Australia/USA/2020 — directed by Jeff Daniels | 90 min.

In the fall of 1983, the cover of Newsweek featured the words “TV’s NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE!” as millions of American viewers awaited the long-publicized premiere of a made-for-TV movie on the ABC network depicting the actual effects of an all-out nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. 

The threat of nuclear annihilation loomed large at the time, and The Day After played directly on these fears, ultimately attracting a staggering viewership of 100 million Americans — the largest audience in history for any TV movie up to that point. Television Event documents the story behind this audacious project after it was greenlit by ABC. 

The Day After’s director, Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), details — often hilariously — the clashes with network executives and censors to finish and broadcast the film that so disturbed President Reagan it reportedly influenced his nuclear weapons policy. 

“Absolutely riveting and highly entertaining… a remarkable, often oddly funny look at a game-changing show business event. It is a wild ride to be sure.” — Pete Hammond, Deadline

Austria/Germany/2025 — directed by Alexander Horwath | 185 min.

The feature film debut of Austrian film historian and curator Alexander Horwath — former Director of the Austrian Film Museum — Henry Fonda for President is a brilliantly conceived and remarkably entertaining panorama of the history, politics, and culture of the United States as seen through the life and screen performances of the great American actor. 

Though structured chronologically, this transfixing documentary transcends the conventions of traditional film biographies by using Fonda’s own words and experiences, alongside moments from his countless screen characters, to create a luminous prism through which the film ingeniously explores and meditates upon the changing face of the country and of cinema itself. Much more than a clever cinematic stunt, Henry Fonda for President is a revelatory historical vision, packed with insights and observations — and, of course, a must for movie lovers. 

“This transfixing gem is a sheer delight from start to finish.” — Kieron Corless, Sight & Sound

USA/2024 — directed by Constance Tsang | 116 min.

Within the confines of a massage parlor in Flushing, Queens, Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and Didi (Haipeng Xu) navigate romance, the search for happiness, and the obligations of family while thousands of miles from home. Despite the physical and emotional toll their work demands, the two women have forged an impenetrable sisterhood, which is unexpectedly imperiled when events take a dramatic turn on Lunar New Year. 

Co-starring the extraordinary Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng, who won the Best Actor Prize at the 2024 Cairo Film Festival for his performance here, Blue Sun Palace is at once a stirring immigrant’s tale, a dark workplace comedy, and a deeply modern New York story. Special Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival; dual Best Actress Prize, Hong Kong International Film Festival. In Mandarin, English, and Min Nan with English subtitles.

“NYT Critic’s Pick! A gorgeously intimate debut feature that creates a whole world.” — Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times

USA/2024 — directed by Sarah Friedland | 90 min.

Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), a retired cook living in California, prepares breakfast—a dish she seems to have made many times before, though small, puzzling errors now punctuate her familiar routine. When her son (H. Jon Benjamin) arrives to dine with her, she mistakes him for a suitor. Their “date” leads them to an assisted living facility, which Ruth does not remember having chosen for herself. There, she begins to accept the warmth and support of two care workers (Carolyn Michelle and Andy McQueen) and discovers new ways to ground herself in her body, even as her mind begins a journey of its own.

Writer-director Sarah Friedland’s coming-of-old-age feature compassionately follows the winding path of octogenarian Ruth’s memories and desires while remaining rooted in her sage perspective.

Special event! The showing on Sunday, June 29th will be followed by an in-person Q&A with cast member Carolyn Michelle and producer Matthew Thurm, hosted by DIA Film Curator Elliot Wilhelm.

Winner: Best Debut Film, Best Director, and Best Actress, 2024 Venice Film Festival.

“The delicacy of what acclaimed theater actor Chalfant does in this role is astounding. This is a finely wrought, infinitely tender movie.” —Allison Willmore, New York Magazine

(Vietnam/France/2024 — directed by Trương Minh Quý)

Two young men work deep beneath the earth as coal miners—yet Việt and Nam are also lovers, sharing secret moments of physical pleasure before one embarks on a perilous journey to emigrate to another land. From this intimate story, captured with sensual detail and unflinching eroticism, Vietnamese filmmaker Trương Minh Quý delves even deeper to unearth the memories and legacies of a nation. Set at the turn of the 21st century, the film resonates with echoes of the country’s war decades earlier, as Nam’s mother leads them on a pilgrimage to discover where his father was killed as a soldier. Shot in a graceful and mesmerizing style on 16mm—and banned in its home country—Việt and Nam is a quietly expressive, mind-bending work about two men with unsettled pasts and uncertain futures. In Vietnamese with English subtitles. (129 min.)

