AFS Cinema Picks

$4 off tickets to any screening of the films below with code: AAAFF$4

Code is valid for any additional screening times that may be added by AFS.

April 26, May 2 | Kôji Yakusho (CURE), veteran of the Japanese silver screen, gives the performance of a lifetime as Hiroyama, a man content to exist on the margins as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his orderly routine, he relishes in the simple pleasures of listening to music on cassette tapes, reading, and taking photos of trees. Through an unexpected series of encounters, his past is revealed. A brilliant meditation on the beauty of the ordinary, PERFECT DAYS is a stirring return to form from master filmmaker Wim Wenders (WINGS OF DESIRE and PARIS, TEXAS). Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

May 5 | Director Nicole Chi Amén, a Costa Rican filmmaker of Chinese descent, investigates her fascinating family story in this sensual diaristic film about language, nationality, and identity. As a young woman, Amén’s grandmother fled China’s cultural revolution, following a handful of relatives to Costa Rica. Exploring the textures, sounds, and objects connected to her grandmother, Amén searches for belonging in her family’s Chinese past. A selection of the Visions du Réel festival in Switzerland, GUIÁN was supported by an AFS Grant. With Nicole Chi Amén in person.

May 9, 13 | In the latest epic-length film from Turkish master Nuri Bilge Ceylan (WINTER SLEEP, THE WILD PEAR TREE), a selfish teacher, posted in remote Anatolia and itching for a transfer to a more desirable locale, is accused of inappropriate behavior by a student, and his feelings of despair deepen.

May 10 | Freely inspired by the life of star Sauve Sidle, here as Sol, an aspiring young rapper whose entree to the world of SoundCloud rappers and Instagram clout includes a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to join a crew on a bumpy road trip on the way to fulfill their dreams of “making it” in LA. Unable to shake his past, Sol soon begins to question all that he knows of himself — and the game — in this heady blend of lo-fi hip-hop and improvisational energy. With the AFS-supported LOST SOULZ, director Katherine Propper crafts a freewheeling paean to youthful ambition, friendship, and, of course, music. Take note, this is how you drop the mic. Featuring Aaron Melloul, Malachi Manson, Alexander Brackney, Krystall Poppin, Tauran Ambroise, and Micro TDH.
Featuring a post-show musical performance by cast members Malachi Mabson, Alex Brackney, Krystall Poppin, and Sauve Sidle, followed by a Q&A with director Katherine Propper, producers Andrés Figueredo Thomson and Juan Carlos Figueredo Thomson, and cast.

May 22, 25, 26 | Freely inspired by the life of Setsuko Hara, Ozu muse and star of 101 films, Satoshi Kon (PERFECT BLUE and PAPRIKA) brings his elliptical style to the story of a documentarian whose investigation into the life of an actress sends him on an adventure through time and straight into the heart of cinema.

June 5 | After the fall of Saigon, millions of Vietnamese “boat people” escaped their homeland by sea in a desperate attempt to find refuge. Many sought to build new lives along the Gulf Coast, finding available work and a favorable climate comparable to coast-rich, subtropical Vietnam. But the sudden influx of Vietnamese led to strained tensions in many fishing communities. In 1979, a fatal shooting in the small Texas fishing village of Seadrift ignited a maelstrom of hostilities against Vietnamese refugees along the Gulf Coast.
What really happened during this conflict, which was rife with rumors and false assumptions? How does a community recover and heal after a deep rift that erupted in violence? SEADRIFT examines this turbulent yet little-seen chapter of American history and explores the consequences that continue to reverberate today. The film’s director, Tim Tsai, will join us for an intro and Q&A following the screening. This screening is free and open to the public but requires a ticket reservation.

June 23, July 1 | Dubbed a “Japanese masala,” this “multi-ethnic mix of spices” (Japan Society) from Nobuhiko Obayashi (HAUSU) crafts a subtle dish out of the tale of a Japanese greengrocer whose encounter with an annoying customer leads him to lend a hand to poor exchange students from China. Inspired by true events.