All right Varsity fans it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, we are officially reopening on Friday April 30th!
We are excited to announce our opening films will be the Academy Award nominated movies Nomadland and Promising Young Woman. Showtimes will be posted soon so make sure to stay tuned.
Oh and that sweet tooth you’ve been having, don’t worry, Icekrimski Cafe will also be reopening on Friday the 30th.
We are so excited to welcome you all back safely and look forward to seeing you soon!
Don’t forget you can still purchase Davis Varsity Movie Passes through our sister business Mishkas Cafe’s website. While you’re there, purchase some of Mishka’s bulk coffee and $3 of every sale will go to supporting the Davis Varsity. Please note that Varsity passes cannot be used to purchase movie rentals online.
After toiling for years in bit-parts, aspiring actress Nina Wu (Ke-Xi Wu, who also co-wrote the script based on her own personal experiences) finally gets her big break with a leading role in a spy thriller set in the 1960s. The part, which calls for nudity and explicit sex scenes, is made all the more challenging thanks to the director’s unending belittlements. While seemingly on the brink of professional triumph, Nina’s psychological resolve begins to crack under the pressure. As she rushes to her childhood home following a family emergency, Nina begins suffering paranoid fantasies that a mysterious woman is stalking and attacking her. As Nina clings to memories of happier times, it seems that there is one crucial memory that she is repressing…
This sumptuous, stylized thriller, reminiscent of Mulholland Drive, Black Swan and other poison pen letters to the entertainment industry, is a “a vividly disorientating #metoo themed drama” (Screen Daily) anchored by Wu’s “ferocious, driven performance” (The Hollywood Reporter).
Director: Midi Z Cast: Wu Ke-Xi, Sung Yu-Hua, Hsia Yu-Chiao, Shih Ming-Shuai, Chang Li-Ang Language: Chinese with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 43 minutes
This illuminating documentary explores the life of a unique American artist, a man with a remarkable and unlikely biography. Bill Traylor was born into slavery in 1853 on a cotton plantation in rural Alabama. After the Civil War, Traylor continued to farm the land as a sharecropper until the late 1920s. Aging and alone, he moved to Montgomery and worked odd jobs in the thriving segregated black neighborhood. A decade later, in his late 80s, Traylor became homeless and started to draw and paint, both memories from plantation days and scenes of a radically changing urban culture.
Having witnessed profound social and political change during a life spanning slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, and the Great Migration, Traylor devised his own visual language to translate an oral culture into something original, powerful, and culturally rooted. He made well over a thousand drawings and paintings between 1939-1942. This colorful, strikingly modernist work eventually led him to be recognized as one of America’s greatest self-taught artists and the subject of a Smithsonian retrospective.
Using historical and cultural context, BILL TRAYLOR: CHASING GHOSTS brings the spirit and mystery of Traylor’s incomparable art to life. Making dramatic and surprising use of tap dance and evocative period music, the film balances archival photographs and footage, insightful perspectives from his descendents, and Traylor’s striking drawings and paintings to reveal one of America’s most prominent artists to a wide audience.
Director: Jeffrey Wolf Cast: Russell G. Jones, Jason Samuels Smith, Sharon Washington Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Based on filmmaker’s, Maria Sødah, own experiences — Hope is the story of Anja and Tomas, longtime romantic partners whose large, blended family is upended when Anja receives a grave medical diagnosis.
ANJA (43) lives with TOMAS (59) in a large family of biological children and stepchildren. For a number of years the two adults have grown independent of each other, with creative jobs in parallel worlds. When Anja gets a terminal cancer diagnosis, their modern life breaks down and exposes neglected love. Alone with her grief and her fears, Anja realizes that she needs Tomas’ full help and support. It’s their only chance. How else will their children find the strength once she is gone, if their parents are unable to weather the storm together? Anja and Tomas are thrown into a crash course in mutual trust, and eventually a joint struggle, to deal with this unexpected and premature death. By getting to know each other anew, they unconsciously become the principal characters in a love story where they finally learn to truly love each other after a long life together.
Director: Maria Sødahl Cast: Andrea Bræin Hovig, Stellan Skarsgård Language: Norwegian with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours 5 minutes
A woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
Coming Friday, April 30th
Director: Chloé Zhao Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May Language: English Genre: Drama Rating: R Run time: 1 hour 47 minutes
Sam Ali, a young sensitive and impulsive Syrian, left his country for Lebanon to escape the war. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, he accepts to have his back tattooed by one of the World’s most sulfurous contemporary artist. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will however come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
Amidst the bustling maze of life in present day Kathmandu, a worldly, young Tibetan man TENZIN brazenly enters an abandoned, sacred temple of the Goddess Kali declaring this to be the ideal place to house his new business venture. Having borrowed his mother’s life savings as funding for the venture Tenzin is fully immersed in his plans to create Nepal’s best cafe. But when Tenzin is struck by a dream like vision of a girl moving through a vast ocean of red flowers Tenzin’s friend JACHUNG fears it’s a sign of impending death. On the advice of a great sage a skeptical Tenzin must seek out a very special woman – a “dakini” who may have a moustache, fangs and a third eye.
Director: Khyentse Norbu Cast: Tsering Tashi Gyalthang, Tulku Kunzang, Orgen Tobgyal Rinpoche Language: Tibetan and Nepali with English Subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 53 minutes
This riveting, Cannes-selected #MeToo drama from debut filmmaker Charlène Favier follows the relationship between a teenage ski prodigy and her predatory instructor, played by frequent Dardenne brothers collaborator Jérémie Renier. In a breakthrough role, Noée Abita plays 15-year-old Lyz, a high school student in the French Alps who has been accepted to an elite ski club known for producing some of the country’s top professional athletes. Taking a chance on his new recruit, ex-champion turned coach Fred decides to mold Lyz into his shining star despite her lack of experience. Under his influence, she will have to endure more than the physical and emotional pressure of the training. Will Lyz’s determination help her escape Fred’s exploitative grip?
Director: Charlène Favier Cast: Noée Abita, Jérémie Renier, Marie Denarnaud Language: French with English Subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 32 minutes
Every Breath You Take is a searing psychological thriller about a psychiatrist (Casey Affleck), whose career is thrown into jeopardy when his patient takes her own life. When he invites his patient’s surviving brother (Sam Claflin) into his home to meet his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and daughter, his family life is suddenly torn apart.
Director: Vaughn Stein Cast: Veronica Ferres, India Eisley, Emily Alyn Lind Language: English Genre: Drama Rating: R for some violence and language, and brief sexuality Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Berlin-based Mosotho filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s devastating and hypnotic This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is already one of the most esteemed African films ever to hit the international festival circuit, earning the Special Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, before taking home Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Cinematography at Africa’s Academy Awards.
Deserving comparison with the work of Pedro Costa, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Souleymane Cissé, This Is Not a Burial marks the introduction of a major filmmaker and the final powerhouse performance of a remarkable actress.
The late Mary Twala Mhlongo, recognizable from Beyoncé’s blockbuster musical Black Is King, gives a heartbreaking career-capping performance as Mantoa, an 80-year-old woman who has lived in a small Lesotho village for her entire life. While preparing for her own death, she receives word of an accident that has killed her only son, leaving her entirely alone, with only the respect of her community, the traditions of her ancestors, and the courage of her convictions. When her community must relocate to make way for a nearby dam which would flood her family’s burial ground, Mantoa draws a line in the sand and becomes an unlikely political and spiritual leader.
