From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, HAMNET tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet. Starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

CHELSEA LATE NIGHTS - HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS - NORTHWOODS CHRISTMAS (2023) (Mike Cheslik, 2022, 108min) Fri, 12/5 @ 10PM Sat, 12/6 @ 10:30AM & 10PM Sun, 12/7 @ 10:30AM The indy film sensation is back this December! Come celebrate the last week of classes and the Winter season with this frosty snow day, slapstick comedy! In this 19th century, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers. -Fundraised and shot in Wisconsin and Michigan -Completed over 4 years -12 weeks of shooting -Filmed in subzero temperatures -1500+ effects shots

JAY KELLY, the new film from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind.

Set in modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

THE DOC IS IN... Perfect for early risers, fans of documentaries, and those just looking for an excuse to go into work late or skip class, the Chelsea Theater has given a new meaning to getting a Doc’s note and making an appointment is as easy as purchasing a ticket. Chapel Hill’s favorite nonprofit indy theater is set to play documentaries four (4) times a week as morning screenings in new film series “The Doc Is IN.” RIEFENSTAHL - (Andres Veiel, 2024, 115min) Show Dates: Sat, 12/13, Sun, 12/14, Wed, 12/17, Thu, 12/18. All shows @ 10AM Filmmaker and Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl is considered one of the most controversial women of the 20th century. Her films Triumph of the Will and Olympia are defined by their fascist aesthetics, perfectly-staged body worship, and the celebration of all that is "superior" and victorious, simultaneously projecting contempt for the imperfect and weak. But Riefenstahl – who first broke into the German film industry as an actress – spent decades after the war denying her association with Nazi ideology, and claiming ignorance of the Holocaust. How did she become the Reich's preeminent filmmaker if she was just a hired hand? Riefenstahl examines this question using never-before-seen documents from Leni Riefenstahl's estate, including private films, photos, recordings and letters, uncovering fragments of her biography and placing them in an extended historical context. During her long life after the fall of Nazism, she remained unapologetic, managing to control and shape her legacy; in personal documents, she mourns her "murdered ideals." Meanwhile, her work would experience a renaissance, gaining esteem for its masterful technical skill. Today, Riefenstahl's aesthetics are more present than ever. Is that also true for their message? In an era where fascism is on the rise again, fake news is prevalent, and the meaning of political imagery is constantly dissected and debated, Andres Veiel's mesmerizing new film shows that Leni Reifenstahl is more relevant than ever.

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right in the middle of their complex family dynamics.

THERE ARE NO SHOWTIMES TODAY 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, Suite AB Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Mon | CLOSED (unless advertised) Tue-Sun | Open 30m prior to Showtime Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the Chelsea. The Chelsea is handicap accessible and equipped with wheelchair-accessible seating. Free assistive listening devices are available for many films and may be obtained at the concessions counter.

THUNDERHEART (Michael Apted, 1992, 119min) (Staff Pick: Alexander) Fri, 11/28 @ 10PM Sat, 11/29 @ 10:30AM & 10PM Sun, 11/30 @ 10:30AM In honor of the great Graham Greene, 1952-2025. Michael Apted's 1992 film Thunderheart is a neo-Western crime thriller that blends investigative drama with a portrait of contemporary Native American life. The film follows FBI Agent Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer), who is sent to a South Dakota reservation to investigate a murder amid rising tensions between pro-government and traditionalist Native groups. What begins as a procedural evolves into a personal and political journey for Ray, who is forced to confront his own partial Sioux heritage and the deep-seated corruption surrounding the case. Apted, known for both his narrative and documentary work, infuses Thunderheart with an authenticity rarely seen in Hollywood renderings of Native issues. Drawing from real events, notably the Wounded Knee incident of the 1970s and Apted’s own documentary Incident at Oglala, the film skillfully navigates themes of identity, government abuse, and spiritual reckoning. Much of the film was shot on location in South Dakota, capturing both the natural beauty and socioeconomic struggles of reservation life.

THE DOC IS IN... Perfect for early risers, fans of documentaries, and those just looking for an excuse to go into work late or skip class, the Chelsea Theater has given a new meaning to getting a Doc’s note and making an appointment is as easy as purchasing a ticket. Chapel Hill’s favorite nonprofit indy theater is set to play documentaries four (4) times a week as morning screenings in new film series “The Doc Is IN.” WISDOM OF HAPPINESS - (Philip Delaquis, Barbara Miller, 2024, 90min) Show Dates: Sat, 11/29, Sun, 11/30, Wed, 12/3, Thu, 12/4. All shows @ 10AM WISDOM OF HAPPINESS is a deeply intimate and highly cinematic documentary featuring the Dalai Lama, who, at nearly 90 years old, offers practical advice for navigating the 21st century’s challenges. The film captures the Dalai Lama speaking directly to viewers, creating a sense of a private audience, and shares his timeless wisdom on achieving inner peace and happiness for everyone. WISDOM OF HAPPINESS is medicine for the moment — a survival guide for navigating our traumatic world that feels more fractured and uncertain than ever. This powerful message of hope is delivered as a personal audience with one of the greatest living thinkers, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tenzin Gyatso, known to billions around the world as the Dalai Lama. Speaking directly to all of us as a single global community, he shares practical wisdom for finding peace, compassion, and hope in the midst of chaos. With disarming clarity and deep humanity, he invites us to imagine — and help create — a world where compassion is activated as our strongest force for change, and happiness is within reach for everyone.