12-year-old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids, and Bailey, who is approaching puberty, seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
Director: Andrea Arnold
Runtime: 119 min
Rated R
Once known as a Polish Catholic town, Hamtramck, MI is now home to America’s first Muslim-majority city. As election season approaches, candidates set out to win hearts, minds and votes in this rapidly changing city. Going behind the scenes of small-town politics, HAMTRAMCK, USA explores the beauty and challenges that come with multiculturalism.
Directors: Justin Feltman, Razi Jafri
Runtime: 93 min
In the early 1970s, the military dictatorship in Brazil reaches its height. The Paiva family - Rubens, Eunice, and their five children - live in a beachside house in Rio, open to all their friends. One day, Rubens is taken for questioning and does not return.
Director: Walter Salles
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 138 min
Halim has been married to Mina for a long time, with whom he runs a traditional caftan store in the medina (old town) of Salé, Morocco. The couple has always lived with Halim's secret – his homosexuality – about which he has learned to keep quiet. However, Mina's illness and the arrival of a young apprentice upsets this balance. United in their love, each will help the other face his fears.
Director: Maryam Touzani
Not Rated
Runtime: 122 minutes
Filmed over ten years, INHERITANCE immerses audiences in a family of love, struggle, and hope as experienced through the eyes and ears of one boy, Curtis, and five generations of his extended family. Grandma and family matriarch, Cheryl, guides audiences into Curtis' world. Leaving boyhood, but not his family, behind, Curtis moves toward an uncertain future.
Directors: Amy Toensing, Matt Moyer
Runtime: 85 min
Not Rated
The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons. Starring Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Danny Glover, and more.
Director: Wes Anderson
Rating: R
Runtime: 110 min
A family's vacation to a remote getaway takes an unexpected turn when they discover the island they're on is inhabited by a serial killer.
Director: Steffen Haars
Runtime: 86 min
Rating: R
Azra (Amrit Kaur from The Sex Lives of College Girls) is worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined; from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming- of-age in rural Canada.
Dir: Fawzia Mirza
Runtime: 99 min
In this adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel, Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) lives with her mother, father and sisters in the English countryside. As the eldest, she faces mounting pressure from her parents to marry. When the outspoken Elizabeth is introduced to the handsome and upper-class Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), sparks fly. Although there is obvious chemistry between the two, Darcy's overly reserved nature threatens the fledgling relationship.
Dir: Joe Wright
Rating: PG
Runtime: 129 minutes
Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences. Animated. Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Runtime: 85 min
Rating: PG
For a full Fire Up All Night event lineup, visit Light’s, Camera, Fire Up!…
Fire Up All Night is a free late-night event open only to current Central Michigan University students. Among many other activities, the event will feature a collection of short films made by current and former Central Michigan student filmmakers. Including:
OFFICE HOURS (Director: Felipe Fernandes). What starts as a routine day-in-the-life documentary of a cocky film professor spirals into a hilariously absurd battle of power between him and his students. Runtime: 11 minutes
1/14TH (Director: Felipe Fernandes). What starts as a romantic anniversary evening between Andrew and Grace, complete with homemade Italian food and candlelight, quickly spirals into chaos when a tasteless joke reveals cracks in their seemingly perfect relationship. Runtime: 6 minutes
THE VIDEO KILLER (Director: Mike Horbatiuk). A social media influencer and her cameraman search for the identity of a serial killer infamous for recording their victim’ deaths. Runtime 11 minutes
THE GAME (Director: Ryan Glant). A man loses a chess game but finds inspiration never to give up. Runtime: 2 minutes
PLAY ME FIRST (Director: Kyle King). Runtime: 10 minutes
MEET THE FINLEYS (Director: Mike Horbatiuk). A couple coming home from a vacation discover something's up with their household after they come home to the unlocked door.
A HEARTBEAT AWAY (Director: Abhinav Nannapaneni). Dr. Varun Varma, a renowned Interventional Cardiologist from New York, returns to his small hometown of Pleasant Hills to volunteer at the local hospital. There, he crosses paths with Karan, a 16-year-old struggling to care for his 14-year-old sister, Soni, who suffers from a severe heart condition. Orphaned after a tragic accident, Karan faces mounting desperation, leading him down a dangerous path to support his sister. Though their worlds are vastly different, the encounter between Dr. Varma and Karan begins an unexpected journey that challenges them, forcing Dr. Varma to confront an ethical dilemma that could change their lives forever. Runtime: 29 minutes
The event will also feature a screening of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert). A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led. Runtime: 139 minutes
An all-star ensemble cast shines in this comical and poignant look at breakups, breakdowns and breakthroughs. Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood co-star in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - a memorable film that The Wall Street Journal calls "a romantic comedy unlike any other!"
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Jane Adams, David Cross, Deirdre O'Connell, Debbon Ayer
Directed by Michel Gondry
Written by Charlie Kaufman
A man is sent on a clandestine business trip by a shadowy executive. The details of the journey withheld even from him, the man must follow a series of mysterious clues to uncover the true nature of his mission.
Directed by Paul Osborne.
Q&A with Producer Melanie Starks (a Mt. Pleasant native and CMU grad) after the film.
