
Zeitgeist Theatre + Lounge +
ST CLAUDE ARTS PARK
6621 ST. Claude ave. arabi, la 70032
(504) 352-1150 [email protected]
"Something for and against everybody"
Zeitgeist Theatre Experiments inc is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization classified as a 509 (a) (2) public charity. We are an art house cinema and multi-disciplinary arts center that was founded in New Orleans, LA in November 1986.
We currently have 75 seats in our theatre and 60 seats in our lounge. Yes, we are available for private screenings and events.
We installed 3 UV air-scrubbers in our ventilation system for your safety. Check out our new Dolby sound system.
Our theatre is located just one block East of New Orleans past Jackson Barracks in Arabi, LA
(currently the 6th fastest growing neighborhood in America)
Memberships and donations may be made at the Zeitgeist Box Office, through the "Support Us" Page at the top of this website or through PayPal to [email protected] or Zelle to (504) 352-1150 or our venmo
Introducing the
ST Claude Arts Park
An initiative of the Meraux Foundation, the St. Claude Arts Park is its latest addition to St. Claude Arts, a campus for creativity, culture, and community teeming with artists, arthouse films, creative music, literary events, galleries, photographers, sculptors, and more — all just minutes from downtown New Orleans.
For private rentals or the Arts Market in the St Claude Arts Park please contact ART CONSCIOUS at either (504) 289-1056 or (504) 388-8325. For non-profit, charitable, community events, concerts or public performances please contact Rene, ZEITGEIST THEATRE at (504) 352-1150.
Zeitgeist Theatre Experiments inc is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization classified as a 509 (a) (2) public charity. We are an art house cinema and multi-disciplinary arts center that was founded in New Orleans, LA in November 1986.
We currently have 75 seats in our theatre and 60 seats in our lounge. Yes, we are available for private screenings and events.
We installed 3 UV air-scrubbers in our ventilation system for your safety. Check out our new Dolby sound system.
Our theatre is located just one block East of New Orleans past Jackson Barracks in Arabi, LA
(currently the 6th fastest growing neighborhood in America)
Memberships and donations may be made at the Zeitgeist Box Office, through the "Support Us" Page at the top of this website or through PayPal to [email protected] or Zelle to (504) 352-1150 or our venmo
Introducing the
ST Claude Arts Park
An initiative of the Meraux Foundation, the St. Claude Arts Park is its latest addition to St. Claude Arts, a campus for creativity, culture, and community teeming with artists, arthouse films, creative music, literary events, galleries, photographers, sculptors, and more — all just minutes from downtown New Orleans.
For private rentals or the Arts Market in the St Claude Arts Park please contact ART CONSCIOUS at either (504) 289-1056 or (504) 388-8325. For non-profit, charitable, community events, concerts or public performances please contact Rene, ZEITGEIST THEATRE at (504) 352-1150.
ZEITGEIST – NOUN, GERMAN. THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES; GENERAL TREND, MOOD OR FEELING CHARACTERISTIC OF A PARTICULAR PERIOD OF TIME, ESPECIALLY AS IT IS REFLECTED IN THE ARTS, LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY, ETC. \ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt-\
sunDAY , june 15 th
7:00 pm nightly
HENRY JOHNSON by David Mamet
The first film Written and Directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet in 17 years. Based on his play of the same name, HENRY JOHNSON follows the title character (Evan Jonigkeit) as he navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way — including his eventual cellmate, Gene (Shia LaBeouf) — Henry’s journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty. The film is an exploration of power, justice and the consequences of letting others choose your path for you. [TRAILER]
HENRY JOHNSON by David Mamet
The first film Written and Directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet in 17 years. Based on his play of the same name, HENRY JOHNSON follows the title character (Evan Jonigkeit) as he navigates his search for a moral center, after an act of compassion upends his life. Looking to authority figures he encounters along the way — including his eventual cellmate, Gene (Shia LaBeouf) — Henry’s journey leads him down a road of manipulation and ethical uncertainty. The film is an exploration of power, justice and the consequences of letting others choose your path for you. [TRAILER]
held over - June 13 thru 19 @ 8:35 pm nightly
KILLER OF SHEEP by Charles Burnett.
1977 / Black & White / 80 min / United States / English / New 4K Restoration.
