Season 6: Fall 2025
Dead Alive presented by Laura Moss
Directed by Peter Jackson (1992)
On a quiet street, in a small town, Lionel Cosgrove is forced to care for his domineering mother. When a Sumatran rat-monkey bites her, she’s transformed into a zombie and begins killing (and transforming) the entire town while Lionel races to keep things under control. Recently restored, DEAD ALIVE is an experience you won’t want to miss - gory, funny and even a little (weirdly) heartwarming.
Young Girls of Rochefort presented by Zain Hashmat
Directed by Jacques Demy (1967)
“Pure pleasure, plain and simple. As the freewheeling joy of summer comes to an end, Jacques Demy’s magnificent musical panorama feels like the perfect climactic send-off to a time of year that’s filled with new connections, fresh possibilities, and dreams finally coming to fruition. Following a cast of characters in the seaside town of Rochefort, France, this ensemble pop-ballet glorifies the connections we can make on the day-to-day in the bright summer sun; the life-changing people we might meet while flinging ourselves through the streets of a small town, following the beats of our heart. It’s a punch-drunk, hysterically delightful filmmaking triumph that skips and swirls and sings with blissful reverie. There’s murder, there’s melodies, there’s Gene Kelly tap-dancing after the discovery of a spellbinding music sheet. Catherine Denueve and Françoise Dorleac star as the titular YOUNG GIRLS, accompanied by a cast of characters as they criss-cross and bump into one another throughout Rochefort, creating new tunes that come about like those of a jazz ensemble. Spellbinding musical numbers collide with manic depression in this look at young lives trying to make it out of their “dead-end” town. But what Demy does so beautifully is show how the yearning leads to the symphony- feelings that are so strong that the world becomes a dream ballet simply out of necessity. In sparkling, swinging, sensational fashion, this tribute to dreamers is a burst of euphoria- a full body high that’ll leave your feet tapping long after the credits roll.” - Presenter Zain Hashmat
Black Narcissus presented by Par Parekh
Directed by Michael Powell (1947)
A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A darkly grand film.
The Damned presented by Miles Labat
Directed by Luchino Visconti (1968)
The most savagely subversive film by the iconoclastic auteur Luchino Visconti employs the mechanics of deliriously stylized melodrama to portray Nazism’s total corruption of the soul. In the wake of Hitler’s ascent to power, the wealthy industrialist von Essenbeck family and their associates—including the scheming social climber Friedrich, the conniving matriarch Sophie, and the cruelly deviant heir Martin—descend into a self-destructive spiral of decadence, greed, perversion, and all-consuming hatred as they vie for power, over the family business and over one another.
She-Devil presented by the New Orleans Film Festival
Directed by Susan Seidelman (1989)
The heart of SHE-DEVIL involves the revenge that Ruth takes out on her husband, Bob, and his mistress, Mary Fisher – revenge so thorough and methodical that she even takes time to jot down the areas of her husband’s life she wants to destroy: first, his home; then his family, career and freedom, in that order. Bob has accused her of being a she-devil, and she is more than willing to play the role. She will haunt the bastard until he wishes he had never heard of accounting, much less of Mary Fisher.
Beyond the Hills presented by Henry Griffin
Directed by Cristian Mungiu (2012)
Somewhere in rural Romania, young Alina visits her old boarding school friend Voichita at the Orthodox convent where the latter has become a devout Christian. They’re in their late teens now, and it’s evident in their private moments together that they once enjoyed an intimate relationship, which Voichita now treats as a sin to be confessed and suppressed. Alina wants Voichita to run away from the convent with her, but Voichita won’t budge. She wants Alina to do as she herself has done, redirect her passion for another person over to Christ.
Death Proof presented by Pleasure Savior
Directed by Quentin Tarantino (2007)
Austin’s hottest DJ, Jungle Julia, sets out into the night to unwind with her two friends Shanna and Arlene. Covertly tracking their moves is Stuntman Mike, a scarred rebel leering from behind the wheel of his muscle car, revving just feet away.
Freeway presented by Braden Alcina
Directed by Matthew Bright (1996)
Matthew Bright’s FREEWAY follows a tough-as-nails runaway whose cross-country escape from the foster care system takes a nightmarish turn when she hitches a ride from a seemingly charming but deeply sinister man. Unapologetically sleazy and relentlessly unpredictable, this cult classic gleefully demolishes expectations, leaving audiences shocked, laughing, and slightly queasy.
The Act of Killing: Director’s Cut presented by the New Orleans DSA
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer & Christine Cynn (2012)
THE ACT OF KILLING is equal parts dreamlike and terrifying. The filmmakers examine a country where death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass-killings in the style of the American movies they love. The hallucinatory result is a cinematic fever dream where the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia’s 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.
Vermiglio presented by Dan Janvey
Directed by Maura Delpero (2024)
Maura Delpero’s VERMIGLIO explores the lives of villagers in the mid-century Italian Alps near the end of World War II. Blending historically grounded realism with painterly grace, Delpero gives us an intimate and momentous vision of a world suspended between the patriarchal past and the stirrings of a new future.
Lovers on the Bridge presented by Affonso Goncalves
Directed by Leos Carax (1991)
Set against Paris’ oldest bridge, this film is a love story between two young people: Alex, a circus performer addicted to alcohol and sedatives and Michele, a painter driven to a life on the streets because of a failed relationship and an affliction which is slowly turning her blind. Leos Carax manages to capture their whirlwind love story with a giddy expressionist energy that embraces unfiltered feelings.
The Idiots presented by Nathan Tape
Directed by Lars von Trier (1998)
THE IDIOTS follows a group of people whose collective goal is to release their inhibitions and rebel against the rigid social expectations of the bourgeoisie by getting in touch with their “inner idiots.”
La pecera presented by Jillian Desirée Oliveras
Directed by Glorimar Marrero (2023)
Stopping traditional medical treatments for her rapidly spreading cancer, Noelia returns to her childhood home in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Reuniting with friends and family, she rejoins their struggle against the lingering effects of U.S. imperialism and environmental devastation caused by the U.S. Navy’s ongoing military testing on the island. Glorimar Marrero Sanchez’s feature-length directorial debut is a lyrical, intimate story of autonomy in grief.
Badlands presented by Turner Ross
Directed by Terrence Malick (1973)
Inspired by the story of Charles Starkweather, the “Mad Dog Killer,” who in 1957-58 went on a killing spree that left 11 dead with his girlfriend, Terrence Malick’s BADLANDS tells a story of two lovers who are criminals and are pursued across the vastness of the United States.
Gap-Toothed Women & Always for Pleasure presented by Gap Tooth Cinema
Kicking off Season 6 with a Les Blank double-feature!
First up - a lighthearted documentary about a prominent facial feature that's rarely talked about, and the film our screening series is named after.
Then - Les Blank’s celebration of the spirit and social traditions of New Orleans, featuring Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations as well as musical performances by Allen Toussaint, Kid Thomas Valentine, Professor Longhair, and others.
These two films hold special significance for Court 13 Arts, so come out and get to know us a little better!