Public West Hollywood launches The Screen, cinema under stars

On the terrace above West Hollywood, where the city lights dissolve into the dark sky, Public has quietly opened a new chapter in rooftop cinema. The Screen, a weekly series of films projected across the night, began with an exclusive showing of DreamQuil, the film written and directed by Alex Prager. The screening drew an intimate crowd onto the venue’s elevated space, where white chairs faced an enormous luminous screen and the silhouettes of guests gathered in that particular suspended moment between dusk and evening.

Prager, whose visual practice moves between photography and cinema, brought a world of saturated colour and suburban American peculiarity to the rooftop. The film itself, a dark comedy about telemarketing and transformation, unfolded on the vast screen while the city hummed below. What makes The Screen distinct is the simplicity of its concept: cinema returned to its essential element, a film, a crowd, the open air and the night sky above.

The series continues weekly, each screening selected to sustain this sense of occasion and discovery. Public’s rooftop, already known for its evening gatherings, becomes something closer to a private cinema house, though one where the fourth wall is the sky. For those seeking an evening that combines genuine cultural engagement with the particular pleasure of watching film under stars, The Screen offers exactly that. Details of upcoming screenings are available through the venue’s website.

Imagery courtesy of Public West Hollywood (@publicwesthollywood).