

📱 For more info contact (562) 904-7360

Featured Film 🎥 Begonia [PG-13] imagines a world shaped by ecological imbalance and alien observation, where the boundaries between nature and the unfamiliar begin to dissolve. Moving between science fiction and quiet reflection, the film invites us to reconsider what it means to belong to a planet in crisis, and whether change comes from within or beyond.

📅 Thursday, April 30th, 2026

⏰ 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

📘 In the Cormack Room

📋 FREE—No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.

🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Featured Film 🎥 Okja [PG-13] follows a young girl and her bond with a genetically engineered animal, set against the forces of a powerful multinational corporation. Blending satire, adventure, and emotional intimacy, the film exposes the contradictions of environmentalism within global capitalism, asking what it means to protect life in a world driven by profit.

📅 Thursday, April 30th, 2026

⏰ 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

📘 In the Cormack Room

📋 FREE—No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.

🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Join us for our next Vinyl Swap & Listening Session on Saturday, April 11, 12–4 PM at the Downey City Library. This is a free community event where people can buy, sell, trade records, and hang out listening to music together.

Free

All Ages

No Registration

We’re curating the vibe for our next Vinyl Swap & Listening Session and looking for artists with crafts or zines, gardeners with plants or flowers, collectors with toys or comics, and food vendors with popsicles, churros, baked goods, or other treats.

Reach out for limited spots. Email studio@downeyca.org for details.

As part of Theater Thursdays: International Cinémathèque, we continue our screenings with a film that explores language, memory, and the fragile ties that bind communities across time. Set against the backdrop of cultural disappearance, this story reflects on what is lost when a language fades, and what can be recovered through connection, reconciliation, and care.

I Dream in Another Language follows a young linguist who travels to a remote region of Mexico to document a nearly extinct Indigenous language. There, he encounters the last two living speakers, whose decades long silence with one another holds the key to the language’s survival. Blending realism with myth, the film reveals how language carries not only words, but memory, identity, and unresolved histories.

Join us for a discussion following this poetic and deeply moving cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

Theater Thursdays: International Cinémathèque

I Dream in Another Language (Sueño en otro idioma) [NR]

Thursday, April 9, 2026

5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Featured Film 🎥 Before Midnight [R] picks up nine years after the events in Paris, finding Jesse and Celine in Greece as they navigate the complexities of long-term commitment. In a series of deeply personal and raw conversations, the film strips away the romantic idealism of youth to explore the grit, humor, and compromise required to sustain a life together. It is a masterful, unflinching look at love’s endurance and the reality of "happily ever after."

📅 Thursday, March 26, 2026

⏰ 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

📘 In the Cormack Room

📋 FREE—No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.

🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Featured Film 🎥 Shrek [PG] is a fractured fairy tale that flips the script on classic legends with irreverent humor and heart. When a grumpy but lovable ogre finds his swamp overrun by fairytale misfits, he embarks on a quest to rescue a princess and reclaim his peace. Accompanied by a fast-talking Donkey, this journey is packed with pop-culture wit, stunning animation, and a reminder that true beauty is found within.

📅 Thursday, March 26, 2026

⏰ 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

📘 In the Cormack Room

📋 FREE—No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.

🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Enjoy an opportunity to explore and appreciate cinema from different cultures and regions around the world at our monthly International film screening! This month, join us to watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire [R] by Céline Sciamma

Admission is free, and no sign-ups are required.

Theater Thursdays: Double Feature

Featured Film 🎥 Before Sunset [R] unfolds in real time as two former lovers reconnect in Paris nine years after a brief, life-changing encounter. Told almost entirely through conversation, the film captures the quiet intensity of unfinished stories, second chances, and the fragile space between memory and possibility. It is an intimate, thoughtful exploration of time, love, and the choices that shape our lives.

📅 Thursday, February 26, 2026

⏰ 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

📘 In the Cormack Room      📋 FREE—No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.

🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Theater Thursdays: Double Feature

Featured Film 🎥 The Princess Bride [PG] is a timeless fairy tale adventure that blends romance, comedy, and swashbuckling action. Framed as a story lovingly read aloud, the film follows Westley and Buttercup through improbable rescues, clever sword fights, unforgettable characters, and endlessly quotable moments. It’s a witty, heartfelt celebration of true love, friendship, and the joy of storytelling itself.

📅 Thursday, February 26, 2026

⏰ 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

📘 In the Cormack Room      📋 FREE—No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.

🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

In recognition of Black History Month, we present our first documentary screening as part of Theater Thursdays. Throughout February, we turn our focus to documentary cinema, opening with a film that confronts history, identity, and the unfinished work of racial justice in America.

I Am Not Your Negro draws from the unfinished writings of James Baldwin to examine race in America through memory, resistance, and moral clarity. Rather than offering a conventional biography, the film weaves Baldwin’s words with images of past and present, revealing how unresolved histories continue to shape the world we live in.