“Ravishing… a sad and sublimely beautiful movie.” —Justin Chang, The New Yorker

1993 / USA – directed by David Mickey Evans

DIA Member Exclusive! Join us for a fun summer evening at the museum with a screening of the classic film The Sandlot. Before the movie begins, enjoy dinner with your family and take part in activities for all ages. Capture the moment with family photo ops, enjoy balloon animals, play bean bag toss, and more!

In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is welcomed by a ragtag team of baseball-obsessed kids, spending their days at the diamond and hitting home runs over the mean neighbor’s fence. This beloved sports comedy offers a nostalgic look at childhood adventures and the bonds of friendship.

Dinner service begins at 5:45 p.m. Please check back soon for menu options.

Screening begins at 7 p.m.

Tickets must be purchased online in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door. For DIA members only.

Kid Flicks: Pride is a celebration of self-expression, community, legacy, and love. Curated specifically for ages 9 and up by the New York International Children’s Film Festival, these shorts from around the world showcase a wide range of LGBTQ+ identities and experiences in equally diverse styles. From schoolyard matchmakers to a Belgian teen and a group of Indigenous Hawaiian māhū, these stories highlight the power of embracing who you are. Presented in English or with English subtitles. (65 min.)

This program is free with museum admission.

Weekend Family Programs at the DIA are generously presented by the MSUFCU Desk Drawer Foundation.

France/2024—directed by Louise Courvoisier | 90 min.

Winner of a special prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the enchanting Holy Cow tells the story of 18-year-old Totone (Clément Faveau) who’s thrust into the unexpected and very adult role of looking after his younger sister and their family farm in the Jura section of France. 

Totone assumes even more responsibility – and anxiety – when he enters a cash competition for creating the best Comte cheese made in this part of the French Alps. An engaging and immersive glimpse into the hardscrabble life of French agriculture, this assured debut from director Louise Courvoisier is a beguiling coming of age story and, above all, an ode to the mystery and magic of cheese. In French with English subtitles.

“A charming, moving and humorous coming-of-age story told with brio. Delicious!” –John Bleasdale, Time Out

Winner of an Honorary Academy Award® for lifetime achievement, Charles Burnett remains one of the nation’s most celebrated independent filmmakers. In his charming The Annihilation of Fish, Lynn Redgrave stars as Poinsettia, a former housewife with an imagined — and celebrated — lover. 

After moving into a Los Angeles boarding house run by an energetic landlady (Margot Kidder), Poinsettia meets a Jamaican widower named Fish, brilliantly portrayed by the great James Earl Jones, who valiantly and imaginatively wages daily battles against unseen demons. With empathy and gently comic grace, the pair begin to discover unexpected joys in their world, as well as the nuances of love and happiness.

Presented in a new 4K restoration by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation. (108 min.)

France / 2023 – directed by Benoît Chieux

Join adventurous sisters Juliette and Carmen as they discover an enchanted toy that whisks them away into the magical Kingdom of the Winds. Transformed into cats, they find themselves in a fantastical world filled with flying divas, technicolor dragons, and mind-bending creations. When Juliette causes an accident that angers the locals, the Mayor sentences her to the beautiful songstress Selma, while Carmen is forced to marry his son. The sisters must escape before the wedding bells ring, with the key to their journey home lying with the mysterious wizard Sirocco, feared for his ferocious storms.

A psychedelic fairy tale years in the making, Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds comes from the imagination of director Benoît Chieux. Bursting with captivating creatures and a vibrant, Seussian world, this kaleidoscopic fantasy adventure is full of charm and wonder.

Weekend Family Programs at the DIA are generously presented by the MSUFCU Desk Drawer Foundation.