Cryptic, impressionistic, and informed by magical realist literature, This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection contains some of the most striking visual compositions in contemporary cinema, all the more impressive considering this is the first feature-length film for both cinematographer Pierre de Villiers and production designer Leila Walter. The cumulative power of Mantoa’s sacrificial crusade, Mhlongo’s earthy performance, and Mosese’s visionary artistry announce an unmistakable landmark in African cinema.
Director: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese Cast: Mary Twala Mhlongo, Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha Language: Sesotho with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 57 minutes
FRANCESCO takes an unsparing look at the most pressing issues of the 21st Century; economic stratification, race and gender inequality, the climate crisis, xenophobia and others; while shining a light on the challenges and consequences that have led us to this moment in time. As we embark on this journey, with Pope Francis as our guide, we discover a leader who demonstrates a tremendous amount of humility, wisdom and generosity towards all, and whose ideals can help us build a bridge to a better future and thrive as a global community.
Director: Evgeny Afineevsky Cast: Pope Benedict XVI, José Ignacio Bergoglio, Juan Carlos Cruz Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 56 minutes
Long Live Rock… Celebrate the Chaos is a deep dive into the culture of hard rock music. This genre, beloved by its millions of fans, is often misunderstood and maligned by media and the music industry. In intimate interviews, the leading titans of rock discuss the genre and the special relationship they have with their audience. Featuring members of Metallica, Guns N ’Roses, Slipknot, Godsmack, Korn, Avenged, Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Rage Against the Machine, Greta Van Fleet, Halestorm, Bush, Fever 333, Beartooth, Don Jamieson, In This Moment, Papa Roach, Jose Magin and many, many more.
Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker is a fiery and urgent documentary portrait of downtown New York City artist, writer, photographer, and activist David Wojnarowicz. As New York City became the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Wojnarowicz weaponized his work and waged war against the establishment’s indifference to the plague until his death from it in 1992 at the age of 37. Exclusive access to his breathtaking body of work – including paintings, journals, and films – reveals how Wojnarowicz emptied his life into his art and activism. Rediscovered answering machine tape recordings and intimate recollections from Fran Lebowitz, Gracie Mansion, Peter Hujar, and other friends and family help present a stirring portrait of this fiercely political, unapologetically queer artist.
Director: Chris McKim Cast: Barry Blinderman, Nan Goldin, Peter Hujar Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
BROOKLYN CASTLE tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories. Ironically, the biggest obstacle thrust upon them arises not from other competitors but from recessionary budget cuts to all the extracurricular activities at their school. BROOKLYN CASTLE shows how these kids’ dedication to chess magnifies their belief in what is possible for their lives. After all, if they can master the world’s most difficult game, what can’t they do?
Director: Katie Dellamaggiore Cast: Rochelle Ballantyne, Pobo Efekoro, Patrick Johnston, Alex Paredes, Justus Williams Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 42 minutes
The latest deranged delight by French absurdist Quentin Dupieux, Keep An Eye Out is a breakneck-paced cop comedy that packs more laughs into its 73 breezy minutes than some filmmakers manage in their entire careers.
Belgian funnyman Benoît Poelvoorde (Man Bites Dog) is Commissaire Buran, a good, bad cop interrogating Fugain, (Grégoire Ludig), an average Joe who discovered a dead body outside his apartment building. As the film begins, Fugain must, on an empty stomach, explain how and why he happened to leave home seven times in one night before coming across a corpse in a puddle of blood. Since he’s the investigation’s only suspect, Fugain’s anxiety is already sky-high when Buran leaves him alone with Philippe, a one-eyed rookie cop with bizarre speech patterns and a few minutes to live. Bloody, batshit hijinks ensue, and before long, we’re in Buñuel territory.
Between the opening sequence, when a man in just red briefs conducts a philharmonic orchestra in the open air, and the triple-meta denouement, Dupieux’s whip-smart script disregards audience expectations, the fourth wall, and the laws of time and space. You’ll never look at a protractor or an oyster the same way again.
“The Show the Pentagon Couldn’t Stop!” In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War, Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland toured an anti-war comedy show across Southeast Asia. It was directly engaged with and inspired by veterans against the war and, naturally, it upset U.S. military higher-ups. The F.T.A. tour was highly controversial and was a huge success among stationed soldiers. In spite of positive reviews and business, director Francine Parker’s film version was quickly taken out of circulation due to political pressures and has been difficult to see for decades.
Director: Francine Parker Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Rita Martinson, Paul Mooney Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: R Run time: 1 hour 37 minutes
April 9, 1940: Denmark is invaded by Nazi Germany with demands for immediate and unconditional surrender. The government surrenders after a few hours and begins cooperating with the Nazis. On the other side of the Atlantic is Denmark’s ambassador to the United States of America, a daredevil and a man of the world – Henrik Kauffmann, who is willing to put everything on the line. He refuses to follow the German directives and engineers a rebellious plan to defeat Hitler and give the Danish people their freedom back.
Director: Christina Rosendahl Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Burn Gorman, Ross McCall Language: Danish Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Adapted from British author Simon Mawer’s acclaimed novel inspired by the dramatic events of the 20th century and the birth of an iconic architectural gem, the Tugendhat Villa in Brno, the film tells a story of love, friendship and life-shaping decisions.
Director: Julius Sevcík Cast: Hanna Alström, Claes Bang, Alexandra Borbély Language: Englsih Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 44 minutes
They’re zero-budget, amateur, homemade, zany, creative, weird and often downright hilarious: a dozen “Sweded” versions of favorite films come together in The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations. From mega-blockbusters to concert films, The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations offers fan-made, five-minute versions of Die Hard, No Country for Old Men, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Lighthouse – even Stop Making Sense, among others. The Sweded Film Festival for Creative Re-Creations showcases the passion, humor, creativity and incredible ingenuity of film fans nationwide who won’t be deterred by a pandemic … and can’t stop loving the movies.
Anne Walberg is a master in perfumes. She creates fragrances and sells her incredible gift to many companies. She is a diva, selfish and temperamental. Guillaume is her new driver and the only one who dares facing her. This is probably why she does not fire him.
Millions of American Evangelicals are praying for the State of Israel. Among them are the Binghams, a dynasty of Kentucky pastors, and their Evangelical congregants in an impoverished coal mining town. They donate sacrificially to Israel’s foremost philanthropic organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, because they fervently believe the Jews are crucial to Jesus’s return. This film traces this unusual relationship, from rural Kentucky to the halls of government in Washington, through the moving of the American Embassy in Jerusalem and to the annexation plan of the West-Bank. With unparalleled access, the film exposes a stunning backstory of the Trump and Netanyahu administrations, where financial, political and messianic motivations intersect with the apocalyptic worldview that is insistently reshaping American foreign policy toward Israel and the Middle-East.
Director: Maya Zinshtein Cast: Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Yossi Dagan Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 16 minutes
Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel, DAYS OF THE BAGNOLD SUMMER is a funny yet sweet coming-of-age story about single motherhood and Metallica. Daniel was supposed to spend the summer with his dad and his dad’s new wife in Florida, but when his dad cancels the trip Daniel and his mom suddenly face the prospect of six long weeks together. An epic war of wills ensues in their suburban home as Daniel just wants to listen to heavy metal and start a band while his mom hopes to rekindle the fun times they used to have together. Featuring original songs by Belle and Sebastian.
Florence, early XVI century. Although widely considered a genius by his contemporaries, Michelangelo Buonarroti (Alberto Testone) is reduced to poverty and depleted by his struggle to finish the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. When his commissioner and head of the Della Rovere nobility Pope Julius II dies, Michelangelo becomes obsessed with sourcing the finest marble to complete his tomb. The artist’s loyalty is tested when Leo X, of the rival Medici family, ascends to the papacy and charges him with a lucrative new commission – the façade of the San Lorenzo basilica. Forced to lie to maintain favor with both families, Michelangelo is progressively tormented by suspicion and hallucinations, leading him to ruthlessly examine his own moral and artistic failings. Written and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, SIN is a gripping reflection on the agony and ecstasy of individual greatness, and the profound humanity behind the legend of the Renaissance.
