
Monday, January 27 at 7pm
Once Upon a Time in Uganda
Directed by Cathryne Czubek (U.S. 2023) 94 min. DCP.
In this uplifting documentary set in the heart of Uganda, two unlikely friends from opposite sides of the world unite over their shared love of Chuck Norris and gonzo ’80s action flicks. With sheer determination and an outrageous sense of humor, they team up to create their own explosive movies, catapulting Wakaliwood to international stardom and bringing laughter and joy to millions. Take a look behind the scenes of Wakaliwood, a world like no other, where you can definitely “expect the unexpectable.”
“Once Upon a Time in Uganda reminds you how the art of moviemaking can make dreams real.” – New York Times

Monday, February 3rd at 7pm
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Directed by Robert Wiene (Germany 1919) 75 min. DCP. With Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover.
One of the greatest horror movies of the silent era, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari also probably remains the ultimate expression of narrative through set design: the film’s angled shadows and interiors reflect a chilling tale of mind control and somnambulistic murder.

Monday, February 10th at 7pm
The Maltese Falcon
Directed by John Huston (U.S. 1941) 100 min. 35MM. With Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre.
The rules of the game keep changing in this proto film noir. Screenwriter-turned-director John Huston helmed the third adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel, a screen version whose ensemble acting plays no small part in its iconic stature. Bogart’s Sam Spade established the private detective persona in the genre of the same name, Mary Astor is luminously intelligent and Peter Lorre’s cosmopolitan crook is at once menacing and comic. Preserved by the Library of Congress.

Monday, February 17th at 7pm
Breathless
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard (France 1960) 90 min. 35MM. With Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger. French with English subtitles.
Godard burst onto the film scene with this jazzy, free-form and sexy homage to the American film genres that inspired him. With its lack of polish, surplus of attitude, anything-goes crime narrative and effervescent young stars, Breathless helped launch the French New Wave and ensured cinema would never be the same.

Monday, February 24th at 7pm
About Elly
Directed by Asghar Farhadi (Iran, France 2009) 114 min. DCP With Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Taraneh Alidoosti. Persian and German with English subtitles.
A gripping mystery from the Academy Award winning director of A Separation. With the return of their close friend Ahmad from Germany, a group of old college pals decide to reunite for a weekend outing by the Caspian Sea. The fun starts right away as they quickly catch on to the plan of lively Sepideh, who has brought along Elly, her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, in hopes of setting her up with recently divorced Ahmad. But seemingly trivial lies, which start accumulating from the moment the group arrives at the seashore, suddenly swing round and come back full force when one afternoon Elly suddenly vanishes.
“This superb ensemble drama, nearly the equal of Farhadi’s Oscar-winning A Separation, must be seen, but with as little prior knowledge as possible. Farhadi and his editor Hayedeh Safiyari are masters of withholding information until the suspense becomes almost unbearable. About Elly shows that the ethical dilemmas of ordinary adults can, with this level of talent, become as gripping as any thriller.” – Farran Smith Nehme, the New York Post

Monday, March 3rd at 7pm
The Big Combo
Joseph H. Lewis (U.S. 1955) 89 min. 35MM. With Richard Conte, Cornell Wilde, Jean Wallace.
In a city of unsympathetic characters, a gangster (Conte) is hunted by a cop (Wilde) who is driven not by the law, but by his obsessive attachment to an ex-mistress (Wallace) – now a suicidal moll dating the ruthless criminal. In the film’s depiction of this romantic yet sadomasochistic relationship (as elsewhere), Lewis fought with Hollywood’s censorship board about violence and deviancy, much of which remains – whether on-screen, implied, or evoked by John Alton’s bold chiaroscuro cinematography. 35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive; restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation.

Monday, March 17th at 7pm
Atlantics
Mati Diop (France, Senegal, Belgium, 2019) 105 min. DCP. With Mame Bineta Sane, Amadou Mbow, Traore, Nicole Sougou. Wolof with English subtitles.
In Senegal’s bustling capital, two young lovers sneak private moments with the urgency of youthful desire, knowing their time is limited, as Ada (newcomer Sané) is soon to be wed to a wealthy but frivolous man. Meanwhile, Souleiman (first-time actor Traoré) hasn’t been paid for weeks and is forced to leave land for the sea in hopes of finding a better life. When he sets off, Ada is haunted by his memory and, then, perhaps more. Like the works of Claire Denis and Matías Piñeiro, Diop’s film rejects a simple narrative framework, instead focusing on the poetic and thoughtful, with politics that simmer beneath the surface. And like her uncle, the iconic filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty — whose work also explored migration — she refuses a reductive portrait of those dreaming of a better life. Leaving comparisons aside, Diop stands very much on her own two feet with an evocative and stunning study of how love and loss haunts us all. Known for her work in front of the camera (starting with Claire Denis’ 35 Rhums) and her body of short films, Mati Diop made her highly anticipated leap to feature filmmaking. The jump was an assured one, as Atlantics picked up the Jury Grand Prize in Cannes Competition, making Diop the first Black woman to win an award in the French festival’s 72-year history (Toronto International Film Festival program notes).