The Italian Film Festival USA returns to the DFT with a selection of contemporary Italian films. Discover new filmmakers, and the variety of films they produce for Italian audiences. Films are in Italian with English subtitles. Screenings are free, visit italianfilmfests.org in March for a complete schedule.

France/1974—directed by Robert Bresson | 85 min.

In Lancelot du Lac, Robert Bresson masterfully reimagines the legend of King Arthur, focusing on the stark aftermath of failed quests and fractured loyalties. Upon returning home without the Holy Grail, King Arthur discovers Queen Guinevere's affair with Sir Lancelot. 

Stripping away melodrama, Bresson hones in on the raw physicality of the era—thundering horse hooves, clanging armor, and the visceral sound of swords being drawn. Newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative, this cinematic masterpiece transcends its story, becoming an otherworldly exploration of human frailty and betrayal. In French with English subtitles.

“Beautiful, mesmerizing, exhausting, amazing—all the things you could possibly expect from a masterpiece." –Geoff Brown, Time Out (UK)

USA/1999—directed by Zeinabu irene Davis | 95 min.

A landmark of independent cinema, Compensation by Zeinabu irene Davis offers a poignant exploration of the lives of Deaf African Americans and the intricacies of love across two eras. Through remarkable dual performances by Michelle A. Banks and John Earl Jelks, the film tells the parallel stories of Malindy and Arthur in 1910 Chicago, and Malaika and Nico nearly 80 years later. 

Both couples navigate the challenges of Deaf and hearing experiences while confronting the weight of systemic racism during emerging pandemics. Restored with care by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Compensation is a groundbreaking testament to resilience and a powerful meditation on the barriers that so often impede love.

We're honored to announce that director Zeinabu irene Davis will appear at the DFT in person to introduce the Sunday, April 13th presentation of Compensation at 2:00 pm, and will discuss the film with the audience following the screening.

“One of the greatest independent American films ever made.” –Richard Brody, The New Yorker

France/Luxembourg/Netherlands/2024—directed by Wang Bing

Continuing the powerful documentary saga that began with Youth (Spring), filmmaker Wang Bing returned to the district of Zhili between 2015 and 2019 to create Youth (Hard Times)—the second chapter in his poignant exploration of a generation of Chinese youth navigating relentless factory work with little space for personal life 

The trilogy concludes with Youth (Homecoming), a deeply moving account of the Lunar New Year break, when millions of workers journey to their remote hometowns to reunite with family. This final chapter captures the emotional and symbolic culmination of their struggles, as workers Shi Wei and Fang Lingping use this rare moment of rest to marry.

The runtime for Youth (Hard Times) is 226 minutes. Youth (Homecoming) is 152 minutes. One ticket grants admission to both screenings.

In Mandarin and Chinese with English subtitles.

“Critic’s Pick! A riveting documentary.” –Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times

Canada/2024—directed by Matthew Rankin | 89 min.

With Universal Language, Canadian director Matthew Rankin delivers a rare gem: a visionary comedy that is both profoundly humane and enchantingly inventive. Set in a frosty Winnipeg, the film follows the mystical journey of a banknote frozen in ice, touching lives in ways both whimsical and heartfelt. 

Much like Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg(2007), the city becomes a dreamscape shaped by those who adore it—complete with French and Farsi as its official languages and a Tim Horton’s transformed into both a haven for wayfarers and an unlikely country club. 

This Canadian submission for the 97th Academy Awards® is a delicately crafted, soul-soothing work of art. In Farsi and French with English subtitles. 

“A magnificent film, one that feels warm and familiar even as we realize just how startlingly original it is.” –Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine

USSR/1964—directed by Sergei Parajanov | 97 min.

One of the most beloved films of the Soviet era, Sergei Parajanov’s mind-blowing Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a visionary masterpiece that combines psychedelic folklore and ritual with staggering visual and narrative originality. 

Set in the Carpathian Mountains, it tells the story of Ivan and Marichka, star-crossed lovers whose families are embroiled in a feud. When Ivan marries another woman but continues to pine for Marichka, his wife recruits a sorcerer to win him back, setting off a frenzy of supernatural forces. Parajanov and his cinematographers conjure a magically charged atmosphere, bringing a folk legend to life in vivid colors. The result is a sensuous tour de force. 

This new 4K restoration was created by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna, with funding from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. In Ukrainian with English subtitles.

“Extraordinary, intoxicating and exhilarating! One of the supreme works of Soviet cinema.” –Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Presented with a live piano score performed by David Drazin, this compilation of short films includes animation masterworks by prolific illustrator Winsor McCay (Gertie the Dinosaur, 1903), Lotte Reiniger (Dr. Dolittle and His Animals / 1928), Disney’s Laugh-O-Gram series (Alice’s Wonderland, 1923) and Władysław Starewicz’s amazing stop-motion films made with dried bugs (The Insects Christmas, 1911).

Early silent animation dived fast and deep into visions of fantasy worlds, and gave them uncanny life using ingenious techniques including hand-drawn cell images, shadow and 3D puppet stop-motion photography, multi-plane cameras for achieving painterly effects, and double-exposures that blended two real worlds into something unreal.

Animated Fantasy Shorts of the Silent Era is presented free to DIA audiences as a holiday gift, wrapped with a live piano score performed by David Drazin. For ages 10 and up. Free with museum admission.