We Grown Now at Real Art Ways

“Lovely and lyrical yet haunting and heartbreaking…” – Chicago Sun Times

“It’s a resolutely poetic, at times even golden-hued portrait of lives unafraid to hope amid growing despair.” – LA Times

“Writer/director Minhal Baig’s ‘90s coming-of-age drama is one of realistic warmth, rumbling hopes and roadblocks jutting up in front of children whose very existence is defiant.” – Paste Magazine

93% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

In 1992 Chicago, as Michael Jordan solidifies himself as a champion, a story of two young legends in their own right begins. As wide-eyed and imaginative best friends Malik and Eric traverse the city, looking to escape the mundaneness of school and the hardships of growing up in public housing, their unbreakable bond is challenged when tragedy shakes their community just as they are learning to fly.

“Mournful yet exuberant, “La Chimera” is a towering work of art presented with the unassuming invitation of a warming summer morning.” – LA Times

“One of the pleasures of Rohrwacher’s filmmaking is the way she subtly blurs our sense of time. La Chimera is set in the 1980s, but it could be taking place 20 years earlier, or 20 years later.” – NPR

Synopsis: Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. To find her, Arthur challenges the invisible, searches everywhere, goes inside the earth — in search of the door to the afterlife of which myths speak. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera.

93% on Rotten Tomatoes

(In Italian with English subtitles)

“Consistently weird and frequently wonderful, Sasquatch Sunset uses its high-concept premise to consider a host of themes: collective living, coexistence with nature, longing stirred by seclusion.” – Boston Globe

“It’s brilliantly filmed, constantly maintains our interest, boasts first-rate prosthetics, and is completely distinct from whatever else is found at the box office.” – Los Angeles Times

Synopsis:

In the misty forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches–possibly the last of their enigmatic kind–embark on an absurdist, epic, hilarious, and ultimately poignant journey over the course of one year. These shaggy and noble giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them. Starring Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg, acclaimed directors David and Nathan Zellner (Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter) bring you the greatest Bigfoot story ever told.

“Destined to be the biggest feel-good movies of the year.” – The Aisle Seat

“Cabrini’s story is rather absorbing and the film offers a lushly mounted portrait of life in 1880s New York, when immigration was just as much of a contentious issue as it is today.” – Guardian 

“Its visual splendor is matched by the strong moral convictions and absence of cynicism that characterized many movies of the 1940s, when Catholic heroes were all over the screen.” – Wall Street Journal

“An engaging account of a woman whose faith and personality allowed her to make a difference in the face of astronomical odds.” – ReelViews

91% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

From Alejandro Monteverde, award-winning director of “Sound of Freedom”, comes the powerful epic of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City in 1889 and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society’s most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini uses her entrepreneurial mind to build an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.

“Smart, cynical and at times devilishly funny, the film delivers a crackle of disruptive static to the demonic possession genre.” – Observer (UK)

“A nasty and delicious, unapologetic pastiche with a flair for menace. I had a blast.” – New York Times

” It’s a gem on every level, and it’s already a contender for the best new horror film of 2024.” – AV Club 

“A potent examination of the price of success.” – Austin Chronicle 

“Absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.” – Stephen King

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show ‘Night Owls’ that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. However, ratings for the show have plummeted since the tragic death of Jack’s beloved wife. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, on October 31st, 1977, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other–unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America.

“A remarkable World War II story told conventionally but elevated by a superb Anthony Hopkins.” – Time Out 

“Serves as an urgent reminder of the importance of individual action at a time when the world refugee crisis is at a scale not seen since the Second World War.” – Variety 

“Heartwarming.” – RogerEbert.com 

Synopsis:

Based on the book If It’s Not Impossible…: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton by Barbara Winton, One Life tells the incredible, emotional true story of Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton (Johnny Flynn), a young London broker who visits Prague in December 1938. In a race against time, Winton convinces Trevor Chadwick (Alex Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (Romola Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children before Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, Nicky (Anthony Hopkins) is haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England. It’s not until the BBC show “That’s Life!” re-introduces him to some of those he helped rescue that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he carried — all the while skyrocketing from anonymity to a national hero.