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky Cast: Adriano Chiaramida, Yuliya Vysotskaya, Orso Maria Guerrini Language: Italian with English subtitles Genre: Biography, Drama, History Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours 14 minutes
MUSIC is about the magic that can happen when someone who cannot speak with words finds people who can listen with their hearts.
The story begins when Zu (Hudson), estranged from her family and a lifelong self-saboteur, finds herself the sole guardian of Music (Ziegler), her teenage half-sister, after the death of their grandmother. Music is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, and her grandmother has lovingly created a schedule and daily routine to support her with the help of some neighborhood friends.
Not having had her grandmother’s experience of loving and caring for Music, Zu instantly struggles with her new responsibility as caretaker. Their less than peaceful first breakfast together is overheard by their neighbor Ebo (Odom), a kind and gentle soul who surprises Zu by demonstrating not only his compassion, but his keen understanding of Music. His own, slowly revealed life story, makes him someone Zu can depend on and learn from as well.
MUSIC combines a heartfelt tale about the power of love with musical sequences that propel and amplify the story, giving the audience a vivid window into the characters’ inner lives.
Marie recently found herself abandoned on Christmas Eve by her husband and has been falling apart ever since. Berling has been the eternal “bacherlorette” who outwardly denies her age and lives the sweet life, all seems perfect until we find out about her complicated relationship with her daughter. Vanja is still living in the past and has never been able to move on from her late husband. The three life long girlfriends decides to travel to Italy together to attend a cooking course in Puglia and here they each find the opportunity to redefine themselves and acknowledge that the most important thing in life is their friendship and that it’s never too late to live a more fulfilling life.
A grandson of a Klansman comes of age during the early 60’s in the deep south and eventually joins the Civil Rights Movement. Based on Bob Zellner’s autobiography “The Wrong Side of Murder Creek.”
Director: Barry Alexander Brown Cast: Lucy Hale, Sienna Guillory, Brian Dennehy Language: English Genre: Drama Rating: PG-13 Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
M.C. ESCHER: JOURNEY TO INFINITY is the story of world famous Dutch graphic artist M.C Escher (1898-1972). Equal parts history, psychology, and psychedelia, Robin Lutz’s entertaining, eye-opening portrait gives us the man through his own words and images: diary musings, excerpts from lectures, correspondence and more are voiced by British actor Stephen Fry, while Escher’s woodcuts, lithographs, and other print works appear in both original and playfully altered form. Two of his sons, George (92) and Jan (80), reminisce about their parents while musician Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills & Nash) talks about Escher’s rediscovery in the 1970s. The film looks at Escher’s legacy: one can see tributes to his work in movies, in fiction, on posters, on tattoos, and elsewhere throughout our culture; indeed, few fine artists of the 20th century can lay claim to such popular appeal.
Director: Robin Lutz Cast: Stephen Fry, George Escher, Jan Escher Language: English, Dutch, Italian, German Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 20 minutes
In the mid-‘70s, filmmaker James Szalapski documented the then-nascent country music movement that would become known as “outlaw country.” Inspired, in part, by newly-long-haired Willie Nelson’s embrace of hippie attitudes and audiences, a younger generation of artists including Townes Van Zandt, David Alan Coe, Steve Earle and Guy Clark popularized and developed the outlaw sound. It borrowed from rock, folk and bluegrass, with an edge that was missing from mainstream Nashville country. This newly-restored documentary includes rarely-captured performances of the aforementioned musicians as they perfected this then-new style and helped change the course of country music history.
Director: James Szalapski Cast: Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, David Alan Coe Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Veteran filmmaker Philippe Garrel once again fashions a pinpoint-precise and economical study of young love and its prevarications, which ever so gradually blossoms into an emotionally resonant moral tale. Handsome Luc (Logann Antuofermo), following in his aging father’s footsteps to study the craft of furniture joining, doesn’t appear to have any trouble meeting and dating women; as the film opens he’s aggressively courting Djemila (Oulaya Amamra) at a Paris bus stop. Skeptical yet ultimately trusting, Djemila will not be Luc’s one and only. Constructed and composed with crystalline austerity, and co-written with Jean-Claude Carrière and Arlette Langmann—who collaborated on Garrel’s last two films, In the Shadow of Women (NYFF53) and Lover for a Day (NYFF55)—The Salt of Tears is a pocket portrait that demonstrates the persistent vitality of one of French cinema’s great observers of the callowness of youth. (From NYFF 2020)
Director: Philippe Garrel Cast: Logann Antuofermo, Oulaya Amamra, André Wilms Language: In French with English Subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Lisa (Nina Hoss), once a brilliant playwright, no longer writes. She lives with her family in Switzerland, but her heart remains in Berlin, beating in time with that of her twin brother Sven (Lars Eidinger), the famous theatre actor. Since Sven has been suffering from an aggressive type of leukemia, the relationship between them has become even closer. Lisa does not want to accept this blow of fate, she does everything in her power to bring Sven back on stage. For her soulmate she neglects everything else and even risks losing her husband. Her marriage goes awry, but Lisa only has eyes for her brother, who reflects her deepest longings and awakens in her the desire to be creative, to feel alive again.
After 20 years in the United States, a Hungarian neurosurgeon returns to Budapest for a romantic rendezvous with a fellow doctor she met at a conference. When the love of her life is nowhere to be seen, she tracks him down only to have the bewildered man claim the two have never met. As the brilliant brain surgeon desperately searches for the truth, she fears her own brain may be tricking her into a romantic delusion.
Director: Lili Horvát Cast: Natasa Stork, Viktor Bodó, Benett Vilmányi Language: Hungarian with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
In Montana, a father tries to liberate his young transgender son by taking him to Canada, but as a frustrated female detective spearheads an investigation, she discovers that the child’s family situation is more complicated than she thought.
In the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, an abandoned water reservoir just outside the bustling metropolis, the Enache family lived in perfect harmony with nature for two decades, sleeping in a hut on the lakeshore, catching fish barehanded, and following the rhythm of the seasons. When this area is transformed into a public national park, they are forced to leave behind their unconventional life and move to the city, where fishing rods are replaced by smartphones and idle afternoons are now spent in classrooms. As the family struggles to conform to modern civilization and maintain their connection to each other and themselves, they each begin to question their place in the world and what their future might be. With their roots in the wilderness, the nine children and their parents struggle to find a way to keep their family united in the concrete jungle. With an empathetic and cinematic eye, filmmaker Radu Ciorniciuc offers viewers, in his feature debut, a compelling tale of an impoverished family living on the fringes of society in Romania, fighting for acceptance and their own version of freedom.
In remote Western Australia, two estranged brothers, Colin (Sam Neill) and Les (Michael Caton), are at war. Raising separate flocks of sheep descended from their family’s prized bloodline, the two men work side by side yet are worlds apart. When Les’s prize ram is diagnosed with a rare and lethal illness, authorities order a purge of every sheep in the valley. While Colin attempts to stealthily outwit the powers that be, Les opts for angry defiance. But can the warring brothers set aside their differences and have a chance to reunite their family, save their herd, and bring their community back together?
Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, later translated into English by author David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas), The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida’s revelatory insights into autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
Moments in the lives of each of the characters are linked by the journey of a young Japanese boy through an epic landscape; narrated passages from Naoki’s writing reflect on what his autism means to him and others, how his perception of the world differs, and why he acts in the way he does: the reason he jumps. The film distills these elements into a sensually rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki’s core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.
