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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Saturday, December 23 @ 2pm
Paepcke Auditorium
(2 hr 16 min)

Directed by Angelina Jolie, FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER is the adaptation of Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung’s gripping memoir of surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1978. The story is told through her eyes, from the age of five, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, to nine years old. The film depicts the indomitable spirit and devotion of Loung and her family as they struggle to stay together during the Khmer Rouge years. FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER is a Netflix film written by Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung and produced by Jolie and acclaimed Cambodian director and producer Rithy Panh, director of the Oscar-nominated The Missing Picture. Winner of the Freedom of Expression Award from National Board of Review 2017.

Director: Angelina Jolie

Film courtesy of Netflix

For your consideration: Best Foreign Language Film (Cambodia)

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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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Wednesday, December 27 @ 8pm
Wheeler Opera House
(2 hr 14 min)

Set in the post-WWII South, MUDBOUND is an epic story of two families pitted against a barbaric social hierarchy and an unrelenting landscape as they simultaneously fight the battle at home and the battle abroad. The film is about friendship, unacknowledged heritage and the unending struggle for and against the land. Newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis, the McAllan family is underprepared and overly hopeful for Henry’s (Jason Clarke) grandiose farming dreams. Laura (Carey Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture, meanwhile, for Hap (Rob Morgan) and Florence Jackson (Mary J. Blige), whose families have worked the land for generations, every day is a losing venture as they struggle bravely to build some small dream of their own. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) forge a fast, uneasy friendship that challenges them all. Winner of numerous festival prizes for performance and direction, in addition to Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Performance.

Director: Dee Rees

Film courtesy of Netflix

Community Partner: Explore Booksellers

For your consideration: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture

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