THE MOST UNKNOWN’s unique and intelligent structure brings together nine scientists in nine different disciplines to explain, in simple terms, what they do and what questions they seek answers to. The results are fascinating. Dark matter, the deep sea and extraterrestrial life are just some of the phenomena we find most difficult to observe and understand. This film takes us to a place where scientists who speak from vastly different disciplines can actually speak a common language and important questions transcend a single laboratory. THE MOST UNKNOWN is an epic documentary film told with humor and the thrill of discovery that pushes the boundaries of how science storytelling is approached. What emerges is a deeply human trip to the foundations of discovery and a powerful reminder that the unanswered questions are the most crucial ones to pose: How did life begin? What is time? What is consciousness? How much do we really know? Directed by Emmy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentarian Ian Cheney (“The Search for General Tso,” “The City Dark”) and advised by renowned filmmaker Werner Herzog (“Grizzly Man,” “Encounters at the End of the World”). Created in partnership with Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation.
Special Preview Showing Stay after the film for Q&A with director Julie Marron.
This award-winning film explores the highly topical issues of media manipulation, science for hire, and perversion of the legal system…all through the lens of the Deflategate scandal.
Watch this clip of Julie Marron talking about her film with Ryan Kristafer of WTNH’s CT STYLE on Monday, July 2, 2018.
In Carla Simón’s touching autobiographical film, six-year-old Frida looks on in silence as the last objects from her recently deceased mother’s apartment in Barcelona are placed in boxes. Although her aunt, uncle, and younger cousin Anna welcome her with open arms, it’s only very slowly that Frida begins to get used to her new home in the countryside. Punctuated by moments of youthful exuberance and mature ruminations, this coming of age drama, set amongst summery hues, is an extraordinarily moving snapshot of being a child in an adult world, anchored by flawless performances by its two young stars.
54-year-old Teresa has worked for decades as a live-in maid with a family in Buenos Aires. When the family sells the house, she is forced to take a job in the distant town of San Juan. Although feeling uncomfortable with traveling, she embarks on a journey through the desert. During her first stop, in the land of the miraculous “Saint Correa”, she loses her bag with all her belongings. This unexpected incident leads her to cross paths with El Gringo, a traveling salesman and the only person who can help Teresa find her bag. What seemed like the end of her world will ultimately prove her salvation.
Love, science, sex, infidelity, disease, and comedy: the wild, mostly true story of the irrepressible Annie Parker and the almost discovery of a cure for cancer.
Annie Parker (Samantha Morton) finds out she has breast cancer—a devastating blow to a woman who has already lost her mother and sister to the same disease.
Meanwhile UC Berkeley geneticist Mary-Claire King (Helen Hunt) is convinced there is a link between DNA and cancer, even if few in her profession believe that some cancers may be hereditary.
Based on true events, the film chronicles how these remarkable women work toward one of the most important genetic discoveries of the 20th century.
Pre-film Talk: “Is it in our DNA? Breast Cancer Genetics, Risk and Prevention” Erin Wysong Hofstatter, M.D. Associate Professor Term; Co-Director, Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program, Yale School of Medicine Dr. Erin Hofstatter is a medical oncologist with clinical and research expertise in breast cancer and clinical breast cancer genetics. She serves as a breast medical oncologist at the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital, where she sees and treats patients with breast cancer. Dr. Hofstatter also serves as the Co-Director of the Smilow Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program/Director of the Breast Cancer Prevention Clinic, where she sees those patients who may be at increased risk of breast cancer due to a hereditary/genetic predisposition, a strong family history, or breast atypia.
A Movie in the Afternoon. Every Day.
