Thursday, December 21 @ 2pm
Wheeler Opera House
(1 hr 34 min)

In LADY BIRD, writer/director Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird’s father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, LADY BIRD is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.  Winner of numerous festival prizes for performance and direction, including Best Director from the 2017 National Board of Review.

Director: Greta Gerwig

Film courtesy of A24

For your consideration: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress – Saoirse Ronan, Best Supporting Actress – Laurie Metcalf, Best Original Screenplay

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Thursday, December 21 @ 8pm
Wheeler Opera House
(1 hr 47 min)

WIND RIVER is a thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, WIND RIVER also stars Graham Greene, Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal, Julia Jones, Kelsey Asbille, and James Jordan. Winner of numerous international and domestic prizes for performance and direction, notable the Best Director Prize from Un Certain Regard section of 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Director: Taylor Sheridan

Film courtesy of Acacia Entertainment

For your Consideration: Best Performance, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay

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Saturday, December 23 @ 5pm
Paepcke Auditorium
(2 hr 1 min)

In the audacious documentary ICARUS, director Bryan Fogel’s bold gambit was this: to investigate doping in sports, Fogel (an amateur bike racer) would dope himself, observe the changes in his performance, and see if he could evade detection. In doing so, he was connected to a renegade Russian scientist, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program. When the truth is more complex than imagined, and accusations of illegalities run to Russia’s highest chains of command, the two realize they hold the power to reveal the biggest international sports scandal in living memory. Exemplifying the special bond between filmmaker and subject, this is a vital portrait of the sacrifice some people will make to stand up for truth. ICARUS places you at the heart of an international game of cat and mouse, where a miscalculation can cost you your life. Winner of both the Audience Award and Special Jury Prize in Documentary, 2017 Sundance Film Festival, among others.

Director: Bryan Fogel

Film courtesy of Netflix

For your consideration: Best Documentary Feature

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Saturday, December 23 @ 8pm
Paepcke Auditorium
(1 hr 51 min)

Academy Award winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love) reunites with Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen), and returns to the role of Queen Victoria, in VICTORIA & ABDUL. The screenplay of Victoria & Abdul is by Academy Award nominee Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), based on journalist Shrabani Basu’s book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant, which brought to light the long-hidden history of Victoria and Abdul from their own diaries and journals. VICTORIA AND ABDUL tells the extraordinary true story of the amazing and unlikely friendship between Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and a young clerk, Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal), who becomes her teacher, her spiritual advisor, and her devoted friend.

In 1887, Abdul travels from India to present a ceremonial medal as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee but surprisingly finds favor with the elderly Queen. The unprecedented and unlikely relationship causes a battle royale within the royal household, pitting the Queen against court and family. VICTORIA & ABDUL  humorously explores questions of race, religion, power, and the farce of Empire through the prism of a highly unusual and deeply moving friendship.

Awarded a Truly Moving Picture Award from 2017 Heartland Film Festival in addition to a Hollywood Award for Best Composer to Thomas Newman.

Director: Stephen Frears

Film courtesy of Focus Features

For your consideration: Best Picture, Best Actress- Judi Dench, Best Adapted Screenplay

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Tuesday, December 26 @ 8pm
Wheeler Opera House
(1 hr 52 min)

From writer/director Noah Baumbach, THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED) is the emotional, and comic intergenerational tale of adult siblings (Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Elizabeth Marvel) contending with the long shadow their strong-willed father (Dustin Hoffman) has cast over their lives. With an original screenplay by Baumbach, the film also stars Emma Thompson, Grace Van Patten, Adam Driver, Candice Bergen, Judd Hirsch, and Rebecca Miller. The film was produced by Scott Rudin, Baumbach, Lila Yacoub, and Eli Bush. Selected for the prestigious Competition Section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Director: Noah Baumbach

Film courtesy of Netflix

For your consideration: Best Picture, Best Actor-Adam Sandler, Best Supporting Actor- Dustin Hoffman, Best Original Screenplay

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Thursday, December 28 @ 8pm
Paepcke Auditorium
(1 hr 55 min)
Limited Seating – Please book in advance

Steven Spielberg directs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in THE POST, a drama about the unlikely partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham (Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks), as they race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades and four U.S. Presidents. The two must overcome their differences as they risk their careers – and their very freedom – to help bring long-buried truths to light. Spielberg produces along with Amy Pascal and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The script was written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, and the film features an ensemble cast including Alison Brie, Carrie Coon, David Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Jesse Plemons, Matthew Rhys, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bradley Whitford and Zach Woods.  Awarded Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Actress (Meryl Streep) and Best Film by the 2017 National Board of Review.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Film courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

For your consideration: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor – Tom Hanks, Best Original Screenplay

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