Civil War at Real Art Ways

“A thoroughly engaging war drama that’s more about people than about politics.” – Polygon

“…manages to uncover an ugly yet necessary truth in the rubble of the old world.” – TheWrap

“Civil War features jaw-dropping battles that rattle and hum, foregrounded by a bleak, devil-may-care desire to consume, report, forget, and remember — captured through a jarring poeticism.” – Screen International 

Synopsis:

From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

“Outstanding.” – NPR 

“Ukrainian reporter Mstyslav Chernov has stitched together an almost overwhelming document of a city, and its people, dying over three brutal weeks.” – Time Out

“A brave piece of frontline journalism.” – Little White Lies 

“…gives you a sense of life during wartime that isn’t an abstraction, some distant thing happening to people thousands of miles away.” – Rolling Stone 

“A relentless and truly important documentary.” – New York Times

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.

Winner Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.

“Japanese manga master Hayao Miyazaki, 83, came out of retirement for this hand-drawn beauty about his own life growing up in wartime. The Oscar for best animated feature belongs right here since Miyazaki’s unparalleled artistry shines out of every frame.” – ABC News 

“…a literal work of art…you leave reminded that life can be wonderful, but only sometimes, and often in the most unlikely ways.” – Financial Times

“A valuable new addition to this unique film-artist’s canon, about confronting a terrible sadness and finding a way to replace it with wonder and joy.” – Guardian

“It’s gorgeous, ruminative, and mesmerizing, one of the best of 2023.” – RogerEbert.com

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

From the legendary Studio Ghibli and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) comes a new critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure. After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

Winner Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards.

“So rich and romantic, it will leave you woozy.” – TimeOut

“You will swear that you can taste every shot.” – The Telegraph 

“The Taste of Things feels like a return to the very best kind of comfort viewing, a work that nourishes the soul and whets the appetite but without the sprinkling of irony.” – Financial Times

“One of 2023’s best films.” – The Boston Globe 

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Cook Eugenie and her boss Dodin grow fond of one another over 20 years, and their romance gives rise to dishes that impress even the world’s most illustrious chefs. When Dodin is faced with Eugenie’s reluctance to commit, he begins to cook for her.

“Greg Camalier’s debut feature offers a worthy if sometimes ponderous take on a significant slice of U.S. popular music history.” – Variety

“An essential document of a defining era when ‘soul’ really meant something.” – Time Out

“Even casual music fans will enjoy behind-the-hits doc.” – Hollywood Reporter

“It is hands down one of the best music documentaries ever made.” – Seattle Times

97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Filmmaker Greg Camalier pays tribute to an Alabama city that holds a prominent place in music history. Artists who recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., include Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Sponsored by Suzanne Hopgood in honor of Frank Lord

“A welcome blast of ’90s nostalgia, taking us back to a time – and a sound – that pulsates with optimism.” – Entertainment Weekly 

“Rapaport, in his feature directorial debut, does an admirable job recounting the group’s formation and dissecting its dissolution.” – New York Times

“…a must for hip-hop heads.” – New York Post

“Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible.” – New York Daily News

90% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Actor Michael Rapaport examines the music of the 1990s hip-hop group as well as the conflicts that drove the band members apart.

4:30pm: Pre film performance by Bap Pack: Hartford Based Lyricists Klokwize, Hydro, Tang Sauce, The RAPoet Self Suffice

Four solo MCs join forces in the name of Unity to honor the Culture of Hip-Hop. The Bap Pack performed at schools, colleges, sports stadiums, festivals, and more, reaching thousands of listeners hungry for that futuristic Boom Bap. Now, after a year of rocking crowds outside, they keep you warm through the Winter with the first 2 official Bap Pack releases…. The Boom – Radio Edit and Shinin’ – Radio Edit. Listen to the Bap Pack and related artists on the Bap Pack! playlist. PEACE!

Sponsored by Suzanne Hopgood in honor of Frank Lord.

“A heavy but necessary work about the legalese and cultural attitudes surrounding sexual violence in rural India.” – Variety 

“‘To Kill a Tiger’ is a film bristling with such invigorating defiance.” – New York Times

“What’s extraordinary about ‘To Kill a Tiger’ is Kiran and Ranjit’s determination, and the possible changes for good that may result from it.” – Washington Post

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

In a small Indian village, Ranjit wakes up to find that his 13-year-old daughter has not returned from a family wedding. A few hours later, she’s found stumbling home. After being abducted into the woods, she was sexually assaulted by three men. Ranjit goes to the police, and the men are arrested. But Ranjit’s relief is short-lived, as the villagers and their leaders launch a sustained campaign to force the family to drop the charges.

A cinematic documentary, To Kill a Tiger follows Ranjit’s uphill battle to find justice for his child.

“A profound tale of finding peace, meaning, and beauty in life.” – Next Best Picture

“A humane, hopeful embrace of everyday blessing.” – Variety 

“A poem of extraordinary subtlety and beauty.” – Vox

96% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past.

A deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us.

Academy Award Nominee for Best International Feature Film

“A landmark movie.” – The Times

“Breath-stopping.” – Time

“Screaming with fear and alarm and terribly necessary for its time.” – Vanity Fair

“…it is about the ways in which people close themselves off to destabilizing truths.” – Boston Globe 

“…a master class in how to show without showing.” – Wall Street Journal 

92% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.

Oscar Winner for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound

Registration is now closed due to overwhelming response.

Schedule:

Reception at 4:30pm

Film at 5:30pm

Discussion at 8pm

“A brilliant, cinematic masterpiece.” – Forbes

“One of the most unusual and ingenious of recent screenplays.” – The New Yorker

“Rich in thought, ‘Origin’ is a dense, forceful masterwork, and, quite simply, the most radical film of DuVernay’s career.” – RogerEbert.com

“It will leave you speechless.” – Deadline

“Few American movies this year reach so high, so boldly.” – New York Times

Synopsis:

While grappling with tremendous personal tragedy, Isabel sets herself on a path of global investigation and discovery. Despite the colossal scope of her project, she finds beauty and bravery while crafting one of the defining American books of our time.

“The film listens for this community’s heartbeat, finding its steady pulse just as expected: healthy and strong.” – New York Times

“Stirring, bittersweet, and reflective.” – Boston Globe

100% on Rotten Tomatoes

Synopsis:

River City Drumbeat is a powerful and uplifting story of music, love, and legacies set in the American South. Edward “Nardie” White devoted his life to leading the African-American drum corps he co-founded with Zambia Nkrumah in Louisville, Kentucky three decades ago. Together they inspired youth from their West Louisville neighborhood to thrive by connecting them with the art and cultural traditions of their African ancestors.

River City Drumbeat follows this creative community of mentors, parents, and youth making their way in a world where systemic forces raise obstacles to fulfilling their dreams.

Featuring a performance from Hartford Proud’s Drill Drum and Dance Corp.

Sponsored by Suzanne Hopgood in honor of Frank Lord

This film showing is part of the Mandell JCC’s 28th Annual Phyllis Hoffman Hartford Jewish Film Festival!

“The story is unique and ultimately illuminates not just an odd time in the history of 42nd Street (“the Deuce”) but an unusual tale of the American Jewish experience.” – Orlando Weekly

“The true genius of Queen of the Deuce is how one woman’s life story opens up into a multitude of perspectives, allowing all the voices in her family to share in this portