Filmmaker Spotlight Series: Ang Lee – Brokeback Mountain at Real Art Ways

Come early to check out 4Ever Vintage’s pop-up shop featuring Western wear inspired by the film! 4Ever will be onsite starting at 4pm on Saturday.

There will be a short intro and post-film conversation led by Ian Ally-Seals, film programming coordinator and curator for this series.

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“We conclude the Filmmaker Spotlight: Ang Lee series with one of his most influential films to date. Brokeback Mountain‘s compassionate and unblinking look at its same-sex love story cleared a path for queer focused cinema. Lee subverts expectations by casting Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, pulling nuanced performances from this movie star duo. Focusing on the raw emotional truth of the characters, Brokeback  Mountain tells a story that is moving and resonant. It is, in other words, an Ang Lee film.” – Ian Ally-Seals, Film Programming Coordinator & Curator of this film series

“[A] powerful and moving film, a smart study of relationships that could but can’t and never will be.” – Empire Magazine

“The whole movie is a rich, spacious, passionate way of showing, not telling, feelings that dare not speak their name — and doing so with superb intelligence and magnificent candour.” – Guardian

“Lee has taken a story of gay love and placed it where it should be — in the mainstream. He’s delivered a beautifully crafted film to boot.” – Time Out

“A film about love and the cost of lying that’s exquisite in its beauty, painful in its truths.” – Houston Chronicle

88% on Rotten Tomatoes

In 1963, rodeo cowboy Jack Twist and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar are hired by rancher Joe Aguirre as sheep herders in Wyoming. One night on Brokeback Mountain, Jack makes a drunken pass at Ennis that is eventually reciprocated. Though Ennis marries his longtime sweetheart, Alma, and Jack marries a fellow rodeo rider, the two men keep up their tortured and sporadic affair over 20 years.

Two cowboys embrace

“…a bold reshaping of the romcom.” – Arizona Republic

Celine Song’s sophomore feature stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans in an attractive love triangle.

Johnson plays a young New York City matchmaker whose lucrative business gets complicated as she finds herself torn between the perfect match (Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Evans).

“This film feels like the coziest of blankets enveloping you in the theater. However, you should expect a few jolts of static electricity as you snuggle into that blanket. After all, this touching, beautiful film is based on a novella by Stephen King.” – Boston Globe

From childhood to adulthood, Charles “Chuck” Krantz experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.

This screening is presented in partnership with the American School for the Deaf, the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and a nationally renowned leader in providing comprehensive educational programs and services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

There will be a special Q&A with Jeff Bravin, the Executive Director of the American School for the Deaf, on opening night – Friday, July 18, after the 7 pm screening.

“An intimate and moving documentary that takes us through the legendary life of Marlee Matlin, uncovering a legacy of advocacy, activism, and perseverance.” – RogerEbert.com

“It’s as much about its form as its content; what it says is demonstrated by how it says it. The resulting film is engrossing — and it’s also profound.” – The NYT

“The result is an intimate portrait of a deaf artist who led a 35-year crusade for equity and inclusion in an industry that’s never quite known how to deal with her.” – NPR

98% on Rotten Tomatoes

Academy Award® winner Marlee Matlin recounts the winding road of her life and career as the most influential Deaf actor of her generation in this sublime 2025 American documentary film, directed and produced by Shoshannah Stern.

Marlee Matlin was born into a hearing family, like roughly 95% of Deaf people. Growing up in Illinois, she faced episodes of isolation and abuse. She found joy in performing at a local deaf theater. In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight at 21 years old. Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language, NOT ALONE ANYMORE explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer. As a child, filmmaker Shoshannah Stern was inspired to believe that a deaf woman like herself could pursue a career as an actor after seeing Matlin win her Oscar. Stern’s directorial debut is an intimate, honest, and loving conversation between two profoundly connected people that weaves together Matlin’s first-person account with interviews from those who know her best.

In American Sign Language and English, with English subtitles

We are celebrating Wong Kar Wai’s iconic IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE on its 25th anniversary with a stunning new 4K restoration!

In addition to screening the original film, we will screen IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE 2001, an extended 9 minute short film, experienced only by audiences during Wong Kar Wai’s masterclass at Cannes in 2001.