Join us for a discussion following this deeply moving cinematic experience. Admission is free, and no sign ups are required.

I Am Not Your Negro [PG-13]

Thursday, February 12th, 2026

5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

💕📸 Love is in the frame💘Celebrate Valentine’s season at the Downey City Library with a cozy drop-in photoshoot made for capturing sweet moments. Step into the Studio, strike a pose, and snap a photo to cherish solo, with friends, family, or your sweetheart 💖✨

📚 Make it extra heartfelt! After your photoshoot, stop by the Workshop to create a paper book-style frame for your photo. Craft it yourself and take home a one-of-a-kind Valentine keepsake 💌 ✂️While supplies last✂️

🗓️ Wednesday, February 11th
📸 Visit the studio ⏰ 11:30am - 5:30pm 
🧰 Visit the workshop ⏰ 11:30am - 2:30pm  
🎟️ Free 📋No registration required 
✅ Walk-in friendly
⭐ All ages welcome
🔍 Caregiver supervision required

Theater Thursdays: Double Feature
Featured Film 🎥 Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise [R] eunfolds over a single night in Vienna, where two strangers talk, wander, and imagine who they might become. The film captures intimacy in real time, finding romance not in grand gestures, but in conversation, curiosity, and the fleeting nature of connection.

📅 Thursday, January 29, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

📘 In the Cormack room 📋 FREE-No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.
🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Theater Thursdays: Double Feature
Featured Film 🎥 (500) Days of Summer [PG-13] examines the distance between expectation and reality. Told through a fractured timeline, the film follows a relationship remembered rather than lived, shaped by nostalgia, fantasy, and disappointment. It is a sharp, self aware look at how love can be misread, idealized, and reconstructed in hindsight.
📅 Thursday, January 29, 2026
⏰ 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

📘 In the Cormack room 📋 FREE-No registration required

🎬 Love movies? ✨ Take the experience home! Explore our DVD & Blu-ray collection 📀 or stream standout titles anytime on Kanopy, free with your Downey City Library card 📚.
🎥🍿 From the screen to your sofa, great films are always within reach!

Excited to announce the next Little Vinyl Library Listening Session!

☕️Helping Hands Coffee is back — first 10 guests get a free drink, so roll in early and hang with us late.

We’re bringing back the Vinyl Listening Session & DJ Workshop with DJ Buffpants. Get hands-on with mixing, catch a live vinyl set, and dig into fresh finds at the Community Record Exchange, stocked with a brand-new batch of records.

The Little Vinyl Library is also getting a refresh. Borrow, donate, or just post up and enjoy the vibes. Whether you spin at home, collect for fun, or just love the music, this one’s for you.

📅 Saturday, October 18th, 2025

🕕 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

📍 Downey City Library

All ages welcome. No RSVP needed.

Questions? Email us at studio@downeyca.org

Event postponed; check back for updates on the rescheduled date

Back by popular demand, more workshops have been added to The Collective Literary Arts Magazine program! Missed our Spring sessions? Now's the time to get involved!

Join us for Monologues + Monotype Printmaking on October 16th, 4:30pm - 7:30pm — the next session in a series of creative workshops blending writing and visual art.

For ages 16 and up, registration is required to attend! Registration will open Thursday, October 2nd on the Workshop’s page.

Questions can be emailed to workshop@downeyca.org

CANCELED

Watch classics, discover new movies and hang out with friends in the Cormack Room the last Thursday of every month. This month join us to watch Revenge [R] by Coralie Fargeat

Admission is free, and no sign-ups are required.

Enjoy an opportunity to explore and appreciate cinema from different cultures and regions around the world at our monthly International film screening! This month, join us to watch The Fall [R] by Tarsem Singh

Admission is free, and no sign-ups are required.

Join us this Thursday for Hollywood Classics, where we’ll be watching film series highlighting iconic Hollywood masterpieces! This week, we’ll be watching Rope (1948) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Where: The Cormack Room

When: Thursday, September 4th, at 5pm

🎶 Introducing: Tiny Shelf Concerts🎶

The Studio at Downey City Library is bringing live music to the stacks! Inspired by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, our new Tiny Shelf Concerts series offers intimate performances filmed right here in the library.

Join us for our very first show Saturday, August 30, 2025 featuring Field Daze — an indie band bringing big sound to our cozy space.

📆 Doors: 4:30 PM | Show: 5:00 PM

📍 The Studio at Downey City Library

🎟 Free admission | All ages welcome

Come experience the library like never before.

Watch classics, discover new movies and hang out with friends in the Cormack Room the last Thursday of every month. This month join us to watch Sinners [R] by Ryan Coogler

Admission is free, and no sign-ups are required.