1919. Stefan and his father Mike left family in Ukraine, fleeing for the New World, where they struggle to earn enough to re-unite the family. Stefan is instantly smitten with the Jewish suffragette neighbor, Rebecca-but Rebecca’s brother Moishe and Mike oppose the would-be Romeo and Juliet. Returned soldiers, angry at the lack of jobs after the war, violently threaten the city’s immigrants, including Emma, the refugee from racist violence in Oklahoma. When a movement develops for workers to leave their jobs in protest, AJ Anderson, a wealthy lawyer, pits all parties against each other in a dramatic and inspirational final stand.
Director: Robert Adetuyi Cast: Marshall Williams, Laura Slade Wiggins, Gregg Henry & Lisa Bell Language: English Genre: Drama Rating: PG Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
A journey through the inspiration, writing and recording of a PJ Harvey record. After accompanying Seamus Murphy on his travels around the world for inspiration, PJ Harvey returns to London where the recording process continues to be documented.
Determined to fulfill her late mother’s dream of opening a bakery in charming Notting Hill, 19-year-old Clarissa enlists the help of her mother’s best friend Isabella and her eccentric estranged grandmother Mimi. These three generations of women will need to overcome grief, doubts and differences to honour the memory of their beloved Sarah while embarking on a journey to establish a London store filled with love, hope and colourful pastries from all over the world.
Director: Eliza Schroeder Cast: Shelley Conn, Shannon Tarbet, Celia Imrie Language: English Genre: Romance, Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
NASRIN was secretly filmed in Iran by women and men who risked arrest to make this documentary. It is an immersive portrait of the world’s most honored human rights activist and political prisoner, attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, and of Iran’s remarkably resilient women’s rights movement. In the courts and on the streets, Nasrin has long fought for the rights of women, children, religious minorities, journalists and artists, and those facing the death penalty. In the midst of filming, Nasrin was arrested in June 2018 for representing women who were protesting Iran’s mandatory hijab law. She was sentenced to 38 years in prison, plus 148 lashes. Featuring acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and journalist Ann Curry. Narrated by Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman.
A group of friends stumble upon a mirror that serves as a portal to a ‘multiverse.’ They soon discover that importing knowledge from the other side in order to better their lives brings increasingly dangerous consequences.
When a virus threatens to turn the now earth-dwelling friendly alien hybrids against humans, Captain Rose Corley must lead a team of elite mercenaries on a mission to the alien world in order to save what’s left of humanity.
Director: Liam O’Donnell Cast: Lindsey Morgan, Rhona Mitra, James Cosmo Language: English Genre: Sci-Fi Rating: R for violence and language Run time: 1 hour 53 minutes
A retired woman gets mixed up in a mystery when avid hunters in her mountain village begin turning up dead, and there are deer tracks next to their bodies.
Sol, a tango singer, has been living in Buenos Aires for many years. But behind her impulsive nature and bright smile lies the loss of her son, with whom she had broken every bond. When Sol finally comes back to Paris in the hope of meeting her seven-year-old grandson Jo and the daughter-in-law she never met, she decides to rent the flat next door and pretends to be the new neighbor. From now on, she will try anything to get to know her estranged grandson…
Director: Jézabel Marques Cast: Chantal Lauby, Camille Chamoux, Giovanni Pucci Language: In French with English Subtitles Genre: Comedy, Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 38 minutes
Serving a life sentence for murder in the early 1970s, music prodigy Ike White had plenty of time to perfect his musical talent, but no hope of putting it to use in the outside world. Ike’s skills were exceptional enough, though, that his story captured the media’s attention. From this notoriety, he was able to record an album inside the prison with big-time producer Jerry Goldstein (War, Sly and the Family Stone). Superstar Stevie Wonder lobbied successfully for Ike’s early release from prison. With an acclaimed album under his belt and the support of Wonder and others in the industry, Ike was poised for stardom. But, instead, he went off the grid for over 40 years. Daniel Vernon’s mesmerizing new documentary is unpredictable and moving, echoing the strange journey of Ike White.
Director: Daniel Vernon Cast: Alvin Taylor, Greg Errico, Jerry Goldstein Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 17 minutes
Sherry Hursey (Home Improvement, Bring It On) portrays Lilly, a loving foster mom and the keeper of an enchanted lighthouse. With her spirited crew of kids, their exotic talking pets and zany friends, Lilly, uses joy, love, laughter, and song as her tools, and shows everyone that “Life is Full of Possibilities!”
Director: Daniel Carrey, Andrew Ceglio Cast: Sherry Hursey, Russell Lyons, Lizzi Jones Language: English Genre: Family Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 18 minutes
There is an obscure philosophical theory that humans should have been born with a small amount of alcohol in our blood; that modest inebriation opens our minds to the world around us, diminishing problems and increasing creativity. Intrigued, Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) and three of his friends, all weary high school teachers, embark on a risky experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday. Initial results are positive, but as the units are knocked back and stakes are raised, it becomes increasingly clear that some bold acts carry severe consequences.
Director: Thomas Vinterberg Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang Language: English Genre: Comedy, Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 57 minutes
Based on a true story of bravery and courage! The year was 1918. Aníbal Milhais was one of 75,000 Portuguese soldiers sent to Flanders in defense of the Western Front. During the Battle of the Lys, when his beleaguered unit was forced into retreat, Milhais ignored superior orders and stood his ground in the trenches. Armed only with his Lewis light machine gun, he single-handedly fought off successive waves of German attack, saving the lives of countless Allied troops. Twenty-five years later, still haunted by the memories of war, Milhais recalls the stories that led to his fame as the soldier “worth a million men.”
Director: Gonçalo Galvão Teles & Jorge Paixão da Costa Cast: João Arrais, Miguel Borges, Raimundo Cosme Language: In Portuguese with English Subtitles Genre: History, War Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Showcasing the rare talents of Brazilian acting legend Regina Casé — star of The Second Mother — the latest feature from director Sandra Kogut is a brilliant comedy about gross class disparity and the infinite resourcefulness of those who can never take anything for granted. Casé plays Madá, the fifty-something caretaker for a cluster of luxury beachside condos owned by a wealthy Rio de Janeiro family. Unfolding over the course of three consecutive summers — 2015 to 2017 — the film follows Madá as she invests in a roadside snack kiosk while tending to the every need of her condescending employers, becomes a bystander in a major money-laundering scandal, and eventually launches a whole new career. With every dizzying new turn of events, Madá manages to retain her high spirits, her sense of loyalty to those who deserve it — and her eagle eye for opportunity.
Director: Sandra Kogut Cast: Regina Casé, Rogério Fróes, Gisele Fróes Language: In Portuguese with English Subtitles Genre: Comedy, Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
A modern telling of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion.” Wren Cosgrove is a happy, single, and self-confessed workaholic who, after rising to the top of the corporate ladder, finds herself coming home every night to her cat. When her firm is hired by Owen Jasper, “the man who got away,” long-lost feelings are stirred, giving Wren a second chance at true love.
Director: Alex Appel, Jonathan Lisecki Cast: Alicia Witt, Bebe Neuwirth, Daniella Pineda Language: English Genre: Romance Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Billionaire activist George Soros is one of the most influential and controversial figures of our time. Famous for betting against the Bank of England in 1992 and making a billion dollars in one day, he is maligned by ideologues on both the left and the right for daring to tackle the world’s problems and putting his money behind his fight – from free elections and freedom of the press to civil rights for minorities. With unprecedented access to the man and his inner circle, American director Jesse Dylan follows Soros across the globe and pulls back the curtain on his personal history, private wealth, and public activism. Soros reveals a complicated genius whose experience as a Jew during the Holocaust gave rise to a lifelong crusade against authoritarianism and hate.