One of the most renowned films in cinema, Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep has been magnificently restored to 4K with sparkling picture and sound. Evoking the everyday trials, fragile pleasures, and tenacious humor of blue-collar African Americans in 1970s Watts, Burnett made the film on a minuscule budget with a mostly nonprofessional cast, combining keen on-the-street observation with a carefully crafted script. The episodic plot centers on the character of Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders), a slaughterhouse worker mired in exhaustion, disconnected from his wife, his children, and himself. Stan and his neighbors struggle just to get by, let alone get ahead; as befits an L.A. movie, vehicular metaphors of breakdown abound. Only the kids, leaping from roof to roof, seem to achieve a mobility that eludes their elders.Burnett’s film focuses on everyday life in black communities in a manner rarely seen in American cinema — combining lyrical elements with a starkly neorealist, documentary-style approach that chronicles the unfolding story with depth and riveting simplicity.
One of the first fifty films named to Library of Congress National Film Registry
One of the fifty greatest films of all time — 2022 Sight and Sound critics' poll
The new 4K restoration of Killer of Sheep restores the original closing song, Dinah Washington's performance of “Unforgettable” to the soundtrack.
“An American masterpiece, independent to the bone… radical truth-telling.”— Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“One of the great achievements in cinema, period.”— Jeffrey Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
“A flat-out treasure, impervious to time.”— Jay Carr, Boston Globe
“A miracle of human decency and exalted artistry… Burnett possesses what may be the rarest quality in American film — tenderness.”— John Powers, Best of L.A. 2003
“Killer of Sheep is a lyrical portrait of a community on the margins. The film doesn’t ask us to feel sorry for its characters, to pity them, but it does demand that we afford them dignity and respect. This demand comes as a whisper not a shout.… Groundbreaking!”-- filmmaker Sean Baker
“Funny and sad, tough and tender… Killer of Sheep brims with humor and compassion and hope…See Killer of Sheep — then see it again, and again. It's one of those truly rare movies that just get better.”— Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“Killer of Sheep is as timeless as the human condition.”— Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
“One of those marvels of original movie making that keeps hope of artistic independence alive.…a vivid, angry, compassionately real picture of mid-’70s African-American life.…Here’s to the miracle of a buried classic granted the opposite of a killing — here’s to life.”— Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly [TRAILER]
KILLER OF SHEEP by Charles Burnett.
1977 / Black & White / 80 min / United States / English / New 4K Restoration.
One of the most renowned films in cinema, Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep has been magnificently restored to 4K with sparkling picture and sound. Evoking the everyday trials, fragile pleasures, and tenacious humor of blue-collar African Americans in 1970s Watts, Burnett made the film on a minuscule budget with a mostly nonprofessional cast, combining keen on-the-street observation with a carefully crafted script. The episodic plot centers on the character of Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders), a slaughterhouse worker mired in exhaustion, disconnected from his wife, his children, and himself. Stan and his neighbors struggle just to get by, let alone get ahead; as befits an L.A. movie, vehicular metaphors of breakdown abound. Only the kids, leaping from roof to roof, seem to achieve a mobility that eludes their elders.Burnett’s film focuses on everyday life in black communities in a manner rarely seen in American cinema — combining lyrical elements with a starkly neorealist, documentary-style approach that chronicles the unfolding story with depth and riveting simplicity.
One of the first fifty films named to Library of Congress National Film Registry
One of the fifty greatest films of all time — 2022 Sight and Sound critics' poll
The new 4K restoration of Killer of Sheep restores the original closing song, Dinah Washington's performance of “Unforgettable” to the soundtrack.
“An American masterpiece, independent to the bone… radical truth-telling.”— Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“One of the great achievements in cinema, period.”— Jeffrey Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
“A flat-out treasure, impervious to time.”— Jay Carr, Boston Globe
“A miracle of human decency and exalted artistry… Burnett possesses what may be the rarest quality in American film — tenderness.”— John Powers, Best of L.A. 2003
“Killer of Sheep is a lyrical portrait of a community on the margins. The film doesn’t ask us to feel sorry for its characters, to pity them, but it does demand that we afford them dignity and respect. This demand comes as a whisper not a shout.… Groundbreaking!”-- filmmaker Sean Baker
“Funny and sad, tough and tender… Killer of Sheep brims with humor and compassion and hope…See Killer of Sheep — then see it again, and again. It's one of those truly rare movies that just get better.”— Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“Killer of Sheep is as timeless as the human condition.”— Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
“One of those marvels of original movie making that keeps hope of artistic independence alive.…a vivid, angry, compassionately real picture of mid-’70s African-American life.…Here’s to the miracle of a buried classic granted the opposite of a killing — here’s to life.”— Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly [TRAILER]
Fri, June 20 & Sat, June 21, 2025- 7:00 p.m. nightly
UNDERGROUND ORANGE
Film Screening(s) and Drag Cabaret Show. Screening(s) followed by a live Q&A with writer/director/star Michael Taylor Jackson and drag performances by Laveau Contraire and Debbie With a D.
