The Guardians
A visually dazzling meditation on the delicate balance between human and nature, The Guardians elegantly interweaves the lives of the iconic monarch butterfly with an indigenous community in Mexico.
Thursday, Nov. 15
7:30pm
35mm Print!
Smoke Signals with Chris Eyre in person
Chris Eyre’s award-winning 1998 Sundance hit Smoke Signals is a funny, touching and honest look at what it is to be Indian in America.
Saturday, Nov. 10
7:15pm
40th Anniversary/35mm print!
Killer of Sheep
Completed in 1977 but difficult to see for decades due to soundtrack licensing issues, Burnett’s landmark UCLA thesis film is a haunting, almost documentary-like chronicle of 1970s black life in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood.
Saturday, Nov. 10
Director Penelope Spheeris in person
Wayne’s World
It’s party time, excellent, with director Penelope Spheeris’ hilariously goofy pop culture comedy that still ranks as the best and highest-grossing Saturday Night Live spin-off in history.
Saturday, Nov. 10
Crime + Punishment
Over five years of access allowed filmmaker Stephen Maing to document the efforts of a small group of New York City police officers who decided to sue the department over racially discriminatory policing practices.
Saturday, Nov. 10
Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary
Himmel Park goes Jurassic as The Loft Film Fest celebrates the 25th anniversary of Spielberg’s original dino-adventure with a free outdoor screening of Jurassic Park in the park! “Hold onto your butts!”
Friday, Nov. 9
6:00PM
Blue My Mind
A mysterious young woman dives headfirst into the hell that is high school, all while undergoing a radical and uncontrollable transformation of her own.
Monday, Nov. 12
Mapplethorpe
Matt Smith (The Crown, Doctor Who) plays Robert Mapplethorpe in this compelling biopic about arguably one of the most controversial photographers in American history.
Monday, Nov. 12
House of Sweat and Tears
Director Sonia Escolano’s mesmerizing exploration of religion, faith, and belief marries the aesthetics of European art cinema with the language of horror films.
Monday, Nov. 12
Prototype in 3D
Blake Williams’ experimental 3D film immerses us in the aftermath in the deadliest natural disaster in US history, at every minute represented by remarkable and mysterious sights.
Monday, Nov. 12
Closed Captions
Tyrel
In this disquieting drama punctuated with flashes of squirm-inducing comedy, a young man spirals out of control when he realizes he’s the only black person attending a weekend birthday party in a secluded cabin.
Monday, Nov. 12
Chained for Life
In this original and deeply felt creation, Jess Wexler plays Mabel, a movie star “slumming it” in an outré art-horror film inspired by Tod Browning’s Freaks and being shot in a semi-abandoned hospital.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Too Late to Die Young
The year 1990 was when Chile transitioned to democracy, but all of that seems a world away for 16-year-old Sofía, who lives far off the grid.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
¡Las Sandinistas!
Reveals the untold stories of Nicaraguan women warriors and social revolutionaries who shattered barriers to lead combat and social reform during Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista Revolution.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Killing Jesus
In this youthful revenge saga based on true events, an idealistic Colombian student witnesses her father’s murder and is aghast at the ineptitude and apathy of the local police force.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
With Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, Indonesian director Mouly Surya has created a dark, wickedly funny, feminist western.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
3 Faces
Acclaimed director Jafar Panahi’s fourth outing since the Iranian government sentenced him to a 20-year filmmaking ban has Panahi and actress Behnaz Jafari playing themselves in a road movie of sorts.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Warrior Women
Through the figure of Lakota activist and community organizer Madonna Thunder Hawk, this inspiring documentary traces the untold story of countless Native American women.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Woman at War
A charming DIY eco-terrorist gets in over her head when she takes on big industry and the unscrupulous politicians out to ruin her beloved natural landscape.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
7:30pm
Closed Captions
Prospect
On a remote moon, a teenage girl and her father search for elusive alien gems. But they aren’t the only ones roaming the moon’s toxic forest in this gripping sci-fi western about survival and wanting to get home.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
A humanist exploration of the community of Hale County, Alabama, where working-class families work, dream, celebrate and struggle together.
Wed., Nov. 14
The Waldheim Waltz
A timely work of activist filmmaking—one whose questions about collective complicity, memory, and historical responsibility are as important to ask today as they were more than 30 years ago.
Wed., Nov. 14
Liyana
Liyana, a brave young Swazi heroine, undertakes an epic adventure to rescue her stolen brothers, outsmarting many a dangerous animal and even more dangerous humans along the way.
Wed., Nov. 14
Distant Constellation
Venture into a Turkish retirement home, where the mischievous, wistful, and life-hardened residents live out an almost absurdly cyclical existence, a place where time seems to hang still.
Wed., Nov. 14
Rafiki
“Fun, fierce and frivolous African art.” This is how director Wanuri Kahiu defines AFROBUBBLEGUM, her vision for the future of filmmaking on the African continent, which Rafiki, embodies perfectly.
Wed., Nov. 14
Ghostbox Cowboy
Befuddled Texan Jimmy Van Horn arrives in China brimming with optimism, only to realize that acquiring a share of the country’s rapidly growing riches is not as easy as it appeared.
Wed., Nov. 14
Relaxer
From indie director Joel Potrykus (Buzzard), Relaxer is a skuzzy ‘90s nostalgia flashback that’s both absurdly funny and grossly disturbing in its portrayal of the cultural detritus of the turn of the millennium.
Wed., Nov. 14
Buy Me A Gun
Mad Max: Fury Road meets The Florida Project in director Julio Hernández Cordón’s stunning dystopian coming-of-age tale.
Wed., Nov. 14
Wild Nights with Emily
In this laugh-out-loud, emotionally-engaging period piece that’s part sketch comedy, part historical burlesque, Molly Shannon transforms into Emily Dickinson.
Wed., Nov. 14
Diamantino
When the world’s leading soccer star loses his touch and ends his career in disgrace, he goes on a delirious odyssey where he confronts neo-fascism, the refugee crisis and genetic modification.
Thursday, Nov. 15
Skid Row Marathon
In this gripping and uplifting documentary, winner of 21 film festival awards, a criminal court judge starts a long-distance running club out of the Midnight Mission on L.A.’s notorious Skid Row.
Thursday, Nov. 15
The Wild Boys
In this hypnotically nightmarish adventure, five well-bred teenage boys (played by women), are enamored by the arts, but drawn to crime.
Thurs., Nov. 15
Island of the Hungry Ghosts
Christmas Island’s famous migrating crabs, lost souls caught in limbo and political detainees intersect in lyrical, highly cinematic fashion in this award-winning documentary.
Thursday, Nov. 15
Animated Shorts
Don’t miss this eye-popping program of 12 animated short films, offering up an entire universe of styles and techniques that will take you into the future of animation … and beyond!
Friday, Nov. 9
Director Penelope Spheeris in person
Dudes
Director Penelope Spheeris’s gonzo 1987 western offers up an oddball dose of urban angst in the Wild West when three NYC punk rockers take a road trip to California and cross paths in the desert with a gang of psychotic rednecks!
Saturday, Nov. 10
Shorts Showcase
Dive into this exciting collection of 8 short films and discover a unique world of stories, voices and emotions that only shorts can offer!
