In 1948, decades after fleeing Armenia to the US as a child, Charlie returns in the hope of finding a connection to his roots, but what he finds instead is a country crushed under Soviet rule. After being unjustly imprisoned, Charlie falls into despair, until he discovers that he can see into a nearby apartment from his cell window -- the home of a prison guard. As his life unexpectedly becomes entwined with the man's, he begins to see that the true spirit of his homeland is alive in its passionate people. Filled with warmth and humor, Amerikatsi celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the bonds that unite us all.

Lakota Nation vs. United States chronicles the Lakota Indians' century-long quest to reclaim the Black Hills, sacred land that was stolen in violation of treaty agreements. A searing, timely portrait of resistance, the film explores the ways America has ignored its debt to indigenous communities, and ponders what might be done today to repair the wrongs of the past.

Directed by two-time Oscar® nominated filmmaker Steve James (HOOP DREAMS, LIFE ITSELF), A COMPASSIONATE SPY is a gripping real-life spy thriller about controversial Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who infamously provided nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, told through the perspective of his loving wife Joan, who protected his secret for decades. Recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb, Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, and didn't share his colleagues' elation after the successful detonation of the world's first atomic bomb. Concerned that a U.S. post-war monopoly on such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe, Hall began passing key information about the bomb's construction to the Soviet Union. After the war, he met, fell in love with, and married Joan, a fellow student with whom he shared a passion for classical music and socialist causes -- and the explosive secret of his espionage. The pair raised a family while living under a cloud of suspicion and years of FBI surveillance and intimidation. A COMPASSIONATE SPY reveals the twists and turns of this real-life spy story, its profound impact on nuclear history, and the couple's remarkable love and life together during more than 50 years of marriage.

Join us for a Q & A with the writing and directing team of Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton, as they introduce the Connecticut premiere of their new film! Winner of the Best Film Award at the Harlem International Film Festival, Blow Up My Life is creating quite a buzz as it plays at film festivals around the country. Political comedian Jason Selvig, two-time Tony nominee Kara Young and Broadway actor Ben Horner star in this wild comedy adventure about a disgraced pharmaceutical employee who accidentally discovers a deadly opioid vape conspiracy. He and his cousin Charlie create chaos in their wake, as they ditch their ordinary lives to go on the run and expose the ruthless criminals. Guerilla moviemaking at its best, Blow Up My Life was shot in Middletown, CT in only18 days – and with the fraction of the budget of many a mindless Hollywood blockbuster. “A strong cast, a slick production style, and a compelling story that, though fictional, is all too familiar and plausible…” – Greg Gilman, MovieMaker.com.

No scary movie is as scary as when it is seen in a dark theater on a larger than life screen! Cinestudio invites the entire movie-loving community to join us ( if you dare) at the rare screening of the 4K 50^th Anniversary print of the ultimate British cult favorite. After receiving an anonymous letter about a missing 12-year-old girl, devout Christian and dedicated cop Neil Howie (Woodward) travels to one of those remote, austerely beautiful Scottish islands to investigate. But the islanders are far from friendly, caring little for his badge or religion — for the imperious laird of the isle Lord Summerisle (Lee) and his fanatical followers worship only the pagan deities of the past — and those gods demand a sacrifice. Fearing the very worst, Howie is forced to do battle with the islanders’ bewildering misdirection. Can he save her – and himself – from becoming a human sacrifice to the merciless whims of Celtic deities, long-denied their place in the firmament? “A movie that'll burn its way into your unconscious and give you nightmares for many years to come.” – Jamie Russell, BBC.com

Abounding with images of dark thunderous nights, ghostly mansions and bloody fangs, Michio Yamamoto’s “Bloodthirsty Trilogy” -- three vampire movies (VAMPIRE DOLL, LAKE OF DRACULA and EVIL OF DRACULA) that share the same cast and crew -- is sure to please both fans of Japanese genre cinema and gothic Hammer horror. The Trilogy kicks off with THE VAMPIRE DOLL, in which a young man goes missing after visiting his girlfriend’s isolated country home. His sister and her boyfriend trace him to the creepy mansion, but their search becomes perilous when they uncover a gruesome family history.

American composer Jake Heggie’s masterpiece, the most widely performed new opera of the last 20 years, has its highly anticipated Met premiere, in a haunting new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie’s beautiful and poignant music and a brilliant libretto by Tony and Emmy Award–winner Terrence McNally. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium for this landmark premiere, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato starring as Sister Helen. The outstanding cast also features bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the death-row inmate Joseph De Rocher, soprano Latonia Moore as Sister Rose, and legendary mezzo-soprano Susan Graham—who sang Helen Prejean in the opera’s 2000 premiere—as De Rocher’s mother.

Music by Jake Heggie, libretto by Terrence McNally Based on the Book by Sister Helen Prejean

Attempting to resurrect their failing marriage, Peter and Marcia trample through the deserted countryside, hoping a long weekend will patch up their differences. As they inadvertently destroy everything in their tracks, scattering garbage and shooting anything that moves, their callous disregard becomes apparent to them when the animals seek vengeance!

“The biggest holy grail of all folk horror films.” — Nathaniel Thompson, MONDO DIGITAL Before THE WITCH, there was EYES OF FIRE. In this seminal 1980s folk horror gem, a rogue 18th century preacher and his followers attempt to establish a settlement beyond the western frontier. But when they encounter a not-so-enchanted forest filled with evil spirits, the group exchanges happiness for apocalyptic madness. Newly restored from the original camera negative, EYES OF FIRE is a dreamlike hallucination that combines arthouse surrealism, gonzo creature effects, and ambitious symbolism to build a truly haunting experience. Imagine Werner Herzog directing an A24 film in 1983 and you’re halfway there.

