FESTIVAL UPDATE: CINETOPIA SCHEDULE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED!
Lineup includes 18 films, plus a Michigan-Made Short Film Program, with 34 screenings and filmmakers in attendance.
- "Lady Parts" with director Nancy Boyd, producer Megan Griesbeck, and lead actress Valentina Tammaro.
- "1969: Killers, Freaks, and Radicals" with director Andrew Templeton and the creative team behind the film.
- "Sally!" with director Deborah Craig.
- "New Wave" with producer Betty Hang.
- "The Librarians" with film subject Amanda Jones and producer Janique Robillard.
The festival will run at the Michigan & State Theatre Thursday, May 15th – Sunday, May 18th, with a special festival preview screening on Wednesday, May 14th to offer some highlights of the weekend ahead and get audiences in the festival mood with a screening of A24’s new film "Friendship" starring Detroit’s own Tim Robinson ("I Think You Should Leave") and Paul Rudd.
Visit https://marquee-arts.org/cinetopia/ to find the schedule, tickets and passes. VIP, All-Movie, Student and 4-Pack tickets are all now on-sale.
OPENING THIS WEEK
"Sinners" — OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 18 AT THE STATE AND THE MULTIPLEX
From Ryan Coogler, the director of "Black Panther," "Creed," and "Fruitvale Station," comes this supernatural horror set in the 1930s South. The film follows twin brothers, both played by Michael B. Jordan, as they return to their hometown to leave their troubled lives behind and instead discover an even greater evil waiting to welcome them back.
"The Wedding Banquet" — OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 18 AT THE STATE AND THE MULTIPLEX
Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, and Kelly Marie Tran star in this comedic remake of the 1993 Film. Hoping to stay in the country, a gay man proposes a green card marriage to a female friend in exchange for paying for her IVF treatment. However, things soon get complicated when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.
"One to One: John & Yoko" — OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 18 AT THE MICHIGAN
Set in 1972 New York, this documentary explores John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s world amid a turbulent era. Centered on the One to One charity concert for special needs children, it features unseen archives, home movies, and restored footage, including John and Yoko’s performance at the John Sinclair Freedom Rally at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor on December 10th, 1971.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"10 Things I Hate About You" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Late Night Classics Film Series
A modernization of William Shakespeare's comedy "The Taming of the Shrew," retold in a late-1990s American high school setting. The film follows new student Cameron James, who is smitten with Bianca Stratford and attempts to get bad boy Patrick Verona to date her antisocial sister Kat. Staring Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
"Donnie Darko" — PLAYS FRIDAY, APRIL 18 AT 9:30 PM AND THURSDAY, APRIL 24 AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Late Night Classics Film Series
During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?
"Mungyeong: More than Roads" — PLAYS SATURDAY, APRIL 19 AT THE STATE (FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!)
Part of the Korean Cinema Now! Film Series
Disillusioned with her work life, an office worker goes on a vacation to Mungyeong City on a whim. There, she and a Buddhist nun who was taking travelling practice, rescue a stray dog, Gil-soon. The three unite and spend a night of emotional solidarity at an old woman’s house.
"Love Me" — PLAYS TUESDAY, APRIL 22 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Science on Screen Film Series
Featuring a post-film discussion on "Energy-Optimal AI" with Dr. Mosharaf Chowdhury, Associate Professor of Computer, Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, a buoy and a satellite meet online long after humanity's extinction. As they learn what life was like on Earth, they discover themselves and what it means to be alive and in love.
"Bucha" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 AT 5 PM AT THE MICHIGAN (FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!)
This film is based on the true story of an unlikely hero and refugee from Kazakhstan who, in the spring of 2022, risked his life to save hundreds of Ukrainians in Bucha and other cities and towns occupied by Russian troops. Directed by Stanislav Tiunov.
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
Written and directed by Ray Mendoza, a former U.S Navy Seal, and Alex Garland, director of Civil War. Based on Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War, the film follows, in real-time, a platoon of Navy SEALs on a mission through insurgent territory in November 2006 when things begin to go wrong.
This documentary follows eight Rhode Islanders who created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. Far more than a prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all involved.
A selection of the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival from Executive Producer Jesse Eisenberg.
Directed by James Griffiths, an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island dreams of getting his favorite musician back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the band accepts his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. However, Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig. A selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival starring Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan.
A premiere of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival – Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down. Starring Steve Coogan ("Alan Partridge," "The Trip" series, "Philomena") and from director Peter Cattaneo (1998 Best Picture/Best Director nominee for "The Full Monty")
From the Director of "Parasite," Bong Joon-ho, the film stars Robert Pattinson as an "expendable" - a disposable crew member on a space mission, selected for dangerous tasks because he can be renewed if his body dies, with his memories largely intact. With one regeneration, though, things go very wrong.
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