Director: Jesse Dylan Cast: Robert Soros, Alexander Soros, Evan Neumark Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Baseball is life for the die-hard competitors in the 100th annual Koshien, Japan’s wildly popular national high school baseball championship, whose alumni include U.S. baseball star Shohei Ohtani and former Yankee Hideki Matsui. But for Coach Mizutani and his players, cleaning the grounds and greeting their guests are equally important as honing their baseball skills. In director Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s dramatic and intimate journey to the heart of the Japanese national character, will those acts add up to victory or prove a relic of the past?
Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki Cast: Kaoru Kashiwagi, Yusei Kikuchi, Ito Kouno Language: Japanese w/ English subtitles Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Queen of Hearts follows Flack as she takes her work in a brand new direction and reveals her long-term struggles as the mother of a child with autism. Flack has something deep and genuine to communicate to the world. She is a provocateur and a rebel, an example and an inspiration. Queen of Hearts is a moving portrait of an artist who is still testing, still experimenting, still searching.
At 88 years-old, Audrey Flack holds a unique place in the history of contemporary art in America. Feminist, rebel, mother, painter, sculptor and teacher, Audrey’s often controversial 40-year career evolved from abstract expressionism in the 1950s to photorealism in the 1970s. One of the first women ever included in the famed Janson’s History of Art, Audrey continues to create, explore, and inspire with her unique style and indomitable spirit. Queen of Hearts follows Flack as she takes her work in a brand new direction and reveals her long-term struggles as the mother of a child with autism. Flack has something deep and genuine to communicate to the world. She is a provocateur and a rebel, an example and an inspiration. Queen of Hearts is a moving portrait of an artist who is still testing, still experimenting, still searching.
Lives are left in pieces after a white cop responds to a violent hostage call and kills the black suspect, only to learn he may have been set up. Facing trial, he must find the person responsible while examining his own accountability.
Following Mimosas, Oliver Laxe’s third feature brings us to his ancestral home of Galicia. Here, in this remote Spanish region, where the grandeur of nature is both beautiful and terrifying, Laxe unfolds a story of the uncontrollable forces of nature on human lives.
After serving two years in prison for arson, Amador (Amador Arias), returns to his mountainside village in north-west Spain, where he resumes a serene, if mostly solitary, existence tending cabbages and injured cows with his ageing mother, Benedicta (Benedicta Sánchez). Life resumes for the two following the rhythm of nature despite the suspicious glares of the unforgiving locals —until one night a devasting fire ignites that threatens to engulf the entire region. Stunningly captured on 16mm by DP Mauro Herce, this quietly explosive drama was the winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes last year.
During the Ming Dynasty, a Buddhist abbot charged with protecting the sacred scroll of Tripitaka prepares to name his successor. An aristocrat and a general arrive at his secluded mountaintop monastery promising to help in his search, but are in fact scheming to secure the scroll for themselves. As they set about recommending corrupt successors, rival bands of martial artists lie in wait to steal the precious artifact. Soon, the monastery is transformed into an epic battleground for the scroll, with each player caught in a web of betrayal. Called a “remarkably photographed caper heist [featuring] intriguing battles of wits and minds” (Far East Film Festival), RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN is also the peak of legendary director King Hu’s (A TOUCH OF ZEN) infusion of Buddhist spiritual principles into the legacy of martial arts cinema.
Director: King Hu Cast: Feng Hsu, Yueh Sun, Chun Shih Language: MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES Genre: Drama, Action Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours
When British aid worker Hana returns to the ancient city of Luxor, she comes across Sultan, an archeologist and former lover. As she wanders, haunted by the familiar place, she struggles to reconcile the choices of the past with the uncertainty of the present.
For more than 40 years, journalist Robert Fisk has reported on some of the most violent and divisive conflicts in the world.
Yung Chang’s This Is Not a Movie captures Fisk in action—feet on the ground, notebook in hand, as he travels into landscapes devastated by war, ferreting out the facts and firing reports back home to reach an audience of millions.
The process of translating raw experience into incisive and passionate dispatches requires the determination to see things first-hand and the tenacity to say what others won’t. In his relentless pursuit of the facts, Fisk has attracted his share of controversy. But in spite of the danger, he has continued to cover stories as they unfold, talking directly to the people involved.
In an era of fake news, when journalists are dubbed “the enemies of the people,” Fisk’s resolve to document reality has become an obsessive war to speak the truth.
Director: Yung Chang Cast: Robert Fisk, Amira Hass, Nirmeen Hazineh Language: English & Arabic with English Subtitles Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
On May 30th 2018, Ultra-runner and Cincinnati-based high school teacher Harvey Lewis III set out to attempt the Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail. The moment Harvey’s father (Jr.) offered to be his son’s crew chief, he KNEW this challenge would mean more to him than just putting in the miles. Separated from his father by divorce early in Harvey’s youth, the trail might certainly have lived up to its numerous metaphors, including the most used, “finding one’s self”, but together, he and his 78-year-old father-turned-crew-chief navigate the challenges of remote wilderness and unpredictable weather on their 2,190 mile journey to the top of Mount Katahdin. Along the way they encounter a cast of colorful characters, numerous geographic obstacles, excruciating physical pain, all the while discovering that the trail is about much more than just escape. This time, they might truly find their way back together.
Ted’s story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls.
The Guardian of Memory tells the stories of Mexican men, women, and children seeking safety in the US. Carlos Spector, an El Paso immigration lawyer, fights tirelessly to obtain political asylum for Mexicans fleeing extreme violence. This is the story about the kindness and hope that still exists in people who have endured tremendous suffering.
Three retirees decide to move away from Rome to find a better standard of living in a country where their meagre pensions will go that much further. Planning for the trip sees the trio trawl the pubs and restaurants of a sun saturated Rome and discover that even at an old age they can still learn one or two lessons about themselves and life. Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy’s laconic answer to Larry David, returns to the humanist comic territory of arthouse hits Mid-August Lunch and The Salt of Life with Citizens of the World, a warm and delightful reflection on life with characters you’ll want to spend many more hours with long after the credits roll. (Curzon)
Director: Gianni Di Gregorio Cast: Gianni Di Gregorio, Giorgio Colangeli Language: Italian with English Subtitles Genre: Comedy Rating: Not Rated Run time:
Made in response to the times we are living in, THE ANTIDOTE is a feature documentary that weaves together stories of kindness, decency, and the power of community in America. It’s about everyday people who make the intentional choice to lift others up and make their communities better, despite the fundamentally unkind ways of our society — which are at once facts of life in America, and yet deeply antithetical to our founding ideals.
Directed by Academy Award-nominee KAHANE COOPERMAN and six-time Emmy winner JOHN HOFFMAN, THE ANTIDOTE aims to drive a national conversation about the roles that kindness, decency, compassion and respect play in a civilized, democratic society. While it’s easy to court despair in the face of monumental, structural problems, THE ANTIDOTE tells stories of compassionate people intentionally leveraging the resources within themselves and their communities to give others a chance at a better life. THE ANTIDOTE isn’t about an idea or a platform; there are no historians, policy wonks, or celebrities. It is simply about how we treat each other. It is about who we are and, maybe, it’s about who we can be.