In 1970, Dario Argento (DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA) indelibly redefined the “giallo” genre of murder-mystery thrillers with THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE—a mind-bending mix of murder, obsession, and art. A staggeringly assured first feature, this film establishes the key traits that define Argento’s filmography, including lavish visuals and a flare for wildly inventive and brutal scenes of violence. With sumptuous cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (APOCALYPSE NOW) and a seductive Ennio Morricone score, this landmark film has never looked better in this 4K restoration.

Winning over popes and emperors with his iconic, revolutionary works Titian succeeded in becoming one of the artists that symbolized the entire Renaissance. Titian was an extraordinary master of color and a brilliant entrepreneur, innovative both in a painting’s composition but also in how to sell it. In only a few years, Tiziano Vecellio became the official painter of Venice and the utmost artist sought after by the richest and most influential Courts in Europe. From Ferrara to Urbino, from Mantua to Rome, up to the Spain of Carlos V and his son Felipe II, Titian crossed his century illuminating it with his works of art, inspiring future generations of artists. Perfect interpreter of religion and mythology, portrayer of immediate expressive strength, he dominated his time outshining his contemporaries, always abiding by his motto: ‘Art is more powerful than Nature’.

Celebrated filmmaker Ira Sachs (Love is Strange) makes a breathtaking return with PASSAGES, a fresh, honest and brutally funny take on messy, modern relationships, starring Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom), Ben Whishaw (Women Talking) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story of Tomas (Rogowski) and Martin (Whishaw), a gay couple whose marriage is thrown into crisis when Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe (Exarchopoulos), a younger woman he meets after completing his latest film.

King Crimson is a band that people literally are dying to be in. In the Court of the Crimson King is a dark, comic film for anyone who wonders whether it is worth sacrificing everything for just a single moment of transcendence. For over 50 years Robert Fripp, also famous for his work with David Bowie and Brian Eno, has overseen a unique creative environment in which freedom and responsibility conspire to place extraordinary demands on the band's members -- only alleviated by the applause of an audience whose adoration threatens to make their lives even harder. It's a rewarding and perilous space in which the extraordinary is possible, nothing is certain, and not everyone survives intact.

Anthony Davis’s groundbreaking and influential opera, which premiered in 1986, arrives at the Met at long last. Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an Everyman whose story transcends time and space. An exceptional cast of breakout artists and young Met stars enliven the operatic retelling of the civil rights leader’s life. Baritone Will Liverman, who triumphed in the Met premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, sings Malcolm X, alongside soprano Leah Hawkins as his mother, Louise; mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis as his sister Ella; bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as his brother Reginald; and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Kazem Abdullah conducts the newly revised score, which provides a layered, jazz-inflected setting for the esteemed writer Thulani Davis’s libretto.

Music by Anthony Davis, libretto by Thulani Davis, story by Christopher Davis

SHORT SHORT STORY FILM FESTIVAL Heartstrings Program (85min. NR) 16th Edition – One Day Only! This competitive international film festival includes live-action and animated films which tell a story in under six minutes.  Celebrating brevity in filmmaking, the festival includes films from across the globe. Each program, Heartstrings and Headtrip (ticketed separately), has a distinctive tone yet wide-ranging styles and topics, showcasing over a dozen films tightly sequenced in under ninety minutes. The Heartstrings Program highlights films of a more emotional nature – comedic, bittersweet, or (as the name implies) tugging at the heart strings. The festival includes audience voting for each program, as well as a separate juried component with jurors from Merging Arts’ syndicated Spoiler Alert Radio film interview radio show. More information is available at http://www.mergingarts.org.

SHORT SHORT STORY FILM FESTIVAL Headtrip Program (85min. NR) 16th Edition – One Day Only! This competitive international film festival includes live-action and animated films which tell a story in under six minutes.  Celebrating brevity in filmmaking, the festival includes films from across the globe. Each program, Heartstrings and Headtrip (ticketed separately), has a distinctive tone yet wide-ranging styles and topics, showcasing over a dozen films tightly sequenced in under ninety minutes. The Headtrip Program presents forays into bizarre or unsettling territory, including biting satire, chilling imagery, and absurdist tales. The festival includes audience voting for each program, as well as a separate juried component with jurors from Merging Arts’ syndicated Spoiler Alert Radio film interview radio show. More information is available at http://www.mergingarts.org.

Sung in Spanish and inspired by the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s 1996 opera tells the enchanting story of a Brazilian opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house of Manaus—and to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle. The Met premiere stars soprano Ailyn Pérez as Florencia Grimaldi, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the podium to lead a spellbinding new production by Mary Zimmerman that brings the mysterious and magical realm of the Amazon to the Met stage. A distinguished ensemble of artists portray the diva’s fellow travelers on the river boat to Manaus, including soprano Gabriella Reyes as the journalist Rosalba, bass-baritone Greer Grimsley as the ship’s captain, baritone Mattia Olivieri as his enigmatic first mate, tenor Mario Chang as the captain’s nephew Arcadio, and mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera and baritone Michael Chioldi as the feuding couple Paula and Álvaro.

Ancient Babylon comes to life in a classic Met staging of biblical proportions. Baritone George Gagnidze makes his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska reprising her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor SeokJong Baek, in his company debut, are Fenena and Ismaele, whose love transcends politics, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy repeats his celebrated portrayal of the high priest Zaccaria. Daniele Callegari conducts Verdi’s exhilarating early masterpiece, which features the ultimate showcase for the great Met Chorus, the moving “Va, pensiero.”