Divorced photographer Mahmut finds his life of solitary routine is interrupted when Yusuf, a distant cousin from his remote village, shows up without warning to stay in Mahmut’s tiny Istanbul apartment until he can find work. The job doesn’t materialize, but instead of leveling with his host, Yusuf invents a series of scenarios in hopes of prolonging his stay; the result is a subtly comic psychological dance that can’t help but suggest an austere yet witty Turkish tribute to Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple.

Released 20 years ago but unavailable for theatrical exhibition for years, Distant—written, directed, photographed, produced and co-edited by Nuri Bilge Ceylan—was awarded the coveted Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In Turkish with English subtitles. (110 minutes)

“Remarkable! A Chekhovian tale of major artistic power… Genuinely beautiful and haunting.” –Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune 

Narcissus blossoms, tasty dim sum dishes, bowing to elders and lucky red envelopes filled with money encompass puppeteer Tom Lee’s memories of celebrating Lunar New Year when he was growing up. Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Mililani, Hawai’i, Tom Lee is a director, designer and puppet artist based in New York & Chicago. His original works include Shank’s Mare (performed in the DFT in 2017).

He has collaborated extensively with other puppetry companies, including War Horse by the Handspring Puppet Company and Dan Hurlin’s Obie-award-winning Hiroshima Maiden and Disfarmer. In The Great Zodiac Animal Race—a live-streaming puppet show that will be projected on the DFT's giant screen—Lee retells the classic tale with shadow puppet animals inspired by Asian languages and pictograms in a film suitable for all ages. (50 minutes)

The Adventures of Prince Achmed and Tom Lee's Great Zodiac Animal Race are presented in partnership with Cinema Lamont and Detroit Puppet Company as part of their 2022 Puppet Film Series. Screenings are scheduled every weekend in August at participating Detroit venues and will focus on historic and contemporary perspectives on the art of puppetry on film. For full series schedule and film details visit the Detroit Puppet Company website >

In the shadow of the pandemic, a small town rallies to protect a beloved local bookstore in its hour of need. A landmark in Lenox, Massachusetts since 1976, The Bookstore is a magical, beatnik gem thanks to its owner, Matt Tannenbaum, whose passion for stories runs deep. Charming and eccentric, Matt is surrounded by great literature, friendly neighbors and tree-lined streets, in a town where time stood still.

Presiding at The Bookstore for over forty years, Matt is a true bard of the Berkshires and his shop is the kind of place to get lost in—a tiny sliver of paradise, a Brigadoon where one discovers great words and ideas merely by browsing. This intimate portrait of one example of a tragically endangered species—the independent book shop and the family at its heart— provides a journey through good times, challenges, problem-solving and, best of all, the indispensable stories on the shelves. Hello, Bookstore is a valentine to human creativity, of both the literary and entrepreneurial kind. (86 minutes)

“Compelling and heartwarming. A drama worthy of Hollywood magic.” –Thomas Farragher, The Boston Globe

A searing, indelible, now-classic portrait of anti-colonial struggle in 1970s Africa, Sarah Maldoror’s adaptation of a novella by the Angolan writer José Luandino Vieira was banned by the Angolan government until the country obtained its independence from Portugal in 1975. Sambizanga follows Maria (unforgettably portrayed by Cape Verdean economist Elisa Andrade) as she tries to pick up the pieces after her husband, a secret anti-colonial activist, becomes a political prisoner.

Co-written by Maldoror’s husband Mário Pinto de Andrade (himself a leading figure in the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola), Sambizanga—shown during the DFT’s first season in 1974—is a forceful, stirring evocation of the Angolan population’s plight before the revolution and their intensifying political consciousness during it. Restoration funding is provided by Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.

This restoration is part of the African Film Heritage Project, an initiative created by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project (founded by Martin Scorsese), the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers and UNESCO—in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna—to help locate, restore, and disseminate African cinema. In Portuguese with English subtitles. (102 minutes) 

“An essential landmark. Once seen, never forgotten: as cinema and politics, Sambizanga is unimpeachable. Don’t miss it.” –Jon Dieringer, Screen Slate 

Just 23 years old when she created it, Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed premiered in Germany in 1926, whereupon it was immediately hailed as the world’s first feature-length animated film. Today, this enchanting Arabian Nights tale remains one of the great classics of animation—beautiful, mesmerizing, and packed with imaginative and wondrous adventures, including a magical flying horse, a sorcerer’s army of monsters, and, of course, a beautiful princess.

This cinematic treasure for all ages has been restored to reproduce its delicate images and spectacular color tinting and will be presented with live musical accompaniment by pianist David Drazin. (65 minutes) 

“There’s never been anything like it. Dazzling and utterly sophisticated.” -Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle