COMING SOON

CLUB ZERO
Opens Mar 29
At an international boarding school, an unassuming, yet rigorous, Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) joins the teaching staff to instruct a new class on “conscious eating.” Her impressionable teenage students each have their own reasons for joining the class – to improve fitness, reduce their carbon footprint, or get extra credit. Although early lectures focus on mindful consumption, Miss Novak’s discussions soon become increasingly disordered and extreme. A suspicious headmistress, concerned parents and the failing health of her students lead everyone to question the inscrutable Miss Novak’s motivations for teaching the class. As a few devoted pupils fall deeper under her cult-like tutelage, they are given a new, even more sinister goal to aspire to – joining the ominous “Club Zero.”
EX MACHINA
Presented in partnership with The Connecticut Forum Apr 4
It seems like the blink of an eye between Alan Turning developing a proto-computer that could communicate with another machine (seen onscreen in The Imitation Game), to Ex Machina, where a young man tries to explore the consciousness of a computer in the form of a human. Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson (Never Let Me Go, Calvary) stars as the coder who wins a competition awarding him the chance to spend a week at the estate of his company’s brilliant CEO (Oscar Isaac of Inside Llewyn Davis). His challenge: to explore the mind and emotions of a new android (Alicia Vikander), whose intelligence is much more than “artificial.” “Alex Garland (who wrote 28 Days) makes an impressive debut as a director, spinning an unsettling futuristic thriller with expertise and exquisite taste…” Ann Hornaday, Washington Post.
THE WEDDING MARCH
One Day Only Apr 6
Released in 1928, The Wedding March, directed by and starring Erich von Stroheim, is a magnificent culmination to von Stroheim's complex silent film career. Recreating the opulent splendor of Vienna, prior to the Great War, the film is a brilliant critique, of the sharp contrasts between the decaying aristocracy and the struggling lower classes. A radiant Fay Wray, in a memorable co-starring role, gives a powerful performance, vividly conveying the film's primary narrative theme of love and sorrow. Patrick Miller, Professor Emeritus, The Hartt School, University of Hartford will perform a new live piano accompaniment for the screening. The film will be presented, in a new DCP restoration, by Paramount Pictures Archives, in collaboration with the Library of Congress and Kevin Brownlow.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA IN 70MM (1962)
Free Screening at 1pm pre-show "Coffee Talk" at 12pm Apr 7
Since 1970, Cinestudio has been an integral part of Trinity’s campus life. Part of the free and open 1823 Series, Cinestudio presents a curated series of iconic films that each represent a decade since its founding, as selected by alumni, students, faculty, and staff. The final film in the series is a Cinestudio classic! British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is sent to Arabia to find Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) and to serve as a liaison between the Arabs and the British in their fight against the Turks. With the aid of native Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), Lawrence rebels against the orders of his superior officer and strikes out on a daring camel journey across the harsh desert to attack a well-guarded Turkish port. 70mm showcases just what this amazing format can achieve. Lawrence of Arabia is a visual masterpiece as well as a thrilling epic, following the adventures of T.E. Lawrence during World War I on the Arabian peninsula. As the film opens, Lawrence is a rebellious British Lieutenant, who joins forces with Prince Faisal (Alec Guiness) and Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) to attack the Turks at Aqaba. As the stakes get higher, Lawrence gains friends – and dangerous enemies – on both sides. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre), and Best Cinematography (Freddy Young). The film will be shown with one intermission. “Of all the cinematic epics captured on 70mm, few come as grand and successfully realised as Lawrence of Arabia. It’s almost impossible to highlight just a single moment from the countless miracles the film pulls off.” – The British Film Institute.
BLACK GIRL
One Night Only Apr 8
Ousmane Sembène, one of the greatest and most groundbreaking filmmakers who ever lived and the most internationally renowned African director of the twentieth century, made his feature debut in 1966 with the brilliant and stirring Black Girl (La noire de . . .). Sembène, who was also an acclaimed novelist in his native Senegal, transforms a deceptively simple plot—about a young Senegalese woman who moves to France to work for a wealthy white couple and finds that life in their small apartment becomes a figurative and literal prison—into a complex, layered critique on the lingering colonialist mindset of a supposedly postcolonial world. Featuring a moving central performance by Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Black Girl is a harrowing human drama as well as a radical political statement—and one of the essential films of the 1960s.
Colette et Justin
One Night Only Apr 9
