CINETOPIA FILM FESTIVAL – JUNE 13-23
The Cinetopia Film Festival is back to bring you “the world’s best films from the world’s best festivals”. Ann Arbor will be buzzing with film enthusiasts this summer with over 30 selections to choose from!
OPENING DOWNTOWN
Direct from Cannes: "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" — RED CARPET PREMIERE TONIGHT AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN THEATER
Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home. From writer/director George Miller and also starring Chris Hemsworth.
"The Garfield Movie" — OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 24 AT THE MULTIPLEX
Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father -- scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) -- Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
"Wildcat" — OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 24 AT THE MICHIGAN
Directed and co-written by four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, this film follows the life of writer Flannery O'Connor while she was struggling to publish her first novel and invites the audience to ponder the great questions of her writing: Can scandalous art still serve God? Does suffering precede all greatness? And can illness be a blessing? Starring Maya Hawke and Laura Linney.
"Evil Does Not Exist" — OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 24 AT THE STATE
From writer/director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi of the 2021 Oscar winner "Drive My Car".
Completing its run on the worldwide festival circuit, having played in Toronto, Venice, New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, among many others and picking up several awards, and now finally coming to Ann Arbor.
Takumi and his daughter Hana live in the modest Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. But increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a talent agency's plan to build an opulent glamping site nearby, offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to the snowy wilderness. So, when two company representatives arrive and ask for local guidance, Takumi becomes conflicted in his involvement, as it becomes clear that the project will have a destructive impact on the natural community that they have built.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"Dune (1984)" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Night Classics series
Celebrating its 40th anniversary! The first film adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction epic. Starring Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, Max Von Sydow, Sting, and Patrick Stewart. This monumental Dino DeLaurentiis presentation is directed by David Lynch with music by Toto and incredible monster creation by E.T.'s Carlo Rambaldi.
"Promare" — PLAYS FRIDAY, MAY 26 AT 9:30 PM AND THURSDAY, MAY 30 AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Night Classics series
Celebrating its 5th anniversary and the mighty run it had at the State Theatre! Thirty years has passed since the appearance of Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a new group of aggressive mutants appears, a battle begins. From director Hiroyuki Imaishi.
"Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" — PLAYS SATURDAY, MAY 25 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) battles the horrible Jabba the Hutt and the cruel Darth Vader to save his comrades in the Rebel Alliance and triumph over the Galactic Empire. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) reaffirm their love and team with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), the Ewoks and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 to aid in the disruption of the Dark Side and the defeat of the evil emperor. From director Richard Marquand and screenwriters George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" — PLAYS SUNDAY, MAY 26 AT 1:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
FREE for kids 12 & under!
The last of five coveted "golden tickets" falls into the hands of a sweet but very poor boy. He and his grandpa then get a tour of the strangest chocolate factory in the world. The owner leads five young winners on a thrilling and often dangerous tour of his factory. From director Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder.
2024 New York Dog Film Festival — PLAYS SUNDAY, MAY 26 AT 4:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
The NY Dog Film Festival is a two-hour medley of animated, documentary and narrative short films from around the world with a canine theme. And 10% of the Box Office will benefit the Humane Society of Huron Valley!
NT Live: "Nye" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Michael Sheen plays Nye Bevan in a surreal and spectacular journey through the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state.
From campaigning at the coalfield to leading the battle to create the National Health Service, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan is often referred to as the politician with greatest influence over the UK without ever being Prime Minister.
Confronted with death, Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan’s deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life; from childhood to mining underground, Parliament and fights with Churchill.
Written by Tim Price and directed by Rufus Norris ("Small Island"), this epic new Welsh fantasia will be filmed live at the National Theatre in London.
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse's early rise to fame and the making of her groundbreaking album, "Back to Black." Told from Amy's perspective and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film follows the remarkable woman behind the phenomenon and the tumultuous relationship at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.
From director Sam Taylor-Johnson ("Nowhere Boy"), starring Marisa Abela (who provides her own voice to the songs), an original score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, with Giles Martin who served as the music producer.
A favorite from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival! Teenager Owen (Justice Smith) is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate (Brigette Lundy-Paine) introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack. From writer/director Jane Schoenbrun ("We're All Going to the World's Fair")
"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"
A 2024 American science fiction action film directed by Wes Ball and written by Josh Friedman. The standalone sequel to "War for the Planet of the Apes" (2017), it is the fourth installment in the "Planet of the Apes" reboot franchise and the tenth film overall. The film stars Owen Teague in the lead role alongside Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy. It takes place 300 years after the events of War and follows a young chimpanzee named Noa, who embarks on a journey alongside a human woman named Mae to determine the future for apes and humans alike.
Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar's reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
A 2024 American romantic sports film directed by Luca Guadagnino. The plot follows a professional tennis champion (Mike Faist) who plots a comeback with the help of his wife (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy who retired after an injury, as he goes up against another player (Josh O'Connor), who also happens to be his former best friend and wife's former lover.
Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach after a career-ending injury, is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband's redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend, who is also Tashi's former boyfriend.
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