**Staff Picks 2026!** Strange things are afoot in Bad City. The Iranian ghost town, home to prostitutes, junkies, pimps, and other sordid souls, is a place that reeks of death and hopelessness, where a lonely vampire is stalking the towns most unsavory inhabitants. But when boy meets girl, an unusual love story begins to blossom...blood red. Winner—Jury Award, Directorial Revelation Award, and Special Mention at SITGES "Launches itself into a dreamspace of its own that has a unique power and pull...a fresh and exciting re-imagining of a well-worn oft-told genre."—Sheila O'Malley, RogerEbert.com In Persian with English subtitles

**Staff Picks 2026!** A 1960s secret agent is brought out of cryofreeze to oppose his greatest enemy in the 1990s, where his social attitudes are glaringly out of place.

**Staff Picks 2026!** Beautiful young housewife Severine Serizy cannot reconcile her masochistic fantasies with her everyday life alongside dutiful husband Pierre. When her lovestruck friend Henri mentions a secretive high-class brothel run by Madame Anais, Severine pays a visit and eventually begins to work there during the day under the name Belle de Jour. But when one of her clients grows possessive, she must try to go back to her normal life. Winner—Golden Lion at Venice In French w/English subtitles

In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island, but their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behavior from the eldest son, Jeremy. At wit’s end, their parents are presented with a shattering choice. Award-winning director Sophy Romvari’s feature debut is a lyrical and profound testament to the things we carry with us, masterfully chronicling the haze of a languid summer and the hyaline clarity of the moments that defined it. Winner—First Feature Award at Locarno Winner—Best Canadian Discovery at TIFF "A tender but devastating work that exists in the netherworld between documentary and fiction"—NYMag "An exquisite debut feature."—NYTimes Critic's Pick In English and Hungarian with English subtitles

A man trapped in a endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don't, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor? "Fiendishly clever...the rare picture that feels at once true to and ultimately subversive of its source."—The New Yorker "The circle of life takes a head-spinning detour in Exit 8, a diverting existential puzzler about wrong choices and right moves."—NYTimes Critic's Pick In Japanese w/English subtitles.

**Staff Picks 2026!** Stunning in scope, visually magnificent, and filled with compelling performances, David Lean's epic masterpiece is one of the great achievements in cinematic history. Peter O'Toole stars as T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who is sent to Arabia in 1917, and becomes a heroic leader in the Arabic rebellion against the Turks. As he grows more integrated into Arab society, his loyalties become conflicted. Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn co-star in this sweeping historical action-adventure classic. 1963 Academy Awards—Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Sound, Editing, and Original Score

Rico’s summer is a mix of chasing girls and hustling homemade cocktails out of a cooler on Orchard Beach, the Bronx. But when Destiny, his teenage girlfriend, crashes at his place with his family, it’s only a matter of time before his carefree days come spiraling down. Winner—Special Jury Award (NEXT) at Sundance Winner—Best Feature at Sidewalk "Grace edged with grit...recalls the elastic, organic quality of Cassavetes"—NYTimes Critic's Pick "An exhilarating debut that courses with an all-enveloping urgency and life, even if you may occasionally want to look away."—RogerEbert.com

Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel) on the eve of her comeback performance. "A singular, hypnotic, and formally unbound psychodrama."—IndieWire Critic's Pick

A happily engaged couple is put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off the rails. "Led by immaculate performances, it’s one of the most delightfully nerve-wracking rabbit holes you’re likely to tumble down this year."—IGN "It’s Zendaya’s movie. Her layered performance holds back then lets go as Emma’s full complexity is gradually revealed. If you can’t get onboard with Emma, then you’re the problem—which partly is Borgli’s intention."—S.F Chronicle "I save the zero star designation for movies that I think have no redeeming value whatsoever or are morally repugnant. “The Drama” meets both criteria."—Boston Globe

**Staff Picks 2026!** Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal.

**Staff Picks 2026!** Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they live through everyday quandaries. NJ is morose: his brother owes him money, his mother-in-law is in a coma, his wife suffers a spiritual crisis when she finds her life a blank and his business partners make bad decisions. Winner—Best Director at Cannes In Mandarin w/English subtitles