“A thoroughly engaging war drama that’s more about people than about politics.” – Polygon

“…manages to uncover an ugly yet necessary truth in the rubble of the old world.” – TheWrap

“Civil War features jaw-dropping battles that rattle and hum, foregrounded by a bleak, devil-may-care desire to consume, report, forget, and remember — captured through a jarring poeticism.” – Screen International 

Synopsis:

From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

“Outstanding.” – NPR 

“Ukrainian reporter Mstyslav Chernov has stitched together an almost overwhelming document of a city, and its people, dying over three brutal weeks.” – Time Out

“A brave piece of frontline journalism.” – Little White Lies 

“…gives you a sense of life during wartime that isn’t an abstraction, some distant thing happening to people thousands of miles away.” – Rolling Stone 

“A relentless and truly important documentary.” – New York Times

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.

Winner Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.

“Japanese manga master Hayao Miyazaki, 83, came out of retirement for this hand-drawn beauty about his own life growing up in wartime. The Oscar for best animated feature belongs right here since Miyazaki’s unparalleled artistry shines out of every frame.” – ABC News 

“…a literal work of art…you leave reminded that life can be wonderful, but only sometimes, and often in the most unlikely ways.” – Financial Times

“A valuable new addition to this unique film-artist’s canon, about confronting a terrible sadness and finding a way to replace it with wonder and joy.” – Guardian

“It’s gorgeous, ruminative, and mesmerizing, one of the best of 2023.” – RogerEbert.com

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

Winner Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards.

“So rich and romantic, it will leave you woozy.” – TimeOut

“You will swear that you can taste every shot.” – The Telegraph 

“The Taste of Things feels like a return to the very best kind of comfort viewing, a work that nourishes the soul and whets the appetite but without the sprinkling of irony.” – Financial Times

“One of 2023’s best films.” – The Boston Globe 

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Cook Eugenie and her boss Dodin grow fond of one another over 20 years, and their romance gives rise to dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit, he begins to cook for her.

“Greg Camalier’s debut feature offers a worthy if sometimes ponderous take on a significant slice of U.S. popular music history.” – Variety

“An essential document of a defining era when ‘soul’ really meant something.” – Time Out

“Even casual music fans will enjoy behind-the-hits doc.” – Hollywood Reporter

“It is hands down one of the best music documentaries ever made.” – Seattle Times

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Filmmaker Greg Camalier pays tribute to an Alabama city that holds a prominent place in music history. Artists who recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., include Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Sponsored by Suzanne Hopgood in honor of Frank Lord

“A welcome blast of ’90s nostalgia, taking us back to a time – and a sound – that pulsates with optimism.” – Entertainment Weekly 

“Rapaport, in his feature directorial debut, does an admirable job recounting the group’s formation and dissecting its dissolution.” – New York Times

“…a must for hip-hop heads.” – New York Post

“Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible.” – New York Daily News

90% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Actor Michael Rapaport examines the music of the 1990s hip-hop group as well as the conflicts that drove the band members apart.

4:30pm: Pre film performance by Bap Pack: Hartford Based Lyricists Klokwize, Hydro, Tang Sauce, The RAPoet Self Suffice

Four solo MCs join forces in the name of Unity to honor the Culture of Hip-Hop. The Bap Pack performed at schools, colleges, sports stadiums, festivals, and more, reaching thousands of listeners hungry for that futuristic Boom Bap. Now, after a year of rocking crowds outside, they keep you warm through the Winter with the first 2 official Bap Pack releases…. The Boom – Radio Edit and Shinin’ – Radio Edit. Listen to the Bap Pack and related artists on the Bap Pack! playlist. PEACE!

Sponsored by Suzanne Hopgood in honor of Frank Lord.

“A heavy but necessary work about the legalese and cultural attitudes surrounding sexual violence in rural India.” – Variety 

“‘To Kill a Tiger’ is a film bristling with such invigorating defiance.” – New York Times

“What’s extraordinary about ‘To Kill a Tiger’ is Kiran and Ranjit’s determination, and the possible changes for good that may result from it.” – Washington Post

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being abducted into the woods, she was sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges.

A cinematic documentary, To Kill a Tiger follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child.