FJORD (Cristian Mungiu, 2026, 146min, Romania/France/International, NR, Drama/Thriller, NEON) WINNER: Festival de Cannes - Palme d'Or - 2026 From two-time Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu, a Norwegian woman and her devout Romanian husband relocate with their five children to a remote, close-knit, coastal town. Their teenage children form a fast bond with a neighboring family as unease begins to simmer around their rigid beliefs. When allegations of abuse emerge, they are forced to confront a system of judgment that blurs the line between concern and prejudice. Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu, a Romanian-Norwegian Pentecostal couple, move with their five children from Romania to Norway after Mihai’s parents die, seeking closeness to Lisbet’s family, who share their faith. Settling in an isolated coastal village, they form a bond with their neighbors, the Halbergs. When their daughter Elia appears at school with bruises, suspicions arise about the family's strict religious upbringing. Fjord explores clashing worldviews, conformity, tolerance, and the boundaries of freedom and intimacy.

HESTER STREET (Joan Micklin Silver, 1975, 89min, United States, PG, Drama/Romance, Cohen Media Group) The Carolina Center for Jewish Studies is co-sponsoring with Durham’s “Jewish For Good” a showing of the 1975 film Hester Street at the Chelsea Theater (1129 Weaver Dairy Rd., Chapel Hill) with a special appearance by the London-based writer Julia Wagner, who will talk about her 2025 book that honors the film’s 50th anniversary.  The film vividly portrays the immigrant experience through the eyes of Gitl (Carol Kane), a young, Orthodox Jewish woman who arrives in New York City from Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century and faces the challenges of her new life in America. Much of the dialogue of the film is in Yiddish, and Kane won an Academy Award nomination for her role. A recent 4K restoration from the original negative of Joan Micklin Silver's theatrical feature debut. Gitl (Carol Kane in her Acadamy Awatd nominated role) and her son arrive on the lower East side of New York in 1896 to join her husband Jake (Steven Keats). While Jake, who has a job in a sweatshop and an English-speaking girlfriend, has completely embraced America, Gitl clings to her old country ways. Jake is embarassed to be seen with her as he struggles to assimilate by shedding his ethnic heritage. Gitl finds a way to become victor instead of victim. "A magnificent performance by Carol Kane. An unconditionally happy achievement." - The New York Times.

WICKER (Alex Huston Fischer/Eleanor Wilson, 2026, 105min, United Kingdom/United States/Australia/Hungary, R, Comedy/Drama/Fantasy, Black Bear) On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a Fisherwoman; smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker. In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.

**SCREENINGS OF THIS FILM HAVE BEEN SELLING OUT! WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND PURCHASING A TICKET ONLINE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE! WE ALSO RECOMMEND YOU GET HERE EARLY TO SECURE YOUR DESIRED SEAT!** YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING (Nathan Fielder/Lance Oppenheim, 2026, 174min, United States, R, Documentary, A24) Thirty-four days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss. From boundary-pushing directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim comes You Can See Everything.