A new comedy from Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman [Up in the Air] and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody [Juno]. Marlo [Charlize Theron], a mother of three including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother [Mark Duplass]. Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully [Mackenzie Davis]. “For me, garden design isn’t just about plants, it is about emotion, atmosphere, a sense of contemplation. You try to move people with what you do. You look at this, and it goes deeper than what you see. It reminds you of something in the genes — nature, or the longing for nature.” – Piet Oudolf After completing a feature documentary on New York’s High Line, award-winning filmmaker Thomas Piper met the inspirational designer and plantsman, Piet Oudolf, and the idea for a new project was born. The documentary, FIVE SEASONS: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf, immerses viewers in Oudolf’s work and takes us inside his creative process, from his beautifully abstract sketches, to theories on beauty, to the ecological implications of his ideas. Intimate discussions take place through all fours seasons in Piet’s own gardens at Hummelo, and on visits to his signature public works in New York, Chicago, and the Netherlands, as well as to the far-flung locations that inspire his genius, including desert wildflowers in West Texas and post-industrial forests in Pennsylvania. As a narrative thread, the film also follows Oudolf as he designs and installs a major new garden at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, a gallery and arts center in Southwest England, a garden he considers his best work yet. Piet Oudolf has radically redefined what gardens can be. As Rick Darke, the famous botanist, says to Piet in the film, “your work teaches us to see what what we have been unable to see.” Through poetic cinematography and unique access, FIVE SEASONS will reveal all that Piet sees, and celebrate all that we as viewers have been unable to see.
Based on the award-winning, international best-selling novel by Tim Winton, Simon Baker’s directorial debut BREATH follows two teenage boys, Pikelet and Loonie (newcomers Samson Coulter and Ben Spence in breakthrough performances), growing up in a remote corner of the Western Australian coast. Hungry for discovery, the pair form an unlikely friendship with Sando (Simon Baker), a mysterious older surfer and adventurer who pushes the boys to take risks that will have a lasting and profound impact on their lives. Also starring Elizabeth Debicki and Richard Roxburgh, BREATH is an authentic coming-of-age drama set in an idyllic 1970s coastal Australia.
André Leon Tally has been a fixture in the world of fashion for so long that it’s difficult to imagine a time when he wasn’t defining the boundaries of great style. Kate Novack’s intimate portrait, The Gospel According to André takes viewers on an emotional journey from André’s roots growing up in the segregated Jim Crow South to become one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times. Novack’s film draws fascinating, heretofore unexplored connections, between the elegance of André’s beloved grandmother and the Black Church of his youth and his later iconic, barrier-breaking work at publications like Women’s Wear Daily, W and Vogue. Weaving together a wealth of archival footage from the most glamorous moments in fashion history with André’s poignant reflections on his life and career, The Gospel According to André is a cinematic monument to one of the most unique figures of 20th Century American culture. Produced by the team who brought viewers The First Monday in May and Page One: Inside The New York Times and featuring commentary from fashion luminaries including Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford, The Gospel According to André is an indispensable addition to the growing canon of fashion documentary.
In northern India’s sparsely populated and mountainous Ladakh region, an impoverished young boy is discovered to be the reincarnation of an esteemed, high-ranking Tibetan monk. Born displaced from his original monastery in Tibet, the boy is denied his rightful place. Amid growing doubts and mounting expectations in the community, the boy and his elderly godfather embark on a gruelling, improbable trek across India to return the young monk-to-be to his rightful monastery before it becomes too late. Filmed over eight years, we witness an incredibly intimate bond of friendship between a future religious leader and his godfather, whose devotion and selflessness in care for the boy is truly touching. The film has a stirring and awe-inspiring air of serenity that befits its subject. Striking drone shots use the powerful magnitude of the natural landscape, particularly in the final moments in the snowy mountains. The film is an evocative exploration of culture, tradition and identity, Becoming Who I Was artfully captures the universal truths of unconditional love, family bonds and sacrifice.
A fictionalized story of an attractive working-class single mother in the North of France who naively agrees to run for mayor, representing the right-wing Patriotic Bloc. Lucas Belvaux, who previously directed RAPT, a thriller about a French politician’s kidnapping, deals with another type of kidnapping here: With the help of a charming André Dussollier as the town’s esteemed physician, the Populists’ rhetoric seizes control of the minds of the electorate. With Catherine Jacob as the blonde-bobbed leader who never met an angry crowd she couldn’t make angrier.