Director: Kahane Cooperman, John Hoffman Cast: Rebecca Young, The Henley family, Ron MacFarland, Tammy Hammrich Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin (played by the marvelously committed Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman. Winner of the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Director: Pietro Marcello Cast: Luca Marinelli, Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato Language: Italian with English subtitles Genre: Drama, Romance Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Winner of major prizes at the Berlin and Turin film festivals, the hauntingly beautiful debut feature from Pietro Marcello (LOST AND BEAUTIFUL, MARTIN EDEN) interweaves two love stories: the 20-year romance between a Sicilian tough guy and a transsexual former junkie whom he met in prison, and a poetic reverie of the Italian port town of Genoa, depicted in all its mysterious, fading glory. Commissioned by the Fondazione San Marcellino, a Jesuit order dedicated to helping society’s poor and marginalized, THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF masterfully combines documentary with fiction and melancholy home movies from the past century with poetic images, sounds, and music of the waterfront today.
Director: Pietro Marcello Cast: Vincenzo Motta, Mary Monaco, Franco Leo Language: Italian with English subtitles Genre: Documentary, Romance Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 10 minutes
In a world of super-villains, evil schemes, and global domination, someone has to take out the trash. Welcome to the world of Henchmen, third class. When Lester, a fresh-faced recruit, joins the Union of Evil, he is assigned to a motley crew of blue-collar workers led by fallen henchmen, Hank. But when Lester accidentally steals a super villain’s ultimate weapon, Hank must break his risk-nothing code to save the boy he’s befriended, even if it means becoming the one thing he has always avoided: a hero.
Director: Adam Wood Cast: Rosario Dawson, James Marsden, Nathan Fillion Language: English Genre: Kids, Animation Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 25 minutes
For 65 years and counting, Burk Uzzle has created some of the most iconic photographs in American history. From Martin Luther King to Woodstock to America’s small towns and back roads, Uzzle’s photographs have provided a breathtaking commentary on American civil rights, race, social justice, and art.
Grounded in documentary photography when he was hired by LIFE magazine at age 23, Uzzle’s work grew into a combination of split-second impressions reflecting the human condition during his tenure at the international Magnum cooperative (founded by one of his mentors, Henri Cartier-Bresson).
An electrifying fusion of music, image, and dialogue, “F11 and Be There” captures the life and artistry of this most unique American photographer.
“Critic’s Pick! Burk Uzzle, the subject of this unusually distinctive documentary, doesn’t have the name recognition of Bill Cunningham or Jay Maisel, two lensmen highlighted in recent features, but he should. The film is as beautifully composed as Uzzle’s pictures. The director Jethro Waters also shot the movie, a subtle feast of light and color.” -Glenn Kenny, The New York Times
“With its behind-the-scenes look at one of America’s best photographic practitioners and its depiction of a man with the soul of a true artist, ‘F11 and Be There’ should be required viewing for aspiring artists everywhere. In a world filled with darkness, this film shines a little light.” -Rod Machen, Cinapse
After many years of prescription medications failed her, a suicidal woman turns to underground healers to try and overcome her depression, anxiety, and opioid addiction with illegal psychedelic medicine such as magic mushrooms and iboga.
Adrianne’s first dose of psilocybin mushrooms catapulted her into an unexpected world of healing where plant medicines are redefining our understanding of mental health and addiction.
Anat (Naama Preis, Best Actress winner at the Jerusalem Film Festival) has never been able to reach her father’s exacting musical standards, so the family’s hope of producing a talented composer rests on her unborn son. After giving birth to a deaf child, Anat takes drastic measures to ensure that he becomes the musical prodigy her father always wanted. But when the boy grows up indifferent to achieving his destiny as a great pianist, Anat is forced to stand up to her father and confront the harsh realities of her past.
Director: Itay Tal Cast: Naama Preis, Andy Levi, Ze’ev Shimshoni Language: Hebrew with English Subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 20 minutes
With his trumpet he turned the Tijuana Brass into gold, earning 15 gold and 14 platinum records; He has won nine Grammys Awards between 1966 and 2014, and received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in 2012.
Herb co-founded the indie label, A & M Records with his business partner, Jerry Moss, which recorded artists as varied as Carole King, Cat Stevens, The Carpenters, Janet Jackson, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendes, and The Police. A&M would go on to become one of the most successful independent labels in history. He has shown his striking work as an abstract painter and sculptor, worldwide. And through the Herb Alpert Foundation, he has given significant philanthropic support of educational programs in the arts nationwide, from the Harlem School of the Arts and Los Angeles City College to CalArts and UCLA.
John Scheinfeld’s documentary Herb Alpert is… profiles the artist, now 85, mostly from the perspective of colleagues like Questlove, Sting, and Bill Moyers. In their words, the shy, unassuming trumpeter is a musical, artistic and philanthropic heavyweight.
Director: John Scheinfeld Cast: Michael Shapiro, Sting, Billy Bob Thorton Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 55 minutes
SAUL & RUBY’S HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR BAND, is a feature documentary (80 min.) directed and produced by Tod Lending, an Oscar nominated and national Emmy winning documentary filmmaker. It is a story full of comedy and tragedy as it follows the inspiring story of these two unique and unusual men. Their musical journey begins in total obscurity, playing in residential homes for the elderly and small Jewish community organizations, to then being invited to perform at venues across the country, including a coveted performance at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.
A month after receiving a fatal diagnosis in January 2015, Oliver Sacks sat down for a series of filmed interviews in his apartment in New York City. For eighty hours, surrounded by family, friends, and notebooks from six decades of thinking and writing about the brain, he talked about his life and work, his abiding sense of wonder at the natural world, and the place of human beings within it. Drawing on these deeply personal reflections, as well as nearly two dozen interviews with close friends, family members, colleagues and patients, and archival material from every point in his life, this film is the story of a beloved doctor and writer who redefined our understanding of the brain and mind.
The Keeper tells the incredible true story of Bert Trautmann (David Kross, The Reader), a German soldier and prisoner of war who, against a backdrop of British post-war protest and prejudice, secures the position of Goalkeeper at Manchester City, and in doing so becomes a footballing icon.
His signing causes outrage to thousands of fans, many of them Jewish. But Bert receives support from an unexpected direction: Rabbi Alexander Altmann, who fled the Nazis. Bert’s love for Margaret (Freya Mavor), an Englishwoman, carries him through and he wins over even his harshest opponents by winning the 1956 FA Cup Final, playing on with a broken neck to secure victory. But fate will soon twist the knife for Bert and Margaret, when their love and loyalty to each other is put to the ultimate test.
Director: Marcus H. Rosenmüller Cast: David Kross, Freya Mavor, John Henshaw Language: English and German with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours
The Varsity Theatre in Davis presents “A Chef’s Voyage” on Virtual Cinema. When you buy a ticket, 50% of the proceeds go straight back to the Varsity to support them during this difficult time.
“A Chef’s Voyage” follows the celebrated American Chef David Kinch and his team from Manresa, their 3 Star Michelin restaurant in California, for a one-of-a-kind collaboration with three legendary French chefs at their iconic restaurants in Paris, Provence, and Marseille.
To mark the 15th anniversary of Manresa, Kinch decides to close shop for a month so he and his staff can embark on their France voyage. Planning the trip takes months and the logistics are tricky: how to sneak the food on flights; unfamiliar host kitchens; a language barrier and more.
We go behind the scenes as the Manresa crew attempts to stage nine major meals over 10 days in the world’s most cinematic venues, alongside culinary superstars, with the world watching (and tasting) — all to celebrate 15 years of Manresa excellence by doing what Chef Kinch and his team do best: creating meals and experiences worthy of those three stars.
