The A2 Vertical View for 5/12/25: CINETOPIA SPECTACULAR - Monday Morning at the Movies with Nick Alderink, Cinema Program Director for the Michigan and State Theaters
Make a plan at www.marquee-arts.org!
Buy passes now for CINETOPIA May 15-18th! https://marquee-arts.org/cinetopia/
18 films across all genres with filmmakers and special guests in attendance all weekend.
Highlights:
FRIENDSHIP – Wednesday, May 14th at 7:30 PM
- With a VIP party from 6:00 – 7:00 PM, screening open to the public
- Advance screening of the new film from A24 starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd with a brief introduction, letting the audience know what to anticipate in Cinetopia 2025.
- A suburban dad falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor in this special preview screening leading up to Cinetopia. Starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson, creator of I Think You Should Leave, and Detroiters.
LADY PARTS – Thursday, May 15th at 7:30 PM and Friday, May 16th at 9:30 PM
- Opening Night Party from 5:30 – 7:00 PM
- From Ann Arbor's own director Nancy Boyd and producer Meghan Griesbeck, who will both be in attendance for a post-film Q&A with lead actress Valentina Tammaro.
- On the verge of breaking into her dream career in Los Angeles, Paige (Valentina Tammaro) is forced to move back in with her parents and undergo a vulvar vestibulectomy to treat years of vaginal pain. As Paige navigates her excruciatingly awkward recovery, her loving but overzealous parents learn the importance of advocating for women’s health, starting with simply saying “vagina.”
1969: KILLERS, FREAKS AND RADICALS – Friday, May 16th at 7:30 PM
- With director Andrew Templeton in attendance with the creative team for a post-film Q&A.
- Amid the radical politics and cultural upheaval of the late 1960s, a series of brutal murders targeting young women gripped the twin university towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan. Home to the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, the communities grew increasingly anxious as police seemed unable to stop the killer—or killers—responsible.
NEW WAVE – Friday, May 16th at 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 17th at 3:15 PM
- With Executive Producer Linh Song in attendance Friday, May 16th and Saturday, May 17th and Producer Betty Hang in attendance Saturday, May 17th for a post-film Q&A.
- Filmmaker Elizabeth Ai explores the 1980s new wave music scene, a rebellious phenomenon that captivated Vietnamese American teens in Orange County, California. As she delves into the lives of her family and icons of the scene, she uncovers more than just music and fashion. Beneath the fun Euro-synth beats and punk aesthetics lies deep trauma—broken dreams and unhealed wounds from her community's past.
SALLY! – Friday, May 16th at 4:00 PM and Saturday, May 17th at 6:30 PM
- With director Deborah Craig in attendance for a post-film Q&A after both screenings.
- Sally Gearhart was a lesbian-feminist firebrand, professor, and fantasy author who spearheaded the 1970s and 80s US lesbian feminist movement. SALLY! peels back proverbial (and patriarchal) layers to reveal the collectivist reality behind our heroine’s story while exploring the complex relationship between spokeswomen like Sally and movements for social change.
MICHIGAN MADE SHORT FILMS – Sunday, May 17th at 1:00 PM
- Made by local filmmakers right here in Michigan, this collection of Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental short films showcase our state’s filmmaking talent. Local environmental concerns, family bonds, skateboarding and more are explored in these wide ranging stories.
- All 8 shorts will be presented throughout the festival as well, each paired with a feature.
THE LIBRARIANS – Sunday, May 17th at 7:00 PM with the Closing Night cocktail hour from 5:30 – 6:30 PM.
- With film subject/author Amanda Jones and producer Janique Robillard in attendance for a post-film discussion. And FREE admission will be given to librarians and educators.
- As an unprecedented wave of book banning is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy.
VIP Passes: $220
All-Movie Passes: $125
Student Passes: $110
4-packs: $60
ARTHOUSE REVIVAL
8 ½ (1959) – Tuesday, May 13th at 7:00 PM
By acclaimed director Federico Fellini, a troubled Italian filmmaker Guido Anselmi struggles with creative stasis as he attempts to get a new movie off the ground. Overwhelmed by his work and personal life, the director retreats into his thoughts, which often focus on his loves, both past and present, and frequently wanders into fantastical territory. As he tries to sort out his many entanglements, romantic and otherwise, Anselmi finds his production becoming more and more autobiographical
- THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) – Dir. Ingmar Bergman – Tuesday, May 20th at 7:00 PM
- TBD Member Select – Tuesday, May 27th at 7:00 PM
- And more all year!
NOW PLAYING
LILLY – Michigan
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – Michigan
BONJOUR TRISTESSE – Michigan
CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD – State
A NICE INDIAN BOY – State
THE SURFER – State
SINNERS – State
THE WEDDING BANQUET – State