Speaker: Kent D. Dunlap, Ph.D., Charles A. Dana Research Professor of Biology, Trinity College Topic: “The Scientific Method and Everyday Life–Like Lion Taming” Professor Dunlap will discuss what motivates scientists; individual vs. group efforts in science; and the roles of control and play in science. In his teaching, Professor Dunlap spans several levels of biology in the hope of demonstrating how physiological processes are, in part, products of molecular and ecological processes, but also have particular (emergent) properties at the organismal level. In addition, he tries to show how biology fits into the liberal arts by discussing the possibilities and limitations of science as a way of knowing and by examining ways that scientists have uniquely approached phenomena in the humanities, such as music, art and religion. In his research, Professor Dunlap pursues questions at the cellular, physiological, behavioral and evolutionary levels. While his current research is on fish, he has conducted research on lizards, frogs and rodents in the past. The Film: Fast, Cheap and Out of Control In this classic 1997 documentary by Errol Morris, four eccentrics talk about their seemingly diverse lives, interests, and offbeat occupations: Lion tamer Dave Hoover offers theories about wild animal thought processes; topiary gardener George Mendo clips hedges to various creatures; mole-rat specialist Ray Mendez researches the animals’ behavior; robotics scientist Rodney Brooks assembles autonomous robots. Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE. With major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
The most tempting of all sweets becomes the key weapon in a battle of sensual pleasure versus disciplined self-denial in this comedy. In 1959, a mysterious woman named Vianne (Juliette Binoche) moves with her young daughter into a small French village, where much of the community’s activities are dominated by the local Catholic church. A few days after settling into town, Vianne opens up a confectionery shop across the street from the house of worship — shortly after the beginning of Lent. While the townspeople are supposed to be abstaining from worldly pleasures, Vianne tempts them with unusual and delicious chocolate creations, using her expert touch to create just the right candy to break down each customer’s resistance. With every passing day, more and more of Vianne’s neighbors are succumbing to her sinfully delicious treats, but the Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), the town’s mayor, is not the least bit amused; he is eager to see Vianne run out of town before she leads the town into a deeper level of temptation. Vianne, however, is not to be swayed, and with the help of another new arrival in town, a handsome Irish Gypsy named Roux (Johnny Depp), she plans a “Grand Festival of Chocolate,” to be held on Easter Sunday. Based on the novel by Joanne Harris, Chocolat features a distinguished supporting cast, including Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Carrie-Anne Moss, Peter Stormare, Hugh O’Conor, and Leslie Caron. 
Pre-Film Speaker: Mike J.F. Robinson, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Psychology Professor, Wesleyan University Topic: The Effects of Sugar on the Brain How our brains control our behaviors in our dynamic and changing world and how we eat – like junk food – also affect our brain. How do modern day diets (full of soft drinks and junk foods) change our brains besides just making us overweight. Our brains not only make us want to eat more of these foods, but these foods are damaging areas critical for forming memories and behavioral control. Dr. Robinson’s research focuses on conditions and brain structures that exacerbate reward and the motivational value attributed to a cue, particularly in the context of addiction, craving and relapse. He also focuses on how excessive desire may impact risky decision-making. His approach combines optogenetics with behavioral techniques to uncover the mechanisms underlying excessive attribution of incentive value for drug addiction, gambling and diet-induced obesity. You can find out more information about the lab and the research by visiting their website and viewing their publications.
Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series. Science on Screen is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Michael Robinson, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Behavior at Wesleyan University. (Photo by Olivia Drake/Wesleyan University)
Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series. Science on Screen is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Real Art Ways begins this year’s series on the National Evening of Science on Screen.