A self-identified "genre-fluid" Argentinean film, in Underground Orange, Michael Taylor Jackson plays a Californian backpacker who becomes entangled in a polyamorous relationship with a gang of young actors who plot to kidnap the US Ambassador to Argentina. Underground Orange explores dichotomies as they appear in politics, identity, and queerness, blending tones, mashing up genre beats, and infusing the every day with imagination, balancing thoughtfulness and humor with a cheeky cleverness all its own. The film is directed, written by, and stars Michael Taylor Jackson. It is produced by James Lefkowitz, Joel Pincosy, Florencia Franco, Jimena Monteoliva, and Manuela Alewaerts, with Godfrey Reggio as Executive Producer. [TRAILER]
Please Note: The Drag Show after the film is Friday, June 20th only! The Q & A is both nights.
UNDERGROUND ORANGE
Film Screening(s) and Drag Cabaret Show. Screening(s) followed by a live Q&A with writer/director/star Michael Taylor Jackson and drag performances by Laveau Contraire and Debbie With a D.
A self-identified "genre-fluid" Argentinean film, in Underground Orange, Michael Taylor Jackson plays a Californian backpacker who becomes entangled in a polyamorous relationship with a gang of young actors who plot to kidnap the US Ambassador to Argentina. Underground Orange explores dichotomies as they appear in politics, identity, and queerness, blending tones, mashing up genre beats, and infusing the every day with imagination, balancing thoughtfulness and humor with a cheeky cleverness all its own. The film is directed, written by, and stars Michael Taylor Jackson. It is produced by James Lefkowitz, Joel Pincosy, Florencia Franco, Jimena Monteoliva, and Manuela Alewaerts, with Godfrey Reggio as Executive Producer. [TRAILER]
Please Note: The Drag Show after the film is Friday, June 20th only! The Q & A is both nights.
Opens Sunday, June 22:
7:00 pm nightly
BLUE SUN PALACE by Constance Tsang
Winner: French Touch Prize - Cairo Intl. Film Festival - Winner: Best Actor (Lee Kang-sheng)
Within the confines of a massage parlor in Flushing, Queens, Amy (Ke-Xi Wu, Nina Wu) and Didi (Haipeng Xu, Where Echoes Never End) navigate romance, happiness, and the obligations of family thousands of miles from home. Despite the physical and emotional toll their work demands, the women have fortified an impenetrable sisterhood, which tragically collapses when disaster strikes on Lunar New Year. Co-starring Lee Kang-sheng (Stray Dogs, The Wayward Cloud). [TRAILER]
7:00 pm nightly
BLUE SUN PALACE by Constance Tsang
Winner: French Touch Prize - Cairo Intl. Film Festival - Winner: Best Actor (Lee Kang-sheng)
Within the confines of a massage parlor in Flushing, Queens, Amy (Ke-Xi Wu, Nina Wu) and Didi (Haipeng Xu, Where Echoes Never End) navigate romance, happiness, and the obligations of family thousands of miles from home. Despite the physical and emotional toll their work demands, the women have fortified an impenetrable sisterhood, which tragically collapses when disaster strikes on Lunar New Year. Co-starring Lee Kang-sheng (Stray Dogs, The Wayward Cloud). [TRAILER]
Opens Tuesday, July 1:
TELEVISION EVENT by Jeff Daniels.
“TV’S NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE” a fall 1983 Newsweek cover screamed, as American viewers awaited the long-publicized premiere of a made-for-TV movie depicting an all-out nuclear exchange with the Soviets. The threat of nuclear annihilation loomed, and THE DAY AFTER played on these fears to a staggering 100 million viewers (the largest TV movie audience in history at that point). TELEVISION EVENT tracks the unlikely evolution of this audacious project after it is greenlit by the ABC Network. Director Nicholas Meyer (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN) combatively, hilariously details a succession of clashes with network executives and censors. THE DAY AFTER so disturbed President Ronald Reagan, it prompted his reversal on the country’s nuclear weapons policy. [TRAILER]
TELEVISION EVENT by Jeff Daniels.
