Cinema

Dean Otto currently serves as the Curator of Film. To learn more about Dean and the Speed Cinema, read the full press release here. Photo by Rafael Gamo.

Speed Cinema entrance update: Our South Cinema entrance has reopened for all Cinema guests! Follow the Speed Cinema signs while exiting the Museum garage to the entrance while enjoying a small part of the Art Park that is now open.

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Kusama: Infinity

Monthly, July - December

Inspired by the 1960s American political and social revolutions, Kusama’s avant-garde innovation garnered notoriety but little fame or success as she pioneered audacious and unprecedented soft sculptures, staged nude Vietnam protests, and fashioned dazzling polka-dot creations. After working as an artist for over six decades, people around the globe are experiencing her installation Infinity Mirrored Rooms in record numbers, as Kusama continues to create new work every day.

Screened in conjunction with the exhibition Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrored Room: LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER on view July 12, 2024-January 12, 2025

The Piano Lesson

November 20 & 21

Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, The Piano Lesson explores the intergenerational dynamics of identity, resilience and transcendence – revealing startling truths about how we perceive the past and who gets to define our legacy.

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

November 22 & 23

Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba.

Agent of Happiness

November 23 & 24

Agent of Happiness is a holistic exploration of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index, using “meaningful visual contrast to scrutinize Bhutan’s narrative about itself,” (Variety). Filmmakers Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó carefully craft a visually stunning, tender narrative around the age-old quest to find the purpose of life.

The People Could Fly

November 24

The People Could Fly is a poetic documentary about the history of Black gathering spaces in Louisville, Kentucky, from the 1960s to mid-2000s. In this intimate video portrait, we delve into the ritual of roller skating and how roller rinks emerged as sanctuaries for Black culture.
CINEMA+ with a post-screening discussion with director Imani Dennison and producers Bryn Silverman and Naveen Chaubal.

This is a film about The Black Keys

November 27

Acclaimed Louisville-native filmmaker Jeff Dupre (Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music, Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present) skillfully integrates the vast catalog of the band’s discography into the narrative of two men whose relationship as friends, artists, and co-workers has been challenged and evolved over time. As so many forces have threatened to pull them apart, The Black Keys have managed to stick together, still making great music and still asking what’s next.
CINEMA+ with a post-screening discussion with the director Jeff Dupre.

Maria

November 29 & 30, December 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8

Academy Award®-winner Angelina Jolie is Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century in acclaimed director Pablo Larraín’s operatic Maria. The film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.

World AIDS Day: Red Reminds Me . . .

December 1

For Day With(out) Art 2024, Visual AIDS is working with the Speed to present Red Reminds Me. . ., a program of seven videos reflecting the emotional spectrum of living with HIV today. Through the red ribbon and other visuals, HIV and AIDS has been long associated with the color red and its connotations—blood, pain, tragedy, and anger. Red Reminds Me . . . invites viewers to consider a complex range of images and feelings surrounding HIV, from eroticism and intimacy, mothering and kinship, luck and chance, memory and haunting.

Harlan Jacobson's Talk Cinema | The Brutalist

December 7

After fleeing post-war Europe, Jewish architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life and marriage with Erzsébet (Felicity Jones). Settling in Pennsylvania, László catches the eye of wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pierce), who commissions his first U.S. project. However, as László fights to preserve his bold, visionary style, he faces the challenges of a new country and the heavy price of pursuing his artistic legacy.

Roger Beebe: Expanded Cinema

January 2

Roger Beebe returns to the road with a program of 16mm multi-projector performances and will make his first stop in Louisville in more than 15 years. Roger Beebe is a filmmaker whose work since 2006 consists primarily of multiple-projector performances and essayistic videos that explore the world of found images and the "found" landscapes of late capitalism.

Big Kid Flicks - New York International Children's Film Festival

January 3

Take in the audience favorite and award-winning films from the latest edition of New York International Children’s Film Festival! These amazing short films from around the world are sure to inspire curiosity and conversation for viewers big and small. Big Kid Flicks is full of challenges big and small. With obstacles like learning how to ride a bike and convincing your family you want to be a vampire queen; this program is full of vibrancy and adventure.

Celebrating Black Stories - New York International Children's Film Festival

February 23

Take in the audience’s favorite and award-winning films from the latest edition of New York International Children’s Film Festival! These amazing short films from around the world are sure to inspire curiosity and conversation for viewers big and small. Celebrating Black Stories spotlights Black narratives that transcend national boundaries, culture, and language with films in English, French, Zulu, and even ASL! These films share the joy, determination, resilience, and complexity of being young and Black while underscoring the vibrancy of Black storytelling.

Dawn of Impressionism: Paris 1874

March 22 & 23

The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history—millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything; the first Impressionists, “hungry for independence,” broke the mold by holding their own exhibition outside official channels. Impressionism was born and the art world was changed forever.

Girls’ POV - New York International Children's Film Festival

March 30

Take in the audience favorite and award-winning films from the latest edition of New York International Children’s Film Festival! These amazing short films from around the world are sure to inspire curiosity and conversation for viewers big and small. This edition of Girls’ POV celebrates trailblazing young scientists who are developing creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. From a 19th century fossil hunter to today’s innovators, these girls lead the field!

Michelangelo: Love and Death

May 31 & June 1

The spectacular sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo seem so familiar to us, but what do we really know about this Renaissance giant? Spanning his 88 years, Michelangelo: Love and Death take a cinematic journey through the print and drawing rooms of Europe through the great chapels and museums of Florence, Rome, and the Vatican to seek out a deeper understanding of this legendary figure’s tempestuous life, his relationship with his contemporaries, and his incredible legacy.