Evolution of Organic is the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to-the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers’ sons and daughters reject chemical farming and set out to explore organic alternatives. It’s a heartfelt journey of change, from a small band of rebels to a cultural transformation in the way we grow and eat food. By now organic has gone mainstream, split into an industry oriented toward bringing organic to all people and a movement that has realized a vision of sustainable agriculture. It’s the most popular and successful outgrowth of the environmental impulse of the last fifty years. The film is narrated by Frances McDormand, and is funny and engaging as well as informative. Speaker: Jeff Cordulack, Executive Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA) Topic: “How Organic’s Ways Will Create A Bright, Clean Future” – how organic farming and organic land management practices are the best solutions for feeding this and future generations, while also having the convenient side effect of contributing to the solution of the climate crisis. The organic revolution has grown from a fanciful idea to our best choice for addressing global challenges. Meet CT NOFA Executive Director Jeff Cordulack when he explains how organic ways are the backbone of modern agriculture’s most promising projects and how it through Soil Carbon Restoration, organic farms can be managed to build topsoil and also be a carbon sink that has an ability to sequester giga-tons of carbon dioxide that is now wreaking havoc in atmosphere. About the Speaker Jeff Cordulack is a Connecticut native interested in wildlife conservation, watershed protection, organic farming, and sustainable living. He has a BS Degree in Natural Resources Management and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University. Prior to joining CT NOFA in July 2015, Jeff worked with the National Audubon Society in Greenwich, CT for ten years; with SoundWaters, Inc. in Stamford for eight years; and has collaborated with many conservation organizations over the last two decades. In 2013, Jeff was presented the Paul Keough Award by the Northeast Water Environment Association in recognition of his communications leadership to increase public awareness, understanding, and personal actions to protect water quality and the environment. The mission of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (CT NOFA) is to ensure the growth and viability of organic agriculture, organic food, and organic land care in Connecticut. We envision a healthy, organic Connecticut founded on ecologically, socially and economically just principles. In addition to our food-based initiatives, CT NOFA also runs the NOFA Organic Land Care program to train the next generation of organic landscapers, land managers, and conservationists.Science on Screen® is a film series that features “creative pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.” Real Art Ways was one of the eight original theaters chosen nationally to curate our own series. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE. With major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
Film 101: Shadows & Gunpowder, a study of Film Noir
In the first film of brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, M. Emmett Walsh plays Visser, an unscrupulous private eye hired by Texas bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) to murder Marty’s faithless wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her paramour, Ray (John Getz), one of Marty’s employees. But Visser is no more up-front with Marty than with anyone else; he makes some slight modifications of the original plan so that it better serves his own best interests. After a surprise double-cross and the murder of one of the important players, matters spiral out of control, and the plot gyrates through a complicated string of darkly humorous events. False assumptions, guilt, and fear all lead to a frantic attempt to conceal evidence and the heart-pounding, irony-filled denouement. About Film 101 Modeled after an Introduction to Film Studies course, the series features lively and engaging post-film discussions with fellow film buffs. Participants learn how to view classic and/or contemporary films with a critical eye and engage with the screen on a deeper level. The films are shown in our cinema and the post-film discussions take place in our galleries. In this Film 101 series Ian Ally-Seals will give viewers a tour through the dark and desperate world of Film Noir. The series will focus on four key films: Murder, My Sweet; The Killing; Bob le Flambeur; and Blood Simple. Through viewing these films and post-screening talks, viewers will gain insight into this versatile genre.Film 101: Shadows & Gunpowder, a study of Film Noir
Gumshoe Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) is hired by the oafish Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) to track down his former girlfriend. He’s also hired to accompany an effeminate playboy buy back some jewels. When the exchange results in the playboy’s murder, Marlowe can’t leave the case alone, and soon discovers it’s related to Malloy’s. As he gets drawn deeper into a complex web of intrigue by a mysterious blonde (Claire Trevor), the detective finds his own life in increasing jeopardy. About Film 101 Modeled after an Introduction to Film Studies course, the series features lively and engaging post-film discussions with fellow film buffs. Participants learn how to view classic and/or contemporary films with a critical eye and engage with the screen on a deeper level. The films are shown in our cinema and the post-film discussions take place in our galleries. In this Film 101 series Ian Ally-Seals will give viewers a tour through the dark and desperate world of Film Noir. The series will focus on four key films: Murder, My Sweet; The Killing; Bob le Flambeur; and Blood Simple. Through viewing these films and post-screening talks, viewers will gain insight into this versatile genre.Water Warriors is the story of a community’s successful fight to protect their water from the oil and natural gas industry.