“TV’S NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE” a fall 1983 Newsweek cover screamed, as American viewers awaited the long-publicized premiere of a made-for-TV movie depicting an all-out nuclear exchange with the Soviets. The threat of nuclear annihilation loomed, and THE DAY AFTER played on these fears to a staggering 100 million viewers (the largest TV movie audience in history at that point). TELEVISION EVENT tracks the unlikely evolution of this audacious project after it is greenlit by the ABC Network. Director Nicholas Meyer (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN) combatively, hilariously details a succession of clashes with network executives and censors. THE DAY AFTER so disturbed President Ronald Reagan, it prompted his reversal on the country’s nuclear weapons policy. [TRAILER]
Saturday, June 28 @ 7:00 pm
THE SEANCE (see above)
Saturday, July 5 @ 7:00 pm
YFWPEZZY
Monday, August 11 @ 7:00 pm
CHRIS ALFORD, JACK WRIGHT & EVAN LIPSON
Sunday, August 24 @ 7:30 pm
ROB MAGILL (sax from California) & CHRIS ALFORD
Sunday, September 28 @ 7:00 pm
CHRIS ALFORD and some players from Chicago. TBA.
THE SEANCE (see above)
Saturday, July 5 @ 7:00 pm
YFWPEZZY
Monday, August 11 @ 7:00 pm
CHRIS ALFORD, JACK WRIGHT & EVAN LIPSON
Sunday, August 24 @ 7:30 pm
ROB MAGILL (sax from California) & CHRIS ALFORD
Sunday, September 28 @ 7:00 pm
CHRIS ALFORD and some players from Chicago. TBA.
Zeitgeist is ALL- AGES & SMOKE-FREE
Schedule is subject to change as films are held over – please check the website for updates nightly.
ONGOING FILM SERIES:
ONGOING FILM SERIES:

BEUYS AND BEYOND
Contemporary Artists On Film
In 1989, Zeitgeist curated a city-wide film series BEUYS AND BEYOND: CONTEMPORARY GERMAN ARTISTS ON FILM which also featured artist talks and performances by area artists.
For the premiere of Zeitgeist's great new Theatre & Lounge, we have decided to resurrect the series monthly, but this time expand it to include artists beyond just Germany...
Contemporary Artists On Film
In 1989, Zeitgeist curated a city-wide film series BEUYS AND BEYOND: CONTEMPORARY GERMAN ARTISTS ON FILM which also featured artist talks and performances by area artists.
For the premiere of Zeitgeist's great new Theatre & Lounge, we have decided to resurrect the series monthly, but this time expand it to include artists beyond just Germany...
CANADA IS BIGGER THAN THE U.S. Since 1993, Zeitgeist's ongoing SERIES OF FILMS, MUSIC, PERFORMANCES AND VISUAL ART celebrating the innovative, utterly bizarre and extremely vast body of work from our neighbors to the north. Their films may be smaller, but at least their country is bigger! Size does matter. |
Memberships and donations may be made at the Zeitgeist Box Office, through the "Support Us" Page at the top of our website; through PayPal to [email protected]; Zelle to (504) 352-1150 or our new venmo @zeitgeistnola

Special thanks to the Meraux Foundation, The Old Arabi Neighborhood Association, Councilman Gillis McCloskey, The St. Bernard Chamber Of Commerce, Shotgun Cinema, Ellis Fortinberry & Chalmette Movies, the people of St. Bernard Parish and those who have followed us from New Orleans for all of their support. We couldn't have dreamed of a better venue or neighbors.
Zeitgeist would also like to acknowledge the indigenous history of New Orleans, and more broadly, Louisiana, and recognize the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana. We would also like to acknowledge the state-recognized tribes of Louisiana, which include the Addai Caddo Tribe, the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogee, Choctaw-Apache Community of Ebarb, Clifton Choctaw, Four Winds Tribe Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy, Grand Caillou/Dulac Band, Isle de Jean Charles Band, Louisiana Choctaw Tribe, Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe, and the United Houma Nation.
Zeitgeist celebrated it's 38th Anniversary in November!
and we've heard 38 is "special"!
and we've heard 38 is "special"!
We want to thank all of the artists, volunteers, organizations, members, donors and patrons who have kept us going.
We've come a long way. Let's keep it going!
We've come a long way. Let's keep it going!