Switzerland/2022—directed by Eva Vitija | 83 min. 

This revealing documentary about American author Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995) is based on her notebooks and diaries—discovered posthumously—and the intimate reflections of friends, family and lovers. Like the protagonist of her novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, Highsmith led a double life.

She concealed her lesbianism from her family and her readers; her psychological thrillers, rooted in obsessive passion, grew from the complex life of a child coldly rejected by the mother she adored. Her first novel, Strangers on a Train, was adapted into the classic 1951 Hitchcock film. Her second, The Price of Salt (1952), dared to give a happy ending to a tale of lesbian lovers and was consequently shunned by publishers. Loving Highsmith elegantly weaves passages from the author’s diaries with rare footage to reveal a woman ahead of her time—one who paid dearly for her audacity. In English, German and French with English subtitles. 

“In centering the writer’s sexuality in her lively and captivating documentary, Eva Vitija does a great service... Highsmith’s life is brought sharply into focus.” -Jude Dry, IndieWire 
 

Chile/2022—directed by Patricio Guzmán | 83 min. 

Patricio Guzmán, known for his great 1976 documentary epic The Battle of Chile, turns his attention to the events that led to the election of Chile’s new president last year. In 2019, seemingly without warning, a revolution began in the streets of Santiago. It was the event that 80-year-old filmmaking legend Guzmán had been waiting for all his life: a million and a half people in the streets of the Chilean capital demanding a future based on justice, education, healthcare, and, above all, a constitution comprised of laws and rights to replace the rules of a military dictatorship.

Urgent and exciting, My Imaginary Country transports audiences to a specific place—and moment—in history. That moment—and the film’s release—preceded Chile’s election of September 2022, when events took a new turn. In Spanish with English subtitles.  

“Vivid and inspirational! Guzmán’s heart and soul investment in the film makes for an emotional and involving documentary.” -Allan Hunter, Screen International 

Brazil/2021—directed by Aly Muritiba | 120 min.

Daniel (Antonio Saboia), a teacher at a police academy in southern Brazil, is placed on unpaid leave because of a violent incident that’s dominating the news. The only thing holding him together is his online romance with Sara; though Daniel has yet to meet her in person, Sara’s sudden, unexplained disappearance is more than Daniel can bear.

After driving 2,000 miles across Brazil to find her, he posts Sara’s picture all over her small town, yet no one recognizes her—until a mysterious phone call sets him on a journey of the heart that will change both Sara and Daniel forever.

The remarkably involving Private Desert is both a swooning, suspenseful, sun-baked romance and a triumphant affirmation of love and commitment in an era when empathy seems imperiled everywhere. Brazil’s official submission for Best International Feature, 94th Academy Awards®. In Portuguese with English subtitles.  

“Achingly beautiful and incredibly erotic.” -Manuel Betancourt, Variety 

Canada/2015—directed by Joan Tosoni | 156 minutes

An aging monarch resolves to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, with consequences he little expects. His reason shattered in the storm of violent emotion that ensues, with his very life hanging in the balance, Lear loses everything that has defined him as a king – and thereby discovers the essence of his own humanity.

Four centuries after it was written, Shakespeare’s King Lear – starring the incomparable Colm Feore in the role of a lifetime – resonates brilliantly in this Stratford Festival on Film production, staged live at Stratford’s Festival Theatre by Antoni Cimolino and directed for film by Joan Tosoni. 

“This superb production is not only the Stratford Festival at its finest, it is Shakespeare at his finest.” -Robert Reid, The Record 

2018/China—directed by Xuan Liang & Chun Zhang | 105 min. 

From ancient Chinese legends comes an exciting tale of myth and magic. Under the ocean is a mystical race of beings that control the tide and the changing of the seasons. One of these beings, a restless girl named Chun, wants to experience the human world, not simply observe it. When she turns 16, she is allowed to transform into a dolphin to explore the human world.

Recommended for ages 9 and up. In Mandarin with English subtitles. 
 

France/1981—directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix | 117 min.

French postman Jules is on the run across Paris—including a hair-raising, unforgettable motorcycle-and-moped chase through the Métro—hotly pursued by a drug dealer’s hit team, ruthless music pirates, and outnumbered police. And why? Because Jules has a secretly pirated recording by opera diva Cynthia Hawkins, the woman of his dreams (played by real-life American soprano Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez) whose major eccentricity is her “live performances only” policy.

