Season 6: Fall 2025
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.
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.
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.
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!