Directed by Basil Twist / 2019 

Created for the theater in 1998, Twist’s now-legendary underwater puppet production Symphonie Fantastique is set to composer Hector Berlioz’s signature work and performed in a 1,000-gallon fish tank where seven unseen puppeteers manipulate hundreds of fabrics, feathers, forms, colors, and shapes into a visual extravaganza. 

All ages, but best suited for children 8 and up and adults. 90 min. 

Presented in partnership with Cinema Lamont and the Detroit Puppet Company as part of the 2023 Puppet Film Series. 

This program is supported through the generous support of the Dr. Audley M. Grossman and Paul McPharlin Puppetry Funds. 
 

Directed by Hlynur Pálmason / 2022

In the late nineteenth century, a casually arrogant Danish priest Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove) makes the perilous trek to Iceland’s sparsely populated southeastern coast with the intention of establishing a church. There, amid the magnificent landscapes and glorious nature, Lucas finds his resolve and self-control tested as he confronts harsh terrain, temptations of the flesh, and the reality of being an intruder in an unforgiving, if beautiful, place.

“Absolutely breathtaking—the camera captures the unassuming beauty of Iceland, but also does not hide its frigid nature, both terrifying and beautiful.” –Jenny Nulf, Austin Chronicle

In Icelandic and Danish with English subtitles. (2 hours 23 min) 

Directed by Laura Citarella / 2022

In her enormously enjoyable multi-part tale, Laura Citarella takes viewers on a journey set in and around the Argentinean city of Trenque Lauquen (“Round Lake”) and centered on the disappearance of Laura, a local academic. Through initial inquiries by two colleagues, we learn about her recent discoveries, including a new, unclassified species of flower and a trove of letters hidden at the local library. As anecdotes pile up, we—and the film’s investigators—begin to realize this mystery is vaster and stranger than we could have imagined. 

All 12 chapters of Trenque Lauquen will be presented at this special, one-time-only screening. Crystal Gallery Café will be open during intermission. Run time is four hours, plus intermission.

“Once you lose yourself in the thickets of Trenque Lauquen, you won’t want to be found.” –Devika Girish, The New York Times

Directed by Pierre Földes / 2022

A giant talking frog and an elusive cat help a bank employee, his wife, and a lonely accountant find meaning in their lives—and possibly save Tokyo from catastrophe—in this remarkable animated film. Composer and animator Pierre Földes weaves and layers several short stories by best-selling Japanese author Haruki Murakami into one fascinating narrative, set among characters all responding in different ways to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

“Elegantly surreal, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is an impressive achievement, a piece of storytelling which balances whimsy against existential questions.” –Wendy Ide, Screen International

In English. 110 min.

Germany/2023—directed by Christian Petzold | 102 minutes

The neurotic Leon (Thomas Schubert) and his laidback friend Felix (Langston Uibel) are on their way to a peaceful stay at a  tranquil seaside summer house. Halfway there, the car breaks down—a sign of things to come, in this new film from director Christian Petzold. They arrive to find Nadja (Paula Beer), a surprise roommate. Personalities clash, tempers flare, resentments emerge, and forest fires in the distance turn the skies orange. The Hollywood Reporter called it “… a deceptively simple and straightforward but emotionally layered film, nicely acted by the tight ensemble.” In German with English subtitles.
 

Belgium/France/2022 | 88 mins.

The Belgian-French directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes have won many awards during their career for films that combine thrilling, fast-paced action with empathetic social realism. In their latest, two young African immigrants are living day-to-day in a Belgian city, pretending to be siblings to navigate a hostile world.

Tori and Lokita won the 2022 Cannes Film Festival’s special 75th Anniversary Award, and LA Times’ film critic Justin Chang called it “another brilliantly observed, emotionally shattering piece of social realism.”  

Unrest tells the story of a young watchmaker, Josephine, working in a factory in 19th-century Switzerland. Her work focuses on creating the unrest, or the balance wheel that oscillates inside the heart of a mechanical watch. 

What evolves is a growing labor collective, organizing workers and raising funds for strikes where she meets Russian traveler Pyotr Kropotkin, who would eventually become an anarchist and philosopher.

Schäublin’s geometric, perfectly balanced visuals reinforce the singularly contemplative nature of his project: this is a film about time – its tyranny as well as its comforts – and how it impacts our work, our pleasures, and the processes that shape history. New York, Toronto and Berlin Film Festivals (Best Director Award). In Swiss-German, French and Russian with English subtitles.  

“Critic’s Pick! A marvelously crisp film that restores this moment of historic upheaval to immediacy.”  –Amy Nicholson, The New York Times
 

USA/2022—directed by Nancy Buirski | 101 minutes

A half century after its release, Midnight Cowboy remains one of the ground-breaking movies of the modern era. With electric performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman as loners who join forces out of desperation, blacklist survivor Waldo Salt's brilliant screenplay and John Schlesinger's fearless direction, the 1969 film became the only X-rated release to ever win the Academy Award® for Best Picture. 

Its vivid yet compassionate depiction of an unsanitized New York City and its vulnerable inhabitants paved the way for a generation’s worth of gritty movies with adult themes. More than a documentary about Midnight Cowboy, Buirski’s film is a portrait of the gifted people behind a difficult masterpiece; New York in a time of cultural ferment; and the era that made a movie and the movie that made an era.

“Makes the case that the 1969 Best Picture winner is the key film of the era.” –Adam Solomons, IndieWire
 

Come and watch the best K-12 Michigan student films on the big screen at the historic Detroit Film Theatre. The Michigan Student Film Festival has been the Digital Arts, Film & Television (DAFT) signature event for 55 years and is held annually at the DIA.

This juried K-12 film festival is a high honor for students and serves as a gateway to professional careers. All types of film genres will be shown including narratives, animation, news broadcasts, experimental, documentaries and more. 

It will also be streamed live on the DAFT website at daftonline.org

• 10 a.m.  Elementary/Junior Award Ceremony 
• 12:30 p.m.  High School/Senior Award Ceremony

USA/2023—directed by Alexandre O. Philippe | 108 minutes

Documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe specializes in taking viewers deep inside their favorite movies. For his latest and richest project, he lifts the velvet curtain on iconic filmmaker David Lynch’s obsession with a single film – The Wizard of Oz – the 1939 classic that this mind-bending documentary argues is the foundational text for all of Lynch’s work. 

Red shoes, hollow winds, gossamer bubbles, innocents in big trouble, and a longing for home – these elements percolate continuously throughout Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks and more, which Lynch/Oz illustrates with striking and persuasive split-screen montages featuring beautifully restored footage. 

An impressive lineup of critics and directors, including Karyn Kusama, David Lowery, Amy Nicholson, and a joyously insightful John Waters, share their own unique takes on both Lynch and Oz, expanding the film’s scope from clever analysis to a larger meditation on the nature of creativity, and how the things we love form our visions of the world. 

Official Selection, 2023 Fantastic Fest and Tribeca Film Festival. 

“Witty, insightful and fascinating! A very enjoyable creative speculation.” –Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian