What to Know
- Saturday, May 6 at Neiman & Company (at the former Industrial Light & Magic building in Van Nuys); presented by My Valley Pass
- $20 general (screening only); $40 VIP (the VIP option includes a tour of the former ILM facility)
- "Star Wars: A New Hope" will screen in the parking lot
You don't have to gaze too deeply into the "Star Wars" realm to find inspirational examples of birth, fresh life, and early starts.
Think of baby Luke and Leia in "Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," a certain Child who holds super-cute court on "The Mandalorian," and all of those cliff-hugging Porg nests on the planet Ahch-To in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
But "Star Wars" had its own nests on this planet, the real starting points, or nurseries, if you will, where the Force-filled universe created by George Lucas grew into the fantastical phenomenon it is today.
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One of the most famous of these starting lines can be found on Valjean Avenue in Van Nuys, the current home to the architectural sign fabricators Neiman & Company.
Decades ago, though, Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic, the acclaimed special effects outfit behind "Star Wars" and so many other blockbusters, first flickered into being inside the legendary building well before finding a permanent home in Northern California.
VFX mavens rarely get the chance to get up-close with the address nowadays, but celebratory events do occasionally pop up at the storied structure.
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And in honor of "Star Wars" Day — as in, May the Fourth (be with you) — My Valley Pass will present a screening of "Star Wars: A New Hope" in the parking lot for all ticket holders on Saturday, May 6.
And if you opt for the VIP admission? You'll enjoy a tour inside the building, too.
The parking lot holds its own iconic aura in the "Star Wars" fandom, beyond it serving as the location where ILM employees parked their own X-Wings, er, automobiles.
It is where the company's creative thinkers and builders would engage in some much-needed high jinks and horseplay while taking breaks from building the models of the Death Star and TIE Fighters, as well as the countless other galactic goodies that would festoon the famous film with its otherworldly appearance.
The 2022 Disney+ documentary series "Light and Magic" depicted some of the day-to-day life at ILM in the mid-1970s, and viewing it before attending the May 6 screening is highly recommended.
Again, while this is all happening in honor of the May 4 "Star Wars" holiday, the Industrial Light & Magic-themed event will take place on May 6, the Saturday following the cosmic occasion.
But don't wait for May to purchase your admission; you'll want to secure your spot faster than it takes the Millennium Falcon to make the Kessel Run.
