Directed by: Peter Solan
Czechoslovakia, 1964, 92 min

“Zeal, discipline and modesty” – these are the qualities that the bureaucratic machine takes into account when it decides to promote a triangle player to the position of orchestral director. Except, in the present case, “modesty” is equivalent to indifference and malleability. In this satire of the absurdities of life under socialism, Josef Kemr’s understated performance makes for a highly convincing characterisation of the anti-hero.

Directed by: Svatopluk Innemann
Czechoslovakia, 1923, 60 min

Svatopluk Innemann’s film Be Prepared! from 1923 portrays the early Czech boy scout movement through a simple story which takes us to a myriad period locations, such as Orlík castle and St John’s Rapids, the latter of which no longer exists. The screening of the 35 mm print, now restored and coloured to reflect the original tinting, will be accompanied live by the Wabi Experience duo.

Directed by: Juraj Herz
Czechoslovakia, 1968, 96 min

Rudolf Hrušínský excels in the role of Mr Kopfrkingl, who “loves all things beautiful” and kills in the conviction that he is doing good. His superb performance is enhanced by the director’s repeated use of a compelling stylistic device whereby he changes scenes and locations through medium shots and close-ups of the protagonist’s face. The resulting unnerving impression is that this character is as pervasive as the underlying evil he embodies.

World premiere of the digitally restored version.

Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer
USA, 1945, 67 min

A failed jazz pianist sets out to visit his fiancée in Hollywood. But the country he drives through is dark and rainy, and the jukebox is always playing the wrong song. A noir tale about the unluckiest man ever to grace the silver screen.

Restored in 2018 by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation in collaboration with Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique, the Museum of Modern Art, and Cinémathèque Française. Restoration funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation.

Directed by: John Cassavetes
USA, 1970, 131 min

Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk and John Cassavetes as Harry, Archie and Gus: New York buddies we meet at the funeral of a prematurely deceased friend. Suddenly conscious of their own mortality, the offbeat trio decide to take off on two days of wild carousing in an attempt to escape the stupefying prosperity of middle-class life. A newly restored version of an exceptional piece from the “godfather of independent film.”

Directed by: Alexandre O. Philippe
USA, 2019, 93 min

H. P. Lovecraft, ancient mythology, comics, and the latest findings from the world of parasitology. This documentary on the making of the ground-breaking Alien takes a look at the initial inspirations for the film, the complicated process of its creation, and its enduring influence on the genres of sci-fi and horror.

Directed by: Orson Welles
USA, France, Iran, 2018, 122 min

After years spent in Europe, Jake Hannaford returns to Hollywood in order to resurrect his directing career in style. Surrounded by friends and enemies, he holds an unforgettable party – one that Orson Welles uses to take on Hollywood, European film, and his own legacy.

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
USA, 1957, 88 min

The abomination that is war as experienced by ordinary soldiers is quite at odds with the notion of battle entertained by cynical generals, for whom military “business” is merely a game of gestures. Based on the eponymous anti-war novel, the picture stands out for its opulent visuals, moments of caustic irony, and an excellent performance by Kirk Douglas.

Directed by: Béla Tarr
Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, 1994, 450 min

With a running time of seven and a half hours, this magnum opus by the Hungarian legend of spiritual cinema Béla Tarr depicts the autumn return of a false prophet to an impoverished village in the Hungarian puszta. Twenty-five years since its premiere, this masterful work of modern cinema will be screened in a restored and digitalized 4K version.

Directed by: Rob Garver
USA, 2018, 96 min

A tribute to a film critic who held herself to the same high standard as the movies she wrote about. Drawing on interviews with her contemporaries and excerpts of her writing, What She Said paints a portrait of an exceptional individual, set against a montage of lively and creative scenes from groundbreaking works of cinema.

Directed by: Eldar Shengelaya, Tamaz Meliava
Georgia, 1963, 93 min

For generations, shepherds from villages high up in the mountains have been travelling with their vast sheep herds, moving them to distant pastures where they spend the long winter. Each of the villagers has a story to tell, intimated through flawless concision, while the film’s effortlessly fluid epic narrative is interwoven with lyrical passages, together creating a timeless cinematic poem about the primary values in life.