Proving once again that the personal is political, French-Congolese documentary filmmaker Alain Kassanda set about to uncover a tumultuous time in his native Congo’s history. His method is both brilliant and unconventional: filming his grandparents as they look back on their lives under Belgian rule, rebellion, and the unavoidable complications of freedom. Kassanda mixes interviews with his family with exploitative Belgian propaganda materials, that were intent on convincing the world – and the Congolese – that the Belgians were the intrinsically superior. Perhaps the most fascinating part of this eye-opening film are the difficult stories of the early days of liberation, and where Kassanda’s grandfather stood on the rise to power of Congo’s first prime minister Patrick Lumumba, a progressive African nationalist who would face a military coup and execution. The result is a brave reckoning not only for the past, but for the present generation and how colonialism continues to shape their identities. “Informative and profound…it highlights the far-reaching wounds of colonization and offers a balm for its scars.”  - Concepción de León, New York Times.
Touki Bouki
Today, as thousands of young Africans are caught up in emigration to flee poverty and war, Djibril Diop Mabéty’s 1973 film is timely, magical, and fierce. To Mabéty, his homeland of Sénégal – and particularly the slums of Dakar – was still damaged by its years of French rule, plagued with a new ruling class and its own stultifying injustice. Mory (Magaye Niang) is a zebu herder, whose restless dreams sweep him and his moped (adorned with a zebu’s skull and antlers) to the capital city. There he meets a young student named Anta (Marème Niang) who shares his ambition for a stimulating new life in Paris, that “little piece of heaven,” as Josephine Baker sings on the soundtrack. Of course, tickets are expensive, and the couple’s schemes are unsuccessful, until Mory strikes gold by stealing money from an unsuspecting gay man. But even with the treasured tickets in hand, last-minute complications threaten to prevent either one – or both – of the dreamers’ chance of escape. Touki Bouki, now recognized as an inspiration to generations of African filmmakers has been lovingly restored by the World Cinema Project of Martin Scorsese, who calls it “a cinematic poem made with a raw, wild energy… it explodes one image at a time.”
Saint Omer
One Night Only Apr 11
The first feature film by Alice Diop is based on an actual 2015 murder trial in Saint Omer that she attended as a journalist, and would ultimately transform into an award-winning movie. Laurence Coly (as played by the enigmatic Guslagie Malanda). Standing in for the director is Rama, an accomplished journalist sent to cover the trial. Attending every day, Rama discovers a mirror image of herself in the killer. Both share Sénégalese heritage, have difficult relationships with their mothers, are educated, and have French white partners. When Coly calmly reveals that she is not guilty - it is a curse by witches in her tribal village that led her to murder. Where the French secular court sees a flimsy excuse, Rama feels deep in her soul the war between the culture that you grew up with, and the whole new world presented by their former colonizers. Winner, Silver Lion Grand Jury prize, Venice Film Festival. “Brilliant! Diop explores the nature of personal and national identity, the multigenerational trauma of migration, and France’s ongoing failures to reflect its ethnic and racial diversity.” – Richard Brody, New Yorker magazine.
Ouvertures
One Night Only Apr 12
At a time of violent political upheaval in Haiti, April in Paris presents an extraordinary film that explores the conflicted heart of the first country to win independence from their European colonizers in 1803. The inspired collaboration is the work of directors Louis Henderson and Olivier Marboeuf and a group of Haitian artists, actors and poets called The Living and the Dead Ensemble. Ouveratures opens in Paris, where a young man is researching the legendary revolutionary Toussaint Louverture: a former slave who owned slaves himself, who thought of himself as a “free Frenchman,” although he died in a French prison. The film next moves to Haiti, where a group of young performers from Haiti, France and the U.K (The Living and the Dead Ensemble) stage the play Monsieur Toussaint by Édouard Glissant, and translate it into Creole. In the play, ghosts from the Haiti’s past put the dying Toussaint on trial, while illuminating his rare ability both to terrify slave owning countries (including the U.S.), and to inspire enslaved black people to imagine – and fight for - freedom. “A mediation of how the pain and triumphs of a nation’s history are eternal. It is alive, breathing and evolving through the people they influence.”- Gabrielle Pascal, Haitian Times
FREE TIME
Opens Apr 15
Drew is approaching the end of his twenties and, with it, his relative youth. Looking to make a sudden change, he decides to quit his cushy desk job and "embrace life." Cycling quickly through friends, hobbies, and goals, it's not long until Drew realizes he has no idea what to do with his newfound freedom. Led by Colin Burgess and featuring a wide ensemble of New York City's funniest performers, Ryan Martin Brown's debut feature is an uproarious comedy -- filmed on location in the midst of America's "Great Resignation" -- about the search for meaning in the modern world.
DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS
One Night Only Apr 18
Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way. Directed by Ethan Coen.
SWEET DREAMS
Opens Apr 19

