In person: director Yeon Sang-ho and actor Park Jeong-min

This screening of Friday (1995) and conversation is co-presented by the Academy Museum and Zócalo Public Square. It's part of Zócalo’s California 175 — What Connects California? series, a suite of free Zócalo events and journalism bringing together leaders and thinkers from all walks of life to envision California’s next 175 years.

Cinema has always held a special place for the California imagination, often recreating its cities, beaches, and wilderness through a lens of riches, romance, and reinvention—the California Dream.

But does that dream still exist? As Hollywood faces new challenges from streaming, AI, and industry flight, is the California imagination changing? How about the way the world sees the Golden State? Can it remain the epicenter of cinematic storytelling through the rest of the 21st century?

About the film

It’s Friday, and recently unemployed Craig (Ice Cube) has no job. With nothing to do, he links up with his stoner friend Smokey (Chris Tucker) in their South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. What starts as a simple day spirals into a raucous adventure as the two seek to settle a debt with drug dealer Big Worm (Faizon Love); navigate eccentric locals; and dodge local bully Deebo (Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr.).

Co-written by Ice Cube and filmed on location, Friday paints a loving tribute to the South LA area where he grew up, drawing on personal experiences to craft a light-hearted tale filled with memorable characters, quotable lines, and stories of Southland life that have resonated worldwide.

About our co-hosts

Founded in Los Angeles in 2003, Zócalo Public Square is a unit of ASU Media Enterprise and syndicates journalism to media outlets worldwide. It has hosted more than 750 free events in cities including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Shanghai, Mexico City, London, and Berlin. To learn more, visit zocalopublicsquare.org, or like and follow on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.