Wild Inside
A Eurasian Eagle-Owl named Flaco escapes from the Central Park Zoo and sets off on a magical odyssey through the island of Manhattan. Flaco overcomes his years of captivity and lack of survival skills to answer the call of the wild – and discovers he was wild inside all along.
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World
If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated bestseller, Pulitzer Prize winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly 50 years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world – issues that feel especially pressing in an era of climate crisis, digital distraction, and social fragmentation.
Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD considers the poet’s long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her.
Honeyjoon
A surprisingly sexy, darkly funny emotional rollercoaster. In this layered dark comedy, June and her Persian-British mom Lela travel to the romantic Azores islands for a grief anniversary, with contrasting ways of coping. A hot philosophical surfer takes them on a tour as we surf the waves of life, loss, flirting… an unforgettable ride. In her debut feature, director Lilian T. Mehrel brilliantly transforms grief, desire, and human connection into something electric, introducing a visionary new voice.
Official selection: Tribeca Festival, Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories Award
“A thrill ride” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Magnetic… the work of a gifted alchemist.” – Movie Archer
“After you see this movie, please go flirt with someone.” — IndieWire
Find Your Friends
Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00: Q&A with director Izabel Pakzad and star Helena Howard moderated by Caryn Coleman (The Future of Film is Female) after the screening
Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface. What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a revenge-fueled nightmare.
This special screening of FIND YOUR FRIENDS is the latest installment in “Shudder Showcase,” our monthly series that serves up special advance screenings of some of Shudder’s most exciting and provocative upcoming titles. The program offers sneak previews of some of the most talked-about genre films of the year in optimal conditions—on the big screen, in the company of fans. Each screening has free popcorn for Shudder subscribers
Gaslit
Friday, June 12 at 7:00: Q&A with director Katie Camosy and executive producer/film subject Jane Fonda after the screening
Friday, June 12 at 9:30: Introduction by executive producer/film subject Jane Fonda
Saturday, June 13 at 7:00: Q&A with director Katie Camosy after the screening
In GASLIT, Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda embarks on a road trip through Texas oil fields and Gulf Coast communities, meeting the people who are fighting back against the oil and gas extraction boom. The boom, which has led to the United States becoming the world’s biggest liquefied “natural” gas (LNG) exporter, is also fueling a massive expansion of plastics production, as fossil fuel companies double down on petrochemicals to secure their future. GASLIT is the story of the shrimpers, cattle ranchers, former oil workers, faith communities, community organizers, self-described “reluctant activists,” and people across political and cultural spectrums who have come together in defense of the communities and coastlines they love. Join Fonda as she travels across Texas and Louisiana bearing witness to the decades-long struggle between fossil fuel profiteering and the lives of everyday people.
The Great Experiment
NYC PREMIERE
Tuesday, July 28 at 7:00: The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmakers Stephen Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar.
More than 200 years after George Washington describe the United States’ new system of democracy as the last great experiment in promoting human happiness in civil society, filmmakers Steve Maing and Eric Daniel Metzgar check up on how that is unfolding for our indivisible Republic. Traversing the nation over a four-year period during the tenure of the nation’s 45th president, Maing and Metzgar observe deep and often fractious conflict among citizens, many of whom hold deeply personal interpretations of the founding fathers’ vision.
Yet through their objective, calm, and even-handed approach, the filmmakers offer a counterpoint to the daily hysteria of public discourse. Each morning marks a new dawn in America, and the great experiment endures—sustained by the optimism, hopes, and dreams of its people.
Manhood
NYC PREMIERE
Thursday, July 9 at 7:00: The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Daniel Lombroso
MANHOOD follows Dallas businessman Bill Moore as he sets out to make penis enlargement as commonplace as Botox. Along the way, a gay porn star and a father of five put their bodies—and their insecurities—on the line. Filmed over two years, MANHOOD explores shame, sex, and the fragile myths of American masculinity, with dark humor and unexpected empathy.
Daylight
NYC PREMIERE
Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00: The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Jon Kasbe and protagonist Joe Garcia.
You may not expect to find a Swiftie at a California state prison among inmates serving life sentences for murder, but that is just the first of many surprises to be found in Jon Kasbe’s touching new film, “Daylight”. As his case comes up for parole after 21 years, Joe Garcia holds a lifelong remorse for his crime, while finding new hope in Taylor Swift’s love lyrics – and an unexpected second chance at love and life. “Daylight” uses the short form to epic emotional effect, reminding us that every one of us can experience redemptive changes-of-heart.
American Doctor
NYC PREMIERE
Tuesday, July 21 at 7:00: The screening will be followed by an on-stage conversation with filmmaker Poh Si Teng, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
Veteran producer and journalist Poh Si Teng makes her directorial debut with a visceral, unflinching film following three notable U.S. physicians as they provide in-person support at a Gaza hospital treating victims of mass-casualty events from the Israeli war campaign. Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa come from different cultural backgrounds but are united by a shared calling to confront injustice and uphold their oath to save lives. Back in the U.S., they speak out about what they have witnessed and urge politicians to intervene against the ongoing killing.
Macho Dancer
4K Restoration!
Upon losing a reliable American client, 18-year-old gigolo Pol (Allan Paule) leaves the provinces to try his luck in the soapy gay clubs of Metro Manila. Pol learns the ropes alongside fellow stripper Noel (Daniel Fernando) and savvy prostitute Bambi (Jaclyn Jose), discovering an underbelly of protection rackets, human trafficking and rampant political corruption.
One of Lino Brocka’s lasting successes, 1988’s MACHO DANCER combines a flair for socially conscious melodrama with pulp provocation, setting the template for what would become Viva Films’ erotic niche to this day. Underlying the film’s astute, cynical outlook on systemic, class-based exploitation in the Philippines is a neon-lit tale of self-discovery gyrating between queer desire and heteronormativity, sensuality and street-level grit, tenderness and violence. Heavily censored upon release and hugely successful overseas, MACHO DANCER follows the recent re-discovery of Brocka’s Bona and is presented here in a new 4K restoration from Viva Film’s original film elements.