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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Paris, Texas

December 20 & 21

Wim Wenders’ iconic Cannes winner from 1984, exquisitely photographed by Dutch master Robby Müller, is a powerful statement on self-discovery, loss, redemption and the unbreakable bonds of love. Outstanding performances by Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, a masterful screenplay by Sam Shepard and Ry Cooder’s haunting soundtrack have contributed to Paris, Texas’ cult film status and its spell, even 40 years later.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg)

December 21 & 22

An angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly.

23rd Animation Show of Shows

December 27, 28, & 29

The 23nd Annual Animation Show of Shows returns with a selection of 12 highlights of the past programs selected by animator and curator Ron Diamond, who travels to festivals across the globe to share the most compelling animated films that showcase the different approaches to the medium. All are inventive, their tone ranging from funny to heartwarming and techniques varying from computer-enhanced to hand-painted to stop motion.

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.

All We Imagine as Light

January 3, 4, & 5

Centering on two roommates who also work together in a city hospital—head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha) —plus their coworker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam), Kapadia’s film alights on moments of connection and heartache, hope and disappointment. Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family; Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment.

Dahomey

January 10 & 11

From acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics), Dahomey is a poetic and immersive documentary that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the film charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin.

Harlan Jacobson’s Talk Cinema - Eephus

January 11

As an imminent construction project looms over their beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found

January 11 & 12

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck’s new documentary Ernest Cole: Lost and Found chronicles the life and work of Ernest Cole, one of the first Black freelance photographers in South Africa. Cole’s early pictures, shocking at the time of their first publication, revealed to the world Black life under apartheid.

Five Films by Maya Deren

January 12

One of the major figures of the cinematic avant-garde, choreographer and filmmaker Maya Deren’s oeuvre defined a generation of underground filmmaking. Crafting only a handful of films during her troublingly short life, Deren utilized the 16mm camera, which had just recently become available for non-professional use, to craft a prophetic vision of visual art in modernity. The resulting works are entrancing and haunting, reconstructing time and space in order to produce a cinematic language that abides only by its own logic.

Songcatcher

January 16

After being denied a promotion at the university where she teaches, Doctor Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer), a brilliant musicologist, impulsively visits her sister, who runs a struggling rural school in Appalachia. There she stumbles upon the discovery of her life—a treasure trove of ancient Scots-Irish ballads, songs that have been handed down from generation to generation, preserved intact by the seclusion of the mountains. With the goal of securing her promotion, Lily ventures into the most isolated areas of the mountains to collect the songs and finds herself increasingly enchanted.

CINEMA+ with a post-screening discussion by musician and scholar John Harrod as part of the Science on Screen grant initiative.

The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen)

January 17, 18, & 19

In post-WWI Copenhagen, factory worker Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) faces unemployment, abandonment, and pregnancy. Turning to Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who runs an underground adoption agency, Karoline becomes a wet nurse. Their bond deepens, but Karoline’s life unravels when she uncovers a shocking truth.

Vermiglio

January 24, 25, & 26

Set against the breathtaking beauty of the Alps, Vermiglio, Maura Delpero’s Silver Lion-winning film, unfolds in a remote village during WWII’s final days. A Sicilian deserter (Giuseppe De Domenico) hides in the town, sparking a romance with Lucia (Martina Scrinzi), the eldest daughter of a provincial family. Blending personal history with echoes of Italian neorealism, Delpero crafts a poignant, timeless tale. Italy’s submission for Best International Film Oscar.

Finding Light

January 26

Illuminated through the story of Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren, Finding Light reveals the creative journey that is simultaneously situated in the past while making relevant connections to the present through the lens of dance. The ballet shows a young woman’s journey from the comfort of a loving family with a rich cultural history to a place of unimaginable degradation and dehumanization. This documentary explores Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project and the origin of the ballet a time remembered. The director Paul Bloodgood was a former dancer with Ballet Austin and an original dancer in the world premiere of the ballet.

Screening in partnership with the Louisville Ballet related to the presentation of a time remembered on February 1-2 at The Kentucky Center as well as in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27).
CINEMA+ with a post-screening discussion with choreographer Stephen Mills and director Paul Bloodgood.

I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui)

January 31, February 1, 2, 5 & 6

In 1971, Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and critic of Brazil's military dictatorship, was taken from his Rio de Janeiro home and disappeared. Adapted from his son Marcelo's memoir, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here follows Eunice (a riveting Fernanda Torres) as she relentlessly searches for the truth about her husband over decades. This powerful political drama, featuring Oscar nominee Fernanda Montenegro, is Brazil's 2025 submission for Best International Film.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Dane-ye anjir-e ma'abed)

February 7, 8, & 9

Shot entirely in secret, Mohammad Rasoulof’s award-winning thriller The Seed of the Sacred Fig centers on a family thrust into the public eye when the patriarch Iman is appointed as an investigating judge in Tehran. Germany’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.

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.