OPENING THIS WEEK
"Being Heumann" — OPENS FRIDAY, NOV. 13 AT THE MICHIGAN
The inspiring story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann and her fight for equality and accessibility. Centered on the historic 1977 San Francisco sit-in, this powerful story celebrates the determination of a movement that helped change American history.
"Once Upon a Time in Harlem" — OPENS FRIDAY, NOV. 13 AT THE STATE
In 1972, groundbreaking filmmaker William Greaves gathered legendary artists, writers and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance for an extraordinary reunion at Duke Ellington's townhouse. More than 50 years later, his son David Greaves has completed the film, bringing remarkable conversations and cultural history to the big screen.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"Paris, Texas" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Wim Wenders Film Series
Harry Dean Stanton stars as a mysterious drifter who emerges from the Texas desert after disappearing for four years. As he reconnects with his family and searches for his estranged wife, a deeply moving story of memory, regret and reconciliation unfolds. Featuring stunning cinematography by Robby Müller, this is one of Wim Wenders' most celebrated films.
"La Bola Negra" — PLAYS FRIDAY, NOV. 13 AT 6:30 PM AT THE STATE
Spanning three different eras, this film follows three men whose lives are connected through desire, pain and the weight of inherited history. This Spanish-language drama explores identity, intimacy and the ways the past continues to shape the present.
Ann Arbor Polish Film Festival — PLAYS FRIDAY, NOV. 13 THROUGH SUNDAY, NOV. 15 AT THE MICHIGAN
The Michigan Theater hosts a full weekend of Polish cinema, featuring contemporary features, documentaries and short films. From intimate family stories to historical dramas, it's an opportunity to discover a wide range of Polish filmmaking on the big screen.
Friday, Nov. 13
- "The Doll" @ 7:30 PM — This film is an adaptation of the famous 19th-century novel, "The Doll" by Boleslaw Prus, one of the greatest works of Polish literature. A self-made man, Stanislaw Wokulski falls in love with Izabela Lecka, a beautiful, impoverished aristocrat. His romantic pursuit, along with clashing expectations and class differences, leads to numerous complications and an unexpected conclusion. Directed by Maciej Kawalski.
Saturday, Nov. 14
- "The Green Dinosaur" @ 10 AM — A colorful animated adventure featuring a young dinosaur and a fantastical world, offering a family-friendly start to Saturday's programming.
- "Silent Drift" @ 1 PM — A short nature and science documentary focusing on the ecosystem of the Tatra Mountains and their glaciers. The film reveals the fragility of these mighty mountains and the inevitability of the changes they are undergoing due to human activity. Directed by Konrad Borusiewicz.
- "The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival" @ 1:30 PM — This documentary explores the extraordinary life of Polish-born Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, whose glamorous portraits and distinctive style helped define an era. Her story spans artistic innovation, political upheaval and the determination to reinvent herself.
- Short Films Program @ 4 PM — A special collection of short films offers audiences a chance to experience different filmmaking styles, perspectives and stories in one screening.
- "Blueberries" @ 6:30 PM — Sara is preparing to celebrate her engagement with her future husband’s family. Her plans are upended by the death of a stranger. Swept into a whirlwind of tragedy, Sara faces a moral dilemma. Whom can she trust when the line between loyalty and betrayal begins to blur?
- "Talk to Me" @ 7 PM — An intimate psychological drama about a married couple grappling with the trauma of losing a child. Agnieszka withdraws into herself, while Darek returns to his Silesian roots—seeking an identity there to rebuild himself and save his marriage. The tragedy leads the protagonists through a painful process of confronting their own selfishness, raising the question of whether pain can become an opportunity for rebirth.
- "The Altar Boys" @ 9 PM — A group of teenage altar boys, frustrated by the indifferent attitude of adults and the Church towards social injustices, decides to implement their own unconventional plan for moral renewal of their neighborhood. Armed with youthful rebellion and their personal interpretation of the Bible, they set up a wiretap…. Directed by Piotr Domalewski.
Sunday, Nov. 15
- "Dad's Not Home" @ 2 PM — Two underage brothers hide from the world that their father suffers from frontotemporal dementia. They have to take care of him and manage the house in order to stay together. Nominated for consideration in the 2026 Live Action Short Film category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Directed by Jan Saczek.
- "Home Sweet Home" @ 3 PM — The story follows Goska, who meets Grzesiek online. What begins as an ideal relationship quickly devolves into a nightmare when they marry and move into a shared home. Grzesiek systematically isolates and abuses Goska and manipulates her reality. Winner of several awards of the Polish Film Academy. Directed by Wojciech Smarzowski.
