“Beautifully realized.... Both desolate and exquisite.” —The Hollywood Reporter
Three stories of migration, exile and memory develop in the Cuban town of San Antonio de los Banos, a place that time forgot. Brilliantly capturing the complexity of life in Cuba today with striking cinematography and a remarkable cast of first-time actors, Oceans are the Real Continents is a “wistful and poetic journey sure to linger on in memory” (InReview Online).
“The first South African film to truly represent apartheid onscreen.” —OkayAfrica
Widely considered one of the most influential African motion pictures of all time, MAPANTSULA has been newly restored in 4K from the original 35MM negative. During demonstrations in apartheid-era South Africa, the police arrest Panic (Thomas Mogotlane), a “mapantsula” or petty gangster, while rounding up activists. His interrogation reveals the motivation for his involvement in the township riots. Now, he is forced to choose between his personal freedom and taking a stand in the fight against the oppressive apartheid government.
“Melodic and meaningful. Calming and humanizing.” —Variety
How is happiness measured? Can satisfaction with one’s life be rated on a scale from one to ten? AGENT OF HAPPINESS is a holistic exploration of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index, using “meaningful visual contrast to scrutinize Bhutan’s narrative about itself,” (Variety). Filmmakers Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó carefully craft a visually stunning, tender narrative around the age-old quest to find the purpose of life.
“Transforms from eccentric dramedy into a gripping, metatextual thriller.” —Washington City Paper
A steamy encounter with a new neighbor who has gone missing leads the recently unemployed Lucia to take on work as a cab driver in hopes of finding the man that reawakened her latent sexuality. Slyly fusing genres while subverting their expectations, Antonio Méndez Esparza’s SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN is sexy, daring and ultimately liberating. Esparza pushes the mid-life crisis to its exuberant extreme.
“[A]lmost impossible to forget once you have seen it.” —Japan on Film
As the police investigate a sudden rash of brutal murders, the unscrupulous killer’s murky motivations remain hauntingly elusive. Although director Tai Kato worked within the studio system mostly on genre films, his distinctly bold and somber style proved him a maverick auteur, with I, THE EXECUTIONER one of his most incendiary masterpieces.
“A pure pleasure. [Tai Kato] create[s] films of superb craftsmanship and personal style. ” —Los Angeles Times
In postwar Japan, a downtrodden neighborhood is nearly torn apart when a Korean gang tries to take over the local market. As anger escalates to the brink, tough as nails WWII veteran Dr. Amamiya (played by real life former yakuza Noboru Ando) steps in to stop the conflict. Director Tai Kato’s groundbreaking feature takes on controversial societal issues in a seamless blend of melodrama and action.
“Fascinating…A frank exploration of a seriously hot topic.” — Screen Daily
Filmmakers Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck examine one of the latest major breakthroughs in AI technology – open language models that enable realistic conversations with virtual reality avatars built using characteristics of the deceased. In essence, bringing the dead to digital life. “A sprawling portrait of the emerging business that is digital afterlife technology,” (Rolling Stone), ETERNAL YOU both glimpses what the future of death in capitalism holds and examines what the human costs might be.
“A stunning return. A quietly astonishing new movie.” —The New Yorker
Over three decades after the release of his previous film, revered Spanish auteur Víctor Erice (The Spirit of the Beehive, El Sur, and Dream of Light) returns with a “poignant cinematic swan song” (The Hollywood Reporter). A reflective culmination of Erice’s career in film, Close Your Eyes is a haunting meditation on memory, absence, and the enduring resonance of the moving image.
“Wonderous...thrilling...a necessary watch.” —Variety
OBSESSED WITH LIGHT pulls back the curtain on Loïe Fuller (1862-1928), a wildly original performer who pioneered modern dance though combining fabric and movement to develop a completely new kind of spectacle. Creating a dialogue between the past and the present, filmmakers Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum delve into the astonishing influence Fuller's work has had on contemporary culture including artists like Taylor Swift, Bill T. Jones, Shakira, William Kentridge, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among many others.
“This shaggy-dog hipster road film is [Robert] Frank’s ultimate work.” —Village Voice
One of the great cult classics of the 1980s and starring character actors Kevin J O’Conner and Harris Yulin, the supporting cast features real-life music legends Tom Waits, Leon Redbone, Joe Strummer, Dr. John, David Johansen and more. “A wry, laid-back Heart of Darkness" (Chicago Reader), Candy Mountain combines the keen eye of legendary photographer Robert Frank with novelist/screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer’s mythic American prose to produce the quintessential road movie.
“Pure arthouse bliss. It’s stunning.” —Rolling Stone
Traversing time and space, Lisandro Alonso presents a meditation on the experiences of indigenous peoples across the Americas. Opening in the Old West, reality transitions to present day South Dakota and then to the jungles of 1970s Brazil. Featuring three-time Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen, EUREKA is a graceful refraction of history and place, marking it Alonso’s “most expansive and ambitious film to date” (Screen Anarchy).
“5/5. A compelling, visually exquisite piece of work.” —The Guardian
Simultaneously a sensual evocation of discovering the adult world and a sober reflection of what it represents, Robin Campillo’s anticipated follow-up to his acclaimed 120 BPM weaves together the personal and political in a “visually spectacular [and] masterful portrayal of colonialism through a child’s eyes” (The Upcoming).