A surprise smash upon its 1982 American release—including sold-out performances at the DFT—Beineix’s dazzling directing debut was a worldwide phenomenon, and singlehandedly launched the cinéma du look, an explosion of visually stunning, punk-inspired, super-cool French movies in the early ’80s. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Diva’s U.S. release with this special 35mm screening—just as originally presented. 

In French and English with English subtitles.

“It’s about the joy of making movies. Every shot seems designed to delight the audience.” -Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

Join us for an afternoon celebrating martial arts as seen in the films of legendary director King Hu. Through epic martial arts skills and the magic of editing, Hu brought great subtlety and expressivity to his films and ultimately, the genre.

1:30 p.m. | Interactive: Pushing Hands Demonstration  

Detroit Tai Chi Group, led by Master Ching-Yu Meng, demonstrates the basic steps of pushing hands, a form of Tai Chi practice that emphasizes the principle of “softness overcoming hardness.” Audience members will be invited onstage to try the movements themselves.

2:20 p.m. | Talk: Raining in the Mountain – Art Aesthetics and Opposition

Tony Williams, professor of film studies from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale provides critical analysis of King Hu’s Raining in the Mountain as an art film on its own and in context with Hu’s other works.

3 p.m. | Film Screening: Raining in the Mountain

Taiwan/Hong Kong/1979—directed by King Hu | 120 minutes

During the Ming Dynasty, a Buddhist abbot, charged with protecting the sacred scroll of Tripitaka, prepares to name his successor. An aristocrat and a general arrive at his secluded mountaintop monastery promising to help in his search but are in fact scheming to secure the scroll for themselves. As they set about recommending corrupt successors, rival bands of martial artists lie in wait to steal the precious artifact; they soon transform the monastery into an epic battleground for the scroll, with each player caught in a web of betrayal.

Newly restored, this visually spectacular, grand-scale caper heist overflows with witty, jaw-dropping collisions of minds, fists and karma; Raining in the Mountain may be the peak of legendary director King Hu's (Touch of Zen, Dragon Inn) infusion of Buddhist spiritual principles into the legacy of pan-Asian action filmmaking. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
 

This program is made possible through partnerships with the DIA’s auxiliary Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures and Michigan Chinese Women Association, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, and is supported through a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation.

Returning to the DFT for the first time since its record-breaking sold-out shows in December of 2021, the all-new 2022 edition of CatVideoFest is a compilation of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions, animations, music videos, and internet powerhouses.

A joyous communal experience that surprises and charms (and who isn’t ready for that?) this annual favorite is once again available on the big screen. As always, the festival’s distributor contributes a portion of revenues for cats in need through partnerships with a variety of cat charities and shelters. (70 minutes) 

“Watching cat videos is good for you.” -The Wall Street Journal 
 

France/2021—directed by Mathieu Amalric | 97 minutes

As Clarisse, a woman on the run from her family for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) brings another riveting characterization to the big screen. Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is renowned internationally as one of France’s great contemporary actors. With Hold Me Tight (Serre moi fort) – his sixth and most ambitious feature as director – he’ll, at last, be known in America for his equally impressive work behind the camera.

This daringly structured portrait of a woman in crisis alternates between Clarisse’s adventures on the road and the struggles of her abandoned husband (Arieh Worthalter) as he tries to adapt to his new reality and the demands of caring for their children.

Amalric’s risky storytelling style refuses to tip its hand too early, keeping viewers unsure of whether they’re seeing a straightforward narrative or multiple states of mind until the final moments of this unpredictable, rewarding new work. Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival; Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, Lincoln Center. In French and German with English subtitles. 

“Dazzling! Proving that he can deliver a riveting screenplay, Amalric achieves something quite remarkable.” -Lee Marshall, Screen Daily 

Japan/1926—directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa | approximately 75 min.

This uniquely imaginative horror cult classic from the legendary Teinosuke Kinugasa (Gate of Hell) tells the story of a man who takes a job at an asylum in hopes of freeing his wife, who is believed to be imprisoned there. Thought to be lost for over four decades until a print was discovered in 1970, Kinugasa’s singular, avant-garde stunner contains thematic echoes of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – but with a surreal, terrifying flavor all its own.

The silent A Page of Madness will be brought to vivid life with music by Little Bang Theory and benshi narration by Yamauchi Nanako performed in Japanese.

"A balletic musing on our subconscious nightmares, examining dream states in a way that is both beautiful and highly disturbing." – Nottingham Culture, BBC