This short film, intended as the “dessert” for the main course, demonstrates the director’s elegant ability to generate palpable atmosphere and striking characterizations with stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung Man Yuk once again sparking undeniable chemistry, evoking the mystery of transient, unexpected connections in the modern city through his inimitable romantic touch.

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“In the Mood for Love is probably the most breathtakingly gorgeous film of the year (2001), dizzy with a nose-against-the-glass romantic spirit that has been missing from the cinema forever.” – The New York Times

“Their pain borne with grace and their rapture held in check are revealed as vividly through the two stars’ radiant stillness as from the nocturnal glow of Wong’s poised, tense images.” – The New Yorker

“[A] mesmerising tale of love never realised – it’s up there with Brief Encounter and Roman Holiday as the best of the genre.” – The Times (UK)

92% on Rotten Tomatoes

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In 1962, journalist Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his wife move into a Hong Kong apartment, but Chow’s spouse is often away on business. Before long, the lonely Chow makes the acquaintance of the alluring Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk), whose own significant other also seems preoccupied with work. As the two friends realize their respective partners are cheating on them, they begin to fall for one another; however, neither wants to stoop to the level of the unfaithful spouses.

“Really an extraordinary film.” – FilmWeek

“…moving and intimate look at her (Janis Ian) life and genius as a musical storyteller. Kudos to director Varda Bar-Karfor crafting a documentary as direct and uncompromisingly honest as its subject.” – In Their Own League

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote “Society’s Child” about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released a year later, the song launched Ian’s career, but its subject matter ignited controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin–and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, “At Seventeen.”

Over six decades, Janis Ian gained 10 Grammy nominations in 8 different categories, saw her song “Stars” recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw audiences around the globe.

Featuring Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton, among other icons.

“A gorgeous drama with an open, aching heart.” – RogerEbert.com

“Because writer-director Sarah Friedland’s debut finds so much depth in its subjective approach to memory loss, it loses much of its stigma and discovers wonder in its place.” – AV Club

“Familiar Touch” reveals itself to be less about the agonies of change than in the concessions we make to feel closer to our loved ones and ourselves.” – The NYT

98% on Rotten Tomatoes

Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), a retired cook, prepares breakfast in her sunny and cozy kitchen — a dish she seems to have made many times before, although small and puzzling errors now punctuate her comfortable routine. When her son (H. Jon Benjamin) arrives to dine with her, she mistakes him for a suitor.

Their “date” takes them to an assisted living facility, which Ruth does not remember that she had previously selected for herself. Among her fellow memory care residents, Ruth feels lost and adrift, certain she has found herself somewhere she does not belong.

As she slowly begins to accept the warmth and support of care workers Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle) and Brian (Andy McQueen), she finds new ways to ground herself in her body, even as her mind embarks on a journey all its own.

Writer-director Sarah Friedland’s coming-of-old-age feature compassionately follows the winding path of octogenarian Ruth’s shifting memories and desires while remaining rooted in her sage perspective.

We are adding showtimes for a 2nd weekend (August 9 & 10) due to popular demand. Get your tickets fast – these screenings do sell out.

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CatVideoFest poster

“Neither too “oy vey” nor “Weekend at Bernie’s” but steeped in the best aspects of both Jewish and black comedy, “Bad Shabbos” is a treat any night of the week.” – The San Francisco Chronicle

90% on Rotten Tomatoes

With an ensemble cast starring Jon Bass, Meghan Leathers, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Ashley Zukerman, Milana Vayntrub, Theo Taplitz, Catherine Curtin, John Bedford Lloyd, David Paymer and Kyra Sedgwick.

An engaged interfaith couple is about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner when an accidental death gets in the way.

“With “Friendship,” DeYoung hasn’t just called his audience to look at how they approach their own relationships; he’s created a film that men can see together that demands a discussion afterward.” – Salon.com

“It suggests not just a subversion but a putrefaction of the Ruddy-comedy genre — a portrait of male loneliness so totalizing, and so scarily close to the bone, that laughs and screams all but bleed together.” – Justin Chang, The New Yorker

‘Friendship’ Review: Are Men OK? Read the full NYT review here.

Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, as Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives.