Tree Town Trans Film Festival — PLAYS SATURDAY, NOV. 14 AT 1:30 PM AT THE STATE
A film festival by and for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people. Join us as we showcase some shimmers of creation and collaboration from people who are about as easy to define and as invigorating as art itself.
"Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" — PLAYS SUNDAY, NOV. 15 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
In the town of Twin Peaks, everyone has their secrets—but especially Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). In this prequel to his groundbreaking 1990s television series, David Lynch resurrects the teenager found wrapped in plastic at the beginning of the show, following her through the last week of her life and teasing out the enigmas that surround her murder. Homecoming queen by day and drug-addicted thrill seeker by night, Laura leads a double life that pulls her deeper and deeper into horror as she pieces together the identity of the assailant who has been terrorizing her for years. Nightmarish in its vision of an innocent torn apart by unfathomable forces, this is nevertheless one of Lynch’s most humane films, aching with compassion for its tortured heroine—a character as enthralling in life as she was in death.
"Ten Times Better/About Face" — PLAYS TUESDAY, NOV. 17 AT 5:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN (FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!)
This special documentary double feature highlights the remarkable life of pioneering Black ballet dancer Arthur Mitchell and the history of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, celebrating artistic excellence and the breaking of racial barriers in dance.
Cozy Craft Club: "The Princess Bride" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
As you wish! Bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery or favorite portable craft project for another Cozy Craft Club movie night. This month, we're revisiting the beloved fantasy adventure featuring swashbuckling sword fights, true love, unforgettable characters and plenty of quotable moments. Inconceivably fun!
"Sir Thaddeus" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18 AT 7 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Wajda 100 Film Series
In the early 1810s, Poles, part of Russia's client state of Lithuania, think independence will come if they join forces with Napoleon when he invades Russia. This unity of purpose, in one district, is undermined by two families, feuding since the head of one shot the head of the other 20 years before. There are hopes of a reconciliation through a marriage of Pan Tadeusz, a Soplica, whose father, the murderer, is in hiding somewhere, and Zosia, a teen-aged girl, a Horeszko who lives in the household of Pan's uncle. Other cross-currents - of love, family, politics, village traditions, land reform and what it means to be Polish - give the film texture. It's an exile's story.
"Wings of Desire" — PLAYS THURSDAY, NOV. 19 AT 8 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the Wim Wenders Film Series
This is one of cinema’s loveliest city symphonies. Bruno Ganz is Damiel, an angel perched atop buildings high over Berlin who can hear the thoughts—fears, hopes, dreams—of all the people living below. But when he falls in love with a beautiful trapeze artist, he is willing to give up his immortality and come back to Earth to be with her. Made not long before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this stunning tapestry of sounds and images, shot in black and white and color by the legendary Henri Alekan, is movie poetry. And it forever made the name Wim Wenders synonymous with film art.
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
From acclaimed writer-director Martin McDonagh, the filmmaker behind "The Banshees of Inisherin" and "In Bruges," comes a darkly comic espionage thriller starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. Set just before Chile's 1973 military coup, two CIA agents are sent to Easter Island, where their troubled pasts and a pair of rebellious students complicate their mysterious assignment.
The King of the Monsters returns! Set in 1949, two years after the events of "Godzilla Minus One," the Shikishima family faces another devastating catastrophe as the legendary monster threatens Japan once again. This new chapter brings Godzilla's destructive power back to the big screen in a thrilling postwar adventure. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
A respected academic becomes obsessed with the legend of a mysterious device supposedly capable of displaying images from any moment in history. As her research leads her deeper into New York City's hidden libraries and forgotten histories, the line between academic curiosity and dangerous obsession begins to blur in this atmospheric science-fiction thriller.
Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave star in Ken Russell's provocative masterpiece of religious obsession, political corruption and hysteria in 17th-century France. Presented in its uncut, restored 4K version for the first time, this controversial horror epic returns to the big screen as Russell originally envisioned.
Thirty-four days before heading to prison, disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait becomes a mind-bending, three-year documentary journey into the life of one of Silicon Valley’s most notorious figures.
From acclaimed Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu comes a tense family drama about two neighboring families in Norway whose conflicting beliefs about parenting and personal freedom ignite a bitter dispute. What begins as a disagreement exposes deeper tensions surrounding culture, morality and family life.
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