In 2013, Texas-based SWN Resources arrived in New Brunswick, Canada to explore for natural gas. The region is known for its forestry, farming and fishing industries, which are both commercial and small-scale subsistence operations that rural communities depend on. In response, a multicultural group of unlikely warriors–including members of the Mi’kmaq Elsipogtog First Nation, French-speaking Acadians and white, English-speaking families–set up a series of road blockades, preventing exploration. After months of resistance, their efforts not only halted drilling; they elected a new government and won an indefinite moratorium on fracking in the province. Join us at 2:45 PM for a short pre-film reception. The film begins at 3 PM. After the film, participate in a discussion with filmmaker Michael Premo and Jennifer Siskind, Local Coordinator from Food & Water Watch. About Michael Premo Michael Premo is a multi-disciplinary artist, journalist and documentary storyteller. He is co-founder and Executive Producer at Storyline. Michael has created, produced and presented original work with numerous companies including Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Foundry Theater, The Civilians, and the Peabody Award winning StoryCorps. Michael’s photography has appeared in publications like The Village Voice, The New York Times, and Het Parool (Holland), among others. He is an affiliate consultant/trainer for the Interaction Institute for Social Change and most recently he is working with Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, helping design and implement a global outreach and engagement campaign for their book and film project, This Changes Everything. About Jennifer Siskind Jen Siskind has been a Local Coordinator for Food & Water Watch for 5 years. She partners with elected leaders and citizens to champion laws that will keep Connecticut communities protected. About Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch has been privileged to support and partner with nations and tribes from Oregon to North Dakota to Maine. Collaborative and local efforts are key strategies for wins. Here in Connecticut, they are working to prevent toxic, radioactive fracking waste from contaminating CT communities. 36 towns and cities have passed local ordinances, with more pending. Their work to change state law, which now requires future regulations (meaning future permits for bringing hazardous fracking waste in from other states), continues this legislative session. Every year Real Art Ways brings the Oscar Nominated Short Films to our Cinema. We’re the only place you can go in central Connecticut to experience some of the most celebrated short films in the world. All three categories are offered – Animation, Live Action and Documentary (Programs A & B). This is your annual chance to see all of these nominees before the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4. Live Action Shorts: DeKalb Elementary Director: Reed Van Dyk, USA, 20 minutes Steven, a mentally unstable twenty something, enters an elementary school with a semi-automatic rifle. After he orders the school receptionist, Cassandra, to have the building evacuated, he holds her hostage and instructs her to call 911. With Cassandra as his go-between, Steven tries to navigate the troubled waters he has entered. The Silent Child (The Winner!) Directors: Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, UK, 30 minutes Libby, a profoundly deaf four-year-old, is the youngest child in a family who are all hearing. Unable to communicate but about to start school, Libby is assigned a social worker who teaches her sign language. Libby’s skeptical parents are reluctant to be involved, however, and pose a potential block to Libby’s education. My Nephew Emmett Director: Kevin Wilson, Jr., USA, 20 minutes In 1955, two white men invade the home of Mose Wright, an African-American preacher in Mississippi, to abduct his 14-year-old nephew, Emmett Till, who is visiting from Chicago. Emmett has been accused of whistling at a white woman, and Mose knows that his fate will be sealed if the men succeed in taking him. The Eleven O’Clock Directors: Derin Seale and Josh Lawson, Australia, 13 minutes A psychiatrist earnestly tries to help his delusional patient, but his efforts are complicated by the fact that the patient believes himself to be the doctor. With each trying to out-analyze the other, their session spirals out of control. Watu Wote/All of Us Directors: Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen, Germany, 22 minutes Jua, a Christian living in Kenya, boards a chartered bus to visit a relative and is uncomfortable being surrounded by Muslim passengers. The bus is stopped by the violent terrorist group Al-Shabaab, whose members demand that the Muslims identify the Christian passengers. Film synopses by deadline.com
Every year Real Art Ways brings the Oscar Nominated Short Films to our Cinema. We’re the only place you can go in central Connecticut to experience some of the most celebrated short films in the world. All three categories are offered – Animation, Live Action and Documentary (Programs A & B). This is your annual chance to see all of these nominees before the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4. Documentary Shorts Program B Heroin(e) Directors: Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon, USA, 39 minutes Huntington, West Virginia, known as the overdose capital of America, sees an average of five to seven deaths from drug overdoses every day. Three women — a fire chief, a drug court judge and the head of an outreach ministry — are attempting to take back their community by using compassion to break the cycle of despair and addiction. Knife Skills Director: Thomas Lennon, USA, 40 minutes In 2013, restaurateur Brandon Chrostowski is about to launch Edwins Leadership & Restaurant Institute in Cleveland. Aiming to become the best traditional French restaurant in America, the Edwins eatery is staffed primarily with men and women recently released from prison, who have only six weeks to learn the skills that will better their lives and propel the new venture to success. Film synopses by deadline.com