Director: Rémi Anfosso Cast: David Kinch, Jean-André Charial, Glenn Viel Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
A film about Northern Vogue and its people. Deep in Vogue celebrates the colorful, queer, emotional and political stories of Northern Vogue and its people. Synonymous with the black, gay ballrooms of 1980s New York this documentary asks why we need Vogue in Manchester now more than ever. Over the course of a year, film makers Dennis Keighron-Foster and Amy Watson charted the buildup to the Manchester ICONS Vogue Ball. Exploring themes from the internal politics of Vogue to its external politics like disenfranchisement of black youth, LGBT issues, a shrinking welfare state, a dearth of art spaces and modes of expression, a reductive and commercialized gay scene and a lack of safe spaces for the truly different. DEEP IN VOGUE is about people coming to love and accept themselves, finding a new family through vogue. The film explores the history of vogue and ballroom, in which Black and Latinx gay men and trans people sought an aspirational artistic outlet in the 1980s, in much the same way that gay, queer, trans and QTIPOC people seek a safe space today.
Director: Dennis Keighron Foster, Amy Watson Cast: Joshua Hubbard, Asttina Mandella, Darren Pritchard Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour
If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. The documentary charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this engaging portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history.
As a juror at Jacques Viguier’s trial, Nora is convinced that he did not kill his wife. This intuition quickly becomes an obsession. She persuades the most famous lawyer in the country to defend him. Together they start a compulsive fight to prove his innocence against all odds. That quest has a price they might not be ready to pay.
Director: Antoine Raimbault Cast: Marina Fois, Oliver Gourmet Language: French with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
The State of Texas vs. Melissa explores the life journey of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman to be sentenced to death in the state of Texas. For ten years she has been awaiting her fate — and she now faces her last appeal.
Epicentro is an immersive and metaphorical portrait of post-colonial, “utopian” Cuba, where the 1898 explosion of the U.S.S. Maine still resonates. This Big Bang ended Spanish colonial dominance in the Americas and ushered in the era of the American Empire. At the same time and place, a powerful tool of conquest was born: cinema as propaganda. In his latest film, Academy Award nominee Hubert Sauper (Darwin’s Nightmare) explores a century of interventionism and myth-making together with the extraordinary people of Havana—who he calls “young prophets”—to interrogate time, imperialism and cinema itself.
Director: Hubert Sauper Cast: Oona Chaplin Language: English and Spanish with English subtitles Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
When Jane (Sally Hawkins) is dumped at the altar she has a breakdown and spirals into a chaotic world, where love (both real and imagined) and family relationships collide with both touching and humorous consequences.
Director: Craig Roberts Cast: David Thewlis, Billie Piper, Sally Hawkins Language: English Genre: Drama, Comedy Rating: R for language and some sexuality Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Eva is about to turn 33 and her decision to stay in Madrid in August has become an act of faith. The days and nights arise as times for opportunities, and during the openair summer celebrations Eva meets other people whom she tries to help, without realising that she is actually helping herself. La virgen de agosto (The August Virgin) is a diary-film: the intimate journey of a woman in search of revelations; a rather philosophical and somewhat mystical summer story which is fun and festive from start to finish.
Director: Jonas Trueba Cast: Itsaso Arana, Vito Sanz Language: Spanish with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Based on harrowing true events, SONG WITHOUT A NAME tells the story of Georgina, an indigenous Andean woman whose newborn baby is whisked away moments after its birth in a downtown Lima clinic – and never returned. Stonewalled by a byzantine and indifferent legal system, Georgina approaches journalist Pedro Campas, who uncovers a web of fake clinics and abductions – suggesting a rotting corruption deep within Peruvian society. Set in 1988, in a Peru wracked by political violence and turmoil, Melina León’s heart-wrenching first feature renders Georgina’s story in gorgeous, shadowy black-and-white cinematography, “styled like the most beautiful of bad dreams” (Variety).
Director: Melina León Cast: Pamela Mendoza, Tommy Párraga, Lucio Rojas Language: Spanish with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 37 minutes
November 1999: 67-year-old Trond (Stellan Skarsgård), lives in self-imposed isolation and looks forward to welcoming in the new millennium alone. As winter arrives he meets one of his few neighbors, Lars (Bjørn Floberg), and realizes he knew him back in the summer of 1948. 1948 – the year Trond turned 15. The summer Trond grew up.
OUT STEALING HORSES is based on the bestselling novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson, which received several important international awards and was included in The New York Times ’10 Best Books of 2007 (Fiction)’. Petterson’s novels have been translated into more than 50 languages.
Immediately following the film there will be a pre-recorded discussion between Stellan Skarsgard and director Hans Peter Moller. This conversation is exclusive to virtual cinema and in-theater engagements.
Director: Hans Petter Moland Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Bjørn Floberg, Tobias Santelmann Language: English Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 2 hours 3 minutes
The Fight is an inspiring, emotional insider look at how these important battles are fought and the legal gladiators on the front lines fighting them. Directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres capture the rollercoaster ride of the thrill and defeat in these deeply human battles. When a mother is separated from her child, a soldier is threatened to lose his career, a young woman’s right to choose is imperiled at the pleasure of a government official, and the ability to exercise our basic right to vote is threatened, the consequences can be devastating to us and to future generations. The Fight celebrates the unsung heroes who fiercely work to protect our freedoms.
Immediately following the film there will be a pre-recorded discussion between Kerry Washington and the five ACLU lawyers featured in the film (Brigitte Amiri, Lee Gelernt, Dale Ho, Joshua Block and Chase Strangio). This conversation is exclusive to virtual cinema and in-theater engagements. Additionally, you’ll have free access to a live Q&A on Sun. 8/2 at 7:00pm ET with the filmmakers and lawyers, moderated by Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post. Click here to view the live Q&A page. (This will be also be archived and available beyond 8/2.)
Director: Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman Cast: Lee Gelernt, David Ho Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: PG-13 for strong language, thematic material and brief violence Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Henri is a middle-aged writer with fading inspiration. Feeling increasingly misunderstood by his family, he dreams of running away to start over again. Yet when he discovers a bad-mannered dog in his garden, he decides to adopt him, starting an unexpected friendship that inevitably upsets Henri’s family and neighbors. The bittersweet and moving comedy about love standing the test of time stars iconic real-life couple Charlotte Gainsbourg and Yvan Attal.
Director: Yvan Attal Cast: Yvan Attal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Eric Ruf Language: French with English Subtitles Genre: Comedy Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Koji Fukada’s followup to the critically-acclaimed HARMONIUM (also available from Film Movement), A GIRL MISSING “is a satisfying slow-burn drama expertly told” (Screen Daily). Ichiko is a private home-nurse who has worked for the elder matriarch of the Oishos for years and regards them as her own family. Ichiko’s quiet, routine life is shattered when a young member of the Oishos clan is kidnapped. When it is revealed that the kidnapper is none other than Ichiko’s nephew, her life begins to unravel in this taut thriller from one of Japan’s current cinematic masters.
Director: KOJI FUKADA Cast: Mariko Tsutsui, Mikako Ichikawa, Sôsuke Ikematsu Language: JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Isolated from the outside world, fifteen-year-old Lara (Hannah Rae) lives in seclusion on a vast country estate with her father and strict governess Miss Fontaine (Jessica Raine). Late one evening, a mysterious carriage crash brings a young girl into their home to recuperate. Lara immediately becomes enchanted by this strange visitor who arouses her curiosity and awakens her burgeoning desires.
This atmospheric coming-of-age tale is inspired by the 1872 Gothic vampire novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
AMULET follows Tomaz (Secareanu), a former soldier who is left homeless after an accident and takes refuge in the decaying home of Magda (Juri), a lonely young woman in desperate need of help as she cares for her ailing mother. At first hesitant, Magda soon welcomes Tomaz into their lives. But as he gets closer to and begins to fall for Magda, Tomaz notices strange and unexplainable phenomena. Something seems very wrong with the mysterious old woman who never leaves the top floor, and Tomaz begins to suspect that Magda may in fact be a prisoner to her otherworldly bidding.
