In a dystopian near-future Japan, law and order is enforced by a brutal paramilitary police unit known as the Kerberos Panzer Cops aka ‘Watchdogs of Hell’, equipped with heavy weaponry and reinforced body armor called “Protect Gear.” However, when their extreme methods spark public outcry, the government moves to dismantle the unit. Disobeying orders to disband, a trio of officers stage a rebellion—but only one, Koichi Todome (Shigeru Chiba) escapes. Three years later, Koichi returns to Tokyo after living in exile, carrying a mysterious suitcase. He seeks to reunite with his former comrades and uncover the truth behind the crackdown, but he soon finds himself in a surreal and dreamlike city—a shadow of its former self, filled with strange characters, elusive memories, and Kafkaesque absurdity. As reality begins to unravel Koichi descends deeper into paranoia, unable to tell friend from foe, truth from illusion. A philosophical blend of film noir, political allegory, and existential mystery, The Red Spectacles is a visually striking black comedy that meditates on justice, memory, and the cost of loyalty. It also serves as Mamoru Oshii’s foray into live-action filmmaking and his first feature installment in the Kerberos Saga. Welcome to Cult-O-Rama, our monthly screening series exploring beloved sleaze, trash, and underground cinema! A celebration of bad taste curated and introduced by Cinematheque Film Programmer Olivia Norquay. Presented in partnership with Sookram’s Brewing Co. Generously sponsored by IATSE 856 Manitoba.

Frantz Fanon, a French psychiatrist from Martinique, has just been appointed head of department at the psychiatric hospital in Blida, Algeria. His methods contrast with those of the other doctors. A biopic in the heart of the Algerian war where a fight is waged in the name of humanity.

Adaptation of the first 100 pages of Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables", where Jean Valjean encounters goodness for the first time.

Elsa, a doctor, hides from the world the fact that she can see the dead and help them cross to the other side. Convinced that her gift leads to rejection, she has given up on love, retreating into solitude and her work. That is, until she meets Oscar - a dead man who doesn’t know he’s dead…

In a kind of philosophical dialogue, Doctor Augustin Masset and renowned writer Fabrice Toussaint discuss life and death… A whirlwind of encounters in which the doctor is the guide and the writer, his passenger, led to confront his own fears and anxieties.

In 1930s Algeria, the daily life of an indifferent Frenchman is shaken by the death of his mother and a fateful encounter on a beach.

After being sent to his grandmother's house because of bad grades, a boy finds a panda cub and begins a summer of friendship and adventure.

A French chef in search of fame tries to help the young Lili-Beth win a culinary competition. But to do so he must contend with the hostility of an entire village towards Sonia, the local customs officer.

Every day, Jay travels the length and breadth of Tokyo in his taxi, looking for his daughter Lily. Having given up hope of ever seeing her again, he is about to move back to France when Lily hops in his cab.

Developed from a script of poetry and filmed on location throughout the Red River Valley on some broken Bolex cameras, Levers is a story about the act of the human hand which turns rock into stone. The film begins with a bang as a crowd gathers at the municipal grounds of an unnamed Manitoban city for the unveiling of a new sculpture. Later that evening, a large blast erupts in the sky, giving rise to a global day of darkness. Worldwide, people huddle around the warm glow of their television sets eagerly awaiting a new sun to rise, yet in the Red River Valley, life carries on as usual. But death is an unstoppable force, made evermore apparent under the clear light of the sun’s return. Determined to satiate her curiosity surrounding recent events, an intrepid civil servant undertakes an odyssey into the gritty, yet seemingly benevolent sculptor, whose world is shrouded in mystery. Relationships criss-cross throughout the film acting as the glue that holds together a vibrant array of elemental imagery: A fiery sunrise that is as frightening as it is beautiful, and the fringe of a buckskin jacket billowing in a flurry of incandescent snow. Indigenous cultural markers intermingle with Catholic and esoteric symbolism, exemplifying the religious syncretism emblematic of many Métis people. Mixing in-camera fx with a delicate eye for beauty, Levers portrays an ominous story conveyed through a potent mixture of the rarity of fantasy and the idleness of the everyday.

Our Hospitality (1923) broadened the boundaries of slapstick and proved that Buster Keaton was not just a comedian, he was an artist. Keaton stars as youthful dreamer Willie McKay, who travels westward on a rickety locomotive to claim his birthright, only to find that his inheritance is a rundown shack. On top of that he learns that the object of his affection (Keaton’s real-life wife Natalie Talmadge) is the daughter of a man with whom his family has been engaged in a long, violent feud. McKay’s personal struggles are punctuated by brilliant slapstick setpieces that involve an exploding dam, raging waterfalls, and a primitive steam engine. Plays with One Week Dir. Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline 1920, USA, 25 min A newly wedded couple attempts to build a house with a prefabricated kit, unaware that a rival sabotaged the kit's component numbering. Join us for McDonald at The Movies, where comedian, star and co-founder of Kids in the Hall, Kevin McDonald presents a film handpicked from the archives of comic history. Generously sponsored by IATSE 856 Manitoba.

On a weekend trip to the countryside, Laura miraculously survives a car crash. Physically unhurt but deeply shaken, she is taken in by a local woman who witnessed the accident and now cares for Laura with motherly devotion. When her husband and adult son also give up their initial resistance to Laura’s presence, the four of them slowly build up some family-like routine. But soon they can no longer ignore their past…

Through loss, love, and self-discovery, a woman transforms pain into art—and writes a life on her own terms. Based on the beloved memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch and marking the directorial debut of Kristen Stewart, The Chronology of Water is a raw and unflinching portrait of survival, sexuality, and self-invention. The film traces Lidia’s life from her earliest memories in the Pacific Northwest, as a promising swimmer, through fractured relationships, near-motherhood, addiction, and encounters with artistic heroes. Told as a fluid memory wash, the story transforms trauma into art, embodying Yuknavitch’s defiant voice that made her work a modern cult classic. It is not only a chronicle of a woman becoming a writer, but a visceral journey through the wreckage and resilience of a life lived against the grain. Content warning: This film contains scenes of sexual violence.

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab. Please note: The film is based on real events and emergency calls recorded by the Palestine Red Crescent. The voices on the phone are real.