A sharp-eyed satire set on a sugar plantation on an Indonesian island in the final years of the Dutch colonial era, Ena Sendijarević’s second feature is a potent reminder that European colonialism did not come to a tidy ending in the innumerable countries it affected (to say nothing of the neocolonialism still impacting much of the globe). Instead, Sweet Dreams provides compelling evidence of the mess these wider historical forces make in the lives of the characters within the volatile microcosm the director portrays so vividly.

For the family and business led by the imperious patriarch Jan (Hans Dagelet), the rot had clearly set in long before these events. That said, Jan isn’t around to see the changes to come, what with his sudden death after one of his nightly visits to the room of Siti (Hayati Azis), his Indonesian housekeeper. With the disorder in the household further compounded by a workers’ protest, his widow Agathe (Renée Soutendijk) demands the return from Europe of Jan’s pompous son Cornelius (Florian Myjer) and heavily pregnant daughter-in-law Josefin (Lisa Zweerman). When they all learn of Jan’s decision to bequeath his estate to his son with Siti, the ensuing power struggles add a further degree of turbulence.

Realizing the promise she displayed in her first feature Take Me Somewhere Nice, Sendijarević delivers a film that’s remarkable for its ruthless intelligence, visual flair, and astute take on the ways personal relationships can be poisoned by the systems and structures in which we operate.

Puccini’s La Rondine
One Day Only! Apr 20
Puccini’s bittersweet love story makes a rare Met appearance, with soprano Angel Blue starring as the French courtesan Magda, opposite tenor Jonathan Tetelman in his highly anticipated company debut as Ruggero, an idealistic young man who offers her an alternative to her life of excess. Maestro Speranza Scappucci conducts Nicolas Joël’s Art Deco–inspired staging, which transports audiences from the heart of Parisian nightlife to a dreamy vision of the French Riviera. In their Met debuts, soprano Emily Pogorelc and tenor Bekhzod Davronov complete the sterling cast as Lisette and Prunier.

A co-production of Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse; and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

