22 Palestinian filmmakers living through war capture their lives in Gaza over the past year, revealing stories beyond the headlines. Their work offers a striking view of life's fragility and the resilience of love in the face of devastation. Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life. Despite harsh filming conditions, Gaza's vibrant artistic scene shines through this stunning anthology film, which offers an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life in modern-day Palestine - and the enduring spirit of its people.

The theme for the evening is Hollywood at the Hagley. Kevin Martin, Curator at the Hagley Museum and Library, will showcase films from Hagley’s extensive collection of industrial films and early television commercials. Attendees will see rare footage, including: • Comedian Tim Conway in one of his first TV roles playing Santa Claus in commercials for Ohio Bell’s Princess phone (1960) • TV show host and game show creator Merv Griffin singing about the history of automobiles in Milestones of Motoring, a film sponsored by the Standard Oil of Ohio (1954) • Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III on Gilligan’s Island) presenting the TV advertising campaign for GE Light Bulbs (1963) • Clips of Johnny Carson hosting the Tonight Show during his first year on the air (1962)

Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her husband Lee (Will Poulter) are beginning a bright new life in California when he returns from the Korean War. But their newfound stability is upended by the arrival of Lee’s charismatic brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), a wayward gambler with a secret past. A dangerous love triangle quickly forms. When Julius takes off in search of the young card cheat, he’s fallen for, Muriel’s longing for something more propels her into a secret life of her own, gambling on racehorses and exploring a love she never dreamed possible.

That They May Face the Rising Sun is an adaptation of the final novel from John McGahern, one of Ireland's greatest novelists. Joe and Kate Ruttledge have returned from London to live and work among a small, rural, lakeside community in Ireland near to where Joe grew up. Now deeply embedded in the life around the lake, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters that move about them unfolds through the rituals of work, play and the passing seasons as this enclosed world becomes an everywhere.

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND follows Charles (Tim Key), an eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island and dreams of getting his favorite musicians, McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden & Carey Mulligan) back together. His fantasy turns into reality when the bandmates and former lovers accept his invitation to play a private show at his home on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig.

Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman (Steve Coogan) who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.

The woman-behind-the-man, Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve) arrives at the presidential Elysée Palace in 1995 frustrated and all but cast off by her newly elected husband, Jacques (Michel Guillermos). In director Léa Domenach’s whip-smart feature film debut based on true events, Madame Chirac’s rise from invisible political spouse to major media figure—as calculated as it was inevitable—is chronicled with equal parts reverence and wit, driven by Deneuve’s wryly memorable central performance. In French with English subtitles.

Married couple Sarah (Shirley Henderson) and Tom (Alan Tudyk) are in terrible financial trouble. On the brink of losing everything, they’ve managed to find a buyer for their stylish London home. When their best friends Richard (Rufus Sewell) and Beth (Olivia Williams) come over for a final dinner, an uninvited old friend, Jessica (Indira Varma), tags along. After a seemingly trivial argument at dinner, Jessica disappears. She has the temerity to hang herself in the garden, totally oblivious to the adverse consequences for Sarah and Tom’s real estate sale. The only solution: Sarah and Tom must convince Richard and Beth to help take care of this little inconvenience. If they’re clever enough about it, what could possibly go wrong? Knives are out and best-kept secrets are revealed in this laugh-out-loud dark comedy featuring a starry ensemble cast of phenomenal UK talent.

A Family Love Story. Kris and Gary, both blind, are living their version of the American Dream: raising a family. Journey with them and their sighted twins Sean and Kelly as they navigate challenges with resilience and love. Running time: 20 minutes followed by a Q&A with light refreshments. A David Mejias Film. Produced by Anthea Piscarik. Directed by David Mejias. All ticket sales go to The Guide Dog Foundation.

After a tumultuous life in Paris, Michelle (Hélène Vincent) has retired to a quiet existence in Burgundy, tending her garden and attending services at her parish. The voracious hostility of her adult daughter Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier) remains Michelle’s great puzzlement: how can a child for whom she sacrificed so much treat her with such contempt and suspicion? When Valérie drops off her son for a week with his grandmother, Michelle sees an opportunity to repair the relationship, but a culinary accident soon undercuts whatever trust remains. With the help of her best friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko), whose son (Pierre Lottin) has recently been released from prison, Michelle plots a path towards restoring the family life so long denied her. With a deceptively placid surface, master stylist François Ozon cooks up a twisty and destabilizing thriller where family ties remain the most mysterious ingredient of all. In French with English subtitles.