In addition to the feature, you’ll also have access to a pre-recorded discussion between director Romola Garai and Caryn Coleman of The Future of Film is Female, made available exclusively for virtual cinema engagements of the film.
Director: Romola Garai Cast: Carla Juri, Alec Secareanu, Imelda Staunton and Angeliki Papoulia Language: English Genre: Horror Rating: R for some strong violence, bloody images, a sexual assault, and brief language and nudity Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
SamSam seems like he has it all: great family, great friends, and even his own flying saucer. But he’s still trying to find one thing that will make his life even better – actual superpowers. Thanks to Mega, a mysterious new student in school, SamSam’s about to find them – and learn what it really takes to fight monsters, and how many ways there are to be a hero.
Seventeen-year-old Franz journeys to Vienna to apprentice at a tobacco shop. There he meets Sigmund Freud (Bruno Ganz, “Wings of Desire”, “Downfall”), a regular customer, and over time the two very different men form a singular friendship. When Franz falls desperately in love with the music-hall dancer Anezka, he seeks advice from the renowned psychoanalyst, who admits that the female sex is as big a mystery to him as it is to Franz. As political and social conditions in Austria dramatically worsen with the Nazis’ arrival in Vienna, Franz, Freud, and Anezka are swept into the maelstrom of events. Each has a big decision to make: to stay or to flee?
Director: Nicholas Leytner Cast: Simon Morzé, Bruno Ganz, Johannes Krisch Language: English Genre: Drama, History, War Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 57 minutes
It’s been decades since Caine, Bronson, Angus and Wendell escaped a POW camp. Now, they’re sharing a new prison, Hogan Hills Retirement Home. The four band together for an escape plan, but the rules of engagement have changed—and so has what they’re fighting for. Never Too Late is a heartwarming story about how you’re never too old to chase your dreams.
Director: Mark Lamprell Cast: James Cromwell, Jacki Weaver, Dennis Waterman Language: English Genre: Drama, Comedy Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
The Magistrate of an isolated frontier settlement on the border of an unnamed empire looks forward to an easy retirement until the arrival of Colonel Joll, whose task it is to report on the activities of the ‘barbarians’ and on the security situation on the border. Joll conducts a series of ruthless interrogations, which leads the Magistrate to question his loyalty to the empire.
A fast living, cynical London music executive (Daniel Mays) heads to a remote Cornish village on a stag weekend where he’s pranked by his boss (Noel Clarke) into trying to sign a group of shanty singing fishermen (led by James Purefoy). He becomes the ultimate “fish out of water” as he struggles to gain the respect or enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band and their families (including Tuppence Middleton) who value friendship and community over fame and fortune. As he’s drawn deeper into the traditional way of life he’s forced to reevaluate his own integrity and ultimately question what success really means.
Director: Chris Foggin Cast: James Purefoy, Meadow Nobrega, David Hayman Language: English Genre: Drama, Comedy, Music Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, and suggestive references Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes
The fervent attraction between Georgie (Kelly Macdonald), a woman stuck in a loveless relationship, and Lu (Garrett Hedlund), a musician with a tragic past, gets the better of them when secrets are uncovered that will change their lives. Based on the critically acclaimed novel by iconic Australian writer Tim Winton, Dirt Music is a tale of love and redemption, set against the awe-inspiring backdrop of the Australian West.
Director: Gregor Jordan Cast: Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Hedlund, David Wenham Language: English Genre: Drama, Romance, Crime Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Lise (16 years old) is accused of murdering her best friend. As the trial starts, her parents stand right by her side. But once her secret life is revealed in court, the truth becomes indistinguishable.
“I love you” means nothing. Everyone says “I love you”. A young girl called to the witness stand casually drops these disarmingly simple words that are enough to give one chills. That is a recurring feeling throughout this unusually precise courtroom drama, where words and their power are at the center of attention. In this case, the legal proceedings become the ritual of a society putting its own youth on trial.
Director: Stéphane Demoustier Cast: Roschdy Zem, Chiara Mastroianni, Melissa Guers Language: French with English Subtitles Genre: Crime, Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Albert Topaze (Peter Sellers), a poor but proud French schoolmaster, loses his job after he refuses to alter the failing grades of one of his students. Seizing the opportunity to exploit his honesty, actress Suzy Courtois (Nadia Gray) convinces her lover, the corrupt city council member Castel Benac (Herbert Lom), to hire Topaze as a managing director for one of his shady businesses.
Seller’s lone directorial effort, MR. TOPAZE displays the British comic genius at the peak of his powers alongside his future Pink Panther nemesis Herbert Lom and a stellar supporting cast that includes Nadia Gray, Leo McKern, Billie Whitelaw and Michael Gough. Long considered a “lost” classic, MR. TOPAZE was digitally restored in 2K from the last surviving 35mm prints held in the BFI National Archive.
Director: Peter Sellers Cast: Nadia Gray, Leo McKern, Billie Whitelaw Language: English Genre: Comedy, Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 40 minutes
In his first feature, director Bill Duke (The Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover) traces the racial and class conflicts seething in the Chicago’s giant slaughterhouses, and the brutal efforts of management to divide the workforce along ethnic lines, which eventually boiled over in the Chicago Race Riot of 1919. Winner of the Special Jury Award at Sundance Film Festival, 1985. Starring Damien Leake (Serpico, Apocalypse Now), Alfre Woodard (Crooklyn, Down in the Delta). Screenplay by African American playwright Leslie Lee, based on a Story by executive producer Elsa Rassbach.
Marona is a half-breed Labrador whose life leaves deep traces among the humans she encounters. After an accident, she reflects on all the homes and different experiences she’s had. As Marona’s memory journeys into the past, her unfailing empathy and love brings lightness and innocence into each of her owners’ lives.
Director: Anca Damian Cast: Lizzie Brocheré, Bruno Salomone, Thierry Hancisse Language: French with English Subtitles Genre: Family, Animated Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
One of the great adventurers of the 20th century, George Plimpton embarked on a lifelong journey akin to fictional characters such as Forrest Gump and Indiana Jones. He hung out with U.S. Presidents, played quarterback for the Detroit Lions, forced Willie Mays to pop out in Yankee Stadium, photographed Playboy models, was named the “Most Eligible Bachelor in Manhattan” by Esquire Magazine, played goalie for the Boston Bruins, struck the triangle for the New York Philharmonic and acted alongside John Wayne, Warren Beatty and Matt Damon. Some of these things he did well. Some he didn’t. But they were always amusing and inspiring. Witty, sophisticated, urbane and yet a man of the people, he embodied the American optimism of 1960s and ’70s. He co-founded and edited one of the most influential literary magazines in history, The Paris Review for 50 years, and in the process, he innovated a writing technique called participatory journalism. This gave Plimpton a unique perspective on the activities he wrote about, perhaps most famously with Paper Lion, a bestseller, which has never left the conversation of the greatest sports books of all-time.
Director: Tom Bean, Luke Poling Cast: Ken Burns, Ric Burns, Graydon Carter Language: English Genre: Documentary Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
José lives with his mother in Guatemala. It’s a tough life in one of the most violent and religious countries. When he meets Luis, he’s thrust into new-found passion and pain.
Director: Li Cheng Cast: Enrique Salanic, Manolo Herrera, Ana Cecilia Mota Language: Spanish with English subtitles Genre: Drama Rating: Not Rated Run time: 1 hour 25 minutes