Acclaimed actress Kristen Stewart has stepped in to save the Highland Theater in Los Angeles, according to Architectural Digest. The historic venue was on the brink of permanent closure before Stewart’s intervention.
Originally constructed in 1924, the cinema shuttered its doors in 2024. Stewart acknowledges that a significant restoration process lies ahead, but she remains deeply inspired by the project’s creative potential:
“I have a profound fascination with aging, neglected movie palaces. I’m always curious about the secrets they hold… This is a chance to cultivate a space for gathering, planning, and collective dreaming. The heart of this initiative is to establish a ‘new school’—refining our processes and discovering a superior path forward. We envision a family-oriented project that serves the local community, rather than something exclusively for elitist Hollywood cinephiles. I see it as a remedy for the pervasive corporate noise—a venue that shifts film culture away from simple commerce. I believe there is a deep-seated longing for the unique atmosphere a space like this can provide.”
Stewart recently completed her feature-length directorial debut, an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir The Chronology of Water. The film premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it garnered enthusiastic praise from critics.