HELL WEEK, a short film written by and starring CMU grad Mirejah Cruz, will screen immediately before FLUORESCENT BEAST. Nikki's dark secret quickly unravels when her monthly monster comes knocking at her door. Cruz, who also stars in the short, will be on hand for the Q&A after the show, as well.
From Award Winning director Matthew Wagner comes When Hope Breaks Through, the inspiring story of Mike Shoreman, a disabled paddleboarder who attempts to become the first person with disabilities to cross all five Great Lakes. In 2018 Mike was diagnosed with a neurological condition that left him paralyzed, with vertigo, hearing and vision loss, ultimately leading to depression and a mental health breakdown. This riveting documentary explores the current state of the mental health crisis in Canada and our relationships with our own mental health. The film immerses the audience in Mike's epic five crossings, encompassing over 300 kilometers of open water paddling with his dedicated crossings team. Together these strangers come together and form an inseparable bond as they face and conquer obstacles from boats breaking down, medical emergencies to hallucinations and everything in between.
Directed by: Matthew Wagner.
Preceded by the short documentary FUNCTIONAL ART from the same Director.
**Michigan Premiere**
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself. Shuchi Talati’s debut film offers a sensitive and distinctive take on the fraught dynamics between mothers and daughters. Fresh off it’s premiere at Sundance, this is GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS first screenings in Michigan.
In English and Hindi with subtitles.
**This film is sponsored by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Land Grant office. Saginaw Chippewa Tribal members and SCTC students will be admitted to this screening free of charge.**
By fusing journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late. Appearances by Woody Harrelson, Jason Momoa, Laura Dern, Rosario Dawson, and Donald Glover.
Directed by Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell
LA VOIX DES AUTRES - Fatima Kaci
AFTER THE STORM - Brice Veneziano
BAZIGAGA - Jo Ingabire Moys
WET POWDER - Eli Garcia
INDIAN SUMMERS - Nicolas Houver
Set in 1964, a camera crew follows Willie Pep, retired featherweight boxing champion. Down and out in Hartford CT, married to a woman half his age and with a drug-addled son and mounting debts, Pep decides to make a return to the ring.
Directed by Robert Kolodny.
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in NY. As time runs out on his work visa, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country.
Directed by Julio Torres.
Rated R
Due to the travel ban imposed in Iran in 2017, immigrants were forced to cross the border illegally into the United States. This is the story of an Iranian man’s multiple attempts to cross over the border from Mexico to the U.S. in pursuit of a better life.
Directed by Ali Atshani.
GIFT - Yuichiro Nakada
SWIMIMING IN THE DARK - Pin Ru Chen
THE AFTERLIFE PHOTO - Tatsuaki Mizoi
Tender caresses and enveloping embraces are portals into the life of Mack, a Black woman in Mississippi. Winding through the anticipation, love, and heartbreak she experiences from childhood to adulthood, the expressionist journey is an ode to connection — with loved ones and with place.
Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.
PERFECT DAYS was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and for the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Directed by Wim Wenders. Starring Kôji Yakusho (Named Best Actor at Cannes)
In Japanese with English subtitles
Rated PG
Short fictional films that tell fictional stories that focus on World War II and it’s aftermath.
WARPIGS - Giacomo Pellegrini
HOMEFRONT - Brandon Brefka
JUST A FRIDAY - Jacqueline May
Student-made shorts from Central Michigan University. This is a FREE event.
GNOSIS - Peaches Wilczak
REVERIE - Alexander Maxwell Adam
MIMEO - Mike Horbatiuk
ENTITY UNKNOWN - Ryan Glant
VIRUS.EXE - Brandon Cliburn
UNMASKED - John Joseph Criger
FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF - Jake Swope
Destined to be remembered as one of the great films about the meaning, texture, and experience of food, this sumptuous, exceptionally well-crafted work, set in late 19th-century France, stars Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel (married, decades ago, in real life) as Eugénie, a cook, and Dodin, the gourmet chef she has been working with for 20 years. As they reach middle age, they can no longer deny their mutual romantic feelings, which have so long been concentrated in their passionate professionalism. This simple narrative—based upon Marcel Rouff’s 1924 novel La passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet—sets the table for a sublime, sense-heightening exploration of pleasure, in which the play of sunlight across a late-afternoon kitchen is as meaningful as the image of a perfectly poached pear or the crisp of a buoyant vol-au-vent. Director Trân Anh Hùng won the Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his bravura, scrupulously deployed feat of epicurean cinema.
Directed by Anh Hung Tran.
In French with English subtitles
Rated PG-13
**Michigan Premiere**
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance. But her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come of age herself. Shuchi Talati’s debut film offers a sensitive and distinctive take on the fraught dynamics between mothers and daughters. Fresh off it’s premiere at Sundance, this is GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS first screenings in Michigan.
In English and Hindi with subtitles.
Short films showcasing varieties of dances.
FROTH - Elias Djemil
MOTEUR SYNCHRONE - Jamie Lee
CATS. WHY DO WE NEED THEM? - Liumila Komrakova
CORE OF A NATURE - Felix Nguyen
SOLSTICE - Zachary Chant