(The latest release from A24)

98% on Rotten Tomatoes

“Splicing together real archival video, fake documentary footage about the making of a fake biopic, and real conversations with the present-day band, Pavements is delightfully chaotic.” – NPR

“Though Pavement is the star and the performers in its orbit are all in supporting roles, “Pavements” is distinguished by cinematic artistry that’s as distinctive as it is personal.” – The New Yorker

“Part spoof and part serious, the film is about mythmaking as much as it is about music. The result is delightfully destabilizing.” – Read the full New York Times review here.

Pavements is a movie about Pavement the band—among other things.

The latest film from acclaimed director Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell) is a documentary that may or may not be entirely true, may or may not be totally sincere, and may or may not be more about the idea of the band—or any band—than a history of the short-lived, passionately loved, commercially marginal Nineties American alternative group Pavement.

This unconventional film about a highly unconventional band incorporates a stage musical, rock biopic, gallery exhibition, archival footage, and contemporary observational footage to create a film as irreducible, uncharacterizable, and entertaining as the band and its music.

Anchored by Pavement’s slacker-sage-sphinx, Stephen Malkmus, the film features performances by Joe Keery, Jason Schwartzman, Tim Heidecker, Kathryn Gallagher, Michael Esper and Zoe Lister-Jones, and editing by nonfiction innovator Robert Greene (Procession).

“There’s pleasure in much of this excess, in seeing how Coogler takes his imaginative detours and the fluidity with which he draws from past, present, myth and speculative fiction, including in a masterpiece of a sequence in which men and women from across history — traditional dancers and B-boys among others — converge at the juke joint. There’s great horror in this world, in the fields haunted by slavers and in a mean little house where a Klansman’s white hood and robes sit on a bed belonging to a mean little man. Yet the joy here is louder, and it resounds in every whoop and thundering stomp.” – The New York Times

“It’s both a wildly ambitious meditation on American history and a rip-roaring good time.” – Slate

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

The New York Times Critic’s Pick

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

“As emotionally effective as it is formally brilliant, it draws on a trove of material — both fiction and nonfiction — that Jia began shooting in 2001 while working on another movie.” – The New York Times

“A mesmerizing film about the sweep and swirl of life, love, and the relationship between yesterday and today.” – The Daily Beast

98% on Rotten Tomatoes

The New York Times Critic’s Pick

An enduring but fragile love story shared by Qiao Qiao and Guao Bin, set in China, from the early 2000s to the present day. One day, a restless Guao Bin leaves without any notice to try his luck in another province. Qiao Qiao decides to go looking for him.

“It’s the warmth of Gladstone’s presence that leaves a lasting impression and endows this remake…with a whisper of something authentically new.” – Justin Chang, The New Yorker

The New York Times Critic’s Pick

From Director Andrew Ahn comes a joyful comedy of errors about a chosen family navigating cultural identity, queerness, and family expectations.

Frustrated with his commitment-phobic boyfriend Chris and running out of time, Min proposes: a green-card marriage with their friend Angela in exchange for her partner Lee’s expensive IVF. Elopement plans are upended, however, when Min’s grandmother surprises them with an extravagant Korean wedding banquet.

Starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung, The Wedding Banquet is a poignant and heartfelt reminder that being part of a family means learning to both accept and forgive.

“Wes Anderson returns with another intricately designed film, and an inquiry into the meaning of goodness.” – NYT

Wes Anderson’s latest release is a stylized espionage comedy-drama following Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Korda (Benicio del Toro), a flamboyant European industrialist and arms dealer. After surviving a series of assassination attempts, Korda seeks to secure his legacy by appointing his estranged daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a novice nun, as his heir. Together with Bjørn (Michael Cera), a Norwegian entomologist, they navigate a complex web of international conspiracies, rival tycoons, and revolutionary forces. Set in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Phoenicia during the 1950s, the film blends Anderson’s signature visual style with themes of redemption, legacy, and the complexities of familial relationships.

At the height of summer, 18-year-old Cécile (Lily McInerny) is languishing by the French seaside with her handsome father, Raymond (Claes Bang), and his girlfriend, Elsa (Naïlia Harzoune), when the arrival of her late mother’s friend, Anne (Chloë Sevigny), changes everything. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Cécile’s world is threatened and, desperate to regain control, she sets in motion a plan to drive Anne away with tragic consequences.

An adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s unforgettable coming-of-age novel by the same title, Durga Chew-Bose’s Bonjour Tristesse masterfully captures the complexity of relationships between women and how they wield influence over one another’s fates.