Sir Steve McQueen’s "Blitz" follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.

Cold Refuge is about the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of full immersion in the natural world: how, though it may seem counter-intuitive, swimming in cold water helps mitigate some of life's most serious challenges. The film's diverse film subjects include a wheelchair-using, paralyzed swimmer who faces fear by diving off a high pier; a Black man who was told by whites when he was 13 that "Black people don't swim" (it took him 30 years to try); a blind man who tethers himself to a sighted swimmer; a woman with aggressive breast cancer who "swims to chemo;" a lawyer who reduces courtroom stress in the open water; and a young woman who communes with her late mother in San Francisco Bay, where they both swam together. Along with swimmers' stories of adversity and resilience, the film's marine mammals, birds, artwork, and a variety of open-water locations create a visual meditation on what it means to escape our abstract digital world in favor of what's real.

LEE, the directorial feature from award-winning Cinematographer Ellen Kuras, portrays a pivotal decade in the life of American war correspondent and photographer, Lee Miller (Kate Winslett). Miller’s singular talent and unbridled tenacity resulted in some of the 20th century's most indelible images of war, including an iconic photo of Miller herself, posing defiantly in Hitler's private bathtub. Miller had a profound understanding and empathy for women and the voiceless victims of war. Her images display both the fragility and ferocity of the human experience. Above all, the film shows how Miller lived her life at full throttle in pursuit of truth, for which she paid a huge personal price, forcing her to confront a traumatic and deeply buried secret from her childhood.

Grace Pudel is a lonely misfit with an affinity for collecting ornamental snails and an intense love for books. At a young age, when Grace is separated from her fire-breathing twin brother Gilbert, she falls into a spiral of anxiety and angst. Despite a continued series of hardships, inspiration and hope emerge when she strikes up an enduring friendship with an elderly eccentric woman named Pinky, who is full of grit and lust for life. From Academy Award® winning animation writer and director Adam Elliot, MEMOIR OF A SNAIL is a poignant, heartfelt and hilarious chronicle of the life of an outsider finding her confidence and silver linings amongst the clutter of everyday life.

New Plaza Cinema Short Film Showcase’s 10th screening with programming curated by Michael Jacobsohn. Doris Casap: F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K, A Black, queer aspiring Baltimore rapper must outwit his vengeful, out to get him day job boss after accidentally ingesting pot at a party. Klay Enos and Cornelius Tulloch: Elements of Being, This video is a collaborative split-screen art piece where diverse artistic disciplines give voice to underrepresented narratives of climate change. Joy Le Li: The Musician Under New York, Underground Musician tells the story of a Chinese immigrant in New York City who overcomes language barriers and rediscovers his passion for music in the subway, finding both survival and fulfillment. Mark Stryker, Roberta Friedman and Daniel Lowenthal: Each One Teach One, In Detroit they make cars and great musicians. Nothing has been more important to sustaining Detroit’s landmark influence on Jazz and the American songbook than its heroic mentors: pianist Barry Harris, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and bassist Rodney Whitaker. Arlene Shulman: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Inspired by his growing up in Inwood at the northern tip of Manhattan, Hamilton and In the Heights creator Lin-Manuel Miranda with help from uptown neighbors, talks about his love for the neighborhood. Paul H Moon: Berlin, Berlin is a 21st century entry into the city-symphony film genre that peaked with pre-war 20th century utopian optimism. Today, post-war Berlin is more than meets the eye. Combining slow-motion and landscape cinematography, filmmaker H. Paul Moon’s roving camera probes a confusing mix of penance, resilience, and veneer in today’s Berliner: bridging apocalyptic visions from history, with today’s resonant sins. Karen Yung and Jesse Ash: Love in China Town, When the entire world turned upside down in March 2020, Moonlynn Tsai and her partner Yin Chang organized an amazing grassroots community relief effort, Heart of Dinner, to feed the elderly and combat Asian-American hate in Chinatown, New York City and beyond. Stephanie Lombardo: Beaty, A feel-good mini-documentary that explores the meaning of true beauty beyond physical aesthetics.

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life explores the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller, as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that accepted his work only decades after the fact. Sacks was a fearless explorer of unknown mental worlds who helped redefine our understanding of the brain and mind, the diversity of human experience, and our shared humanity.

After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland's Orkney Islands (where she grew up) hoping to heal. Adapted from Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir.

Demi Moore gives a career-best performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and suddenly fired from her fitness TV show by repellent studio head Harvey (Dennis Quaid). She is then drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug: THE SUBSTANCE. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. A perfect balance. What could go wrong? Deliriously entertaining and ruthlessly satirical, Coralie Fargeat’s Cannes sensation turns toxic beauty culture inside out with a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable for the ages. Explosive, provocative and twisted, THE SUBSTANCE marks the arrival of a thrillingly visionary filmmaker.

Det. Sgt. Mark Dixon wants to be something his old man wasn't: a guy on the right side of the law. Will Dixon's vicious nature get the better of him?