Japan/1963 — directed by Akira Kurosawa | 143 min.

Toshiro Mifune is revelatory as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy Tokyo shoe company executive whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku), the brilliantly structured and visually striking police procedural that showcases Kurosawa at the height of his storytelling powers. 

Adapting Ed McBain's detective novel King's Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from a gripping race-against-time thriller to incisive social commentary, crafting a diabolical treatise on contemporary Japanese society. Presented in a brand-new 4K restoration. 

“One of the best detective thrillers ever filmed.” — Howard Thompson, The New York Times

Japan/1949 — directed by Akira Kurosawa | 122 min.

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami (a young Toshiro Mifune) when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to recover the weapon, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the “stray dog” whose own desperation has driven him to a life of crime. 

But with each step, the lives of cop and criminal become increasingly intertwined. One of Kurosawa’s early breakout films, Stray Dog (Nora Inu) transcends the typical crime thriller, probing the squalid world of postwar Japan and the complex relationship between pursuer and pursued. 

Presented in a new 4K restoration, Stray Dog is the first of eight newly restored Kurosawa classics being screened at the DFT between August 22 and August 31.

“Stray Dog shows Kurosawa fully engaged with his culture, using cinema to participate as an artist. He’s on the threshold of greatness here.” — Stephen Prince, The Warrior’s Camera

Mexico/1953 — directed by Luis Buñuel | 93 min.

Among the most unsettling films of his often-overlooked Mexican period, Él is Luis Buñuel’s incisive portrait of paranoia, jealousy, and sexual obsession — a nightmarish tale of love gone wrong that prefigures the themes of his later classics Viridiana and The Exterminating Angel. 

Incorporating his personal demons into this adaptation of Mercedes Pinto’s autobiographical novel, Buñuel tells the story of Francisco, a devout middle-aged bachelor who falls into an all-consuming love with young socialite Gloria. After breaking off her engagement with another man, Gloria begins to realize something is “off” about Francisco, whose deep, repressed insecurities soon take their toll. 

One of Buñuel’s rawest indictments of social hypocrisy, Él stands as the surrealist master’s great excursion into dark melodrama, where civilization can find no answer to the irrational urges of the id.

Presented in a new 4K restoration. In Spanish with English subtitles. 

“Released at the height of his prolific Mexican period, Él is relevant and incendiary, and remains one of Buñuel’s crowning achievements.” — Richard Brody, The New Yorker

USA/2025 — directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady | 106 min.

For nearly two centuries, Scandinavian “folk high schools,” located in the wilds of northernmost Norway, have emphasized the power of nature, simplicity, and community to transform the lives of teenagers on the brink of adulthood. 

This emotionally rich and visually spectacular new documentary from the Academy Award®-nominated team of Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You) follows three teens who’ve chosen to spend a year in this Arctic wilderness. Freed from technology guided by humane teachers and a pack of loyal, magnificent Alaskan huskies, they hope of replacing loneliness and social anxiety with newfound self-confidence — and perhaps a life-changing sense of wonder. Official Selection, 2025 Sundance Film Festival. 

“A gentle film with an emotional power that truly snuck up on me. Subtly moving and gorgeously shot… no one should miss this one.” — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

SPECIAL EVENT! Director Heidi Ewing will be present for live, in-person Q&As following the 7 p.m., Saturday and 2 p.m., Sunday screenings of Folktales.

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

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