An afternoon with Illeana Douglas and a screening.
One Night Only Apr 21
Nancy Savoca’s star-studded indie gem is a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family that perfectly balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Joseph Santangelo (Vincent D’Onofrio) is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who “wins” his wife Catherine (a stellar Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa who overtakes the film with her yearning to serve God. Perfectly embodying a modern-day Bernadette, Lili Taylor imbues Teresa with a mix of dedicated innocence and naïveté. Executive produced by Jonathan Demme, with memorable performances from Michael Imperioli, Michael Rispoli and Victor Argo, Household Saints showcases a unique voice in 1990s independent filmmaking.
DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX
Happy Earth Day! All Tickets $5 Apr 22
Cinestudio and Trinity's Sustainability Committee invite you to celebrate Earth Day with a reduced admission ($5) screening of The Lorax, the story of a young boy trying to bring life to his barren, treeless world. This prescient children’s story is now a delightful film based on the book by Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel).  Zac Efron voices young Ted, who lives in the vegetation-free town of Sneedville, hoping one day to impress his elusive dream girl. (And yes, she is voiced by megastar Taylor Swift!) One day Ted’s curiosity leads him outside Sneedville’s walled town where he meets the even curiouser Once-ler, a creature who enlists Ted in the battle between the greedy mayor, and the Lorax, the elusive Guardian of the forest. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss.
National Theatre Live: Vanya
One Day Only! Apr 28
Andrew Scott (Fleabag) brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions. Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, Vanya will be playing exclusively in cinemas in 2024. ★★★★★'Unquestionably theatre at its best'Broadway World
The Immortals: The Wonder of the Museo Egizio
One Night Only May 5
This documentary is a journey among the most beautiful archaeological finds Egypt has left us. Kha, architect and builder of tombs for the pharaohs, must undertake the journey to the Underworld. Telling us the story of his voyage is Jeremy Irons, in the guise of a narrator. His words take us inside the secret world of Egyptian mythology, religion and funerary culture, interweaving the story with the history of the oldest museum in the world, the Museo Egizio in Turin, founded in 1824 and will soon be celebrating its 200th anniversary. In fact, the Kha’s own Tomb is to be found in Turin along with the most complete and most valuable private collection of grave goods outside of Egypt. A journey along the Nile , among the most beautiful archaeological finds Egypt has left us, the magnificent monuments of Giza, Luxor, Karnak, to the Valley of the Kings and the workers’ village of Deir el-Medina, the story told by Irons follows the tracks of Italian explorers and archaeologists - their itineraries also leading to the exhibition halls of the Cairo Museum, the Ägyptischen Museum in Berlin, the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris. From Ramesses II in Turin, to the treasure of Tutankhamun in Cairo, the bust of Nefertiti in Berlin, the Red Scribe in the Louvre, and the Rosetta Stone in London.
Kendal Mountain Tour 2024
One Night Only May 10

Prepare for an unforgettable night of adventure as the Kendal Mountain Tour 2024 comes to North America!

Join us on a cinematic journey through the world's most breathtaking landscapes with a selection of award-winning films showcasing the year’s most daring feats of courage and tales of human resilience. Whether you're a seasoned explorer or simply someone who appreciates the majesty of nature, this tour promises to ignite your sense of adventure and leave you with a renewed appreciation for the planet we call home.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
One Day Only! May 11
Three extraordinary sopranos—Aleksandra Kurzak, Eleonora Buratto, and Asmik Grigorian (in her highly anticipated Met debut)—tackle the demanding role of Cio-Cio-San, the loyal geisha at the heart of Puccini’s devastating tragedy. Tenors Matthew Polenzani and Jonathan Tetelman co-star as the callous American naval officer Pinkerton, whose betrayal destroys her. Mezzo-sopranos Elizabeth DeShong and Eve Gigliotti share the role of the steadfast maid Suzuki, and baritone Davide Luciano and Lucas Meachem are the American consul Sharpless. Acclaimed maestro Xian Zhang makes her Met debut conducting Anthony Minghella’s vivid production.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and the Lithuanian National Opera

WHO IS STAN SMITH?
One Night Only May 17
A lyrical and emotional journey, charting the extraordinary life of Stan Smith, the tennis champion turned fashion icon and humanitarian. From his early days in Southern California, through Stan's historic, collegiate and professional tennis career, this in-depth story peels back the layers to show the true colors of a thoughtful, empathetic leader off the court, all-the-while becoming an unsuspecting fashionista for thousands of artists, celebrities and shoe-lovers around the world. Executive Produced by LeBron James, Who Is Stan Smith features myriad talking heads including John McEnroe, Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Pharrell Williams and many contemporaries from Stan's illustrious tennis career.