Before the Beginning

Jan 9, 2026 — The director of some of the bleakest films ever made once claimed all they were all comedies—except one.

Jan 5, 2026 — One of France’s biggest stars took the world by storm before her reputation took a turn.

Oct 27, 2025 — The Melbourne Cinémathèque presents vibrant and enduring mashups of melodrama and social realism.

Apr 16, 2025 — The two Cannes sidebars select films by Christian Petzold, Robin Campillo, Eva Victor, and Sophie Letourneur.

Apr 14, 2025 — This month’s programming brings seaside thrills and white-knuckle tension, noir classics from a politically repressive era in American history, early gems from Kathryn Bigelow, and guest-curated picks from Spike Lee.

Feb 25, 2025 — Like many of the characters found throughout the director’s oeuvre, the alternative-press staffers at the center of her sophomore feature are bound up in a perpetual tug-of-war between past and present realities.

Feb 4, 2025 — The director has put together a series of films that have inspired his Nosferatu.

Jul 23, 2024 — Chen Kaige’s sweeping epic chronicles the history of twentieth-century China through the story of two childhood friends, contrasting the unchanging traditions of their Beijing-opera milieu with the nation’s swift and turbulent transformation.

Jun 12, 2024 — This summer, we’re bringing back one of our favorite seasonal themes with a hard-boiled Neonoir collection. Plus: Pop Shakespeare, Times Square, and Columbia Screwball.

May 2, 2024 — The series spotlights rarely seen films by Shirley Clarke, Marie Menken, Bette Gordon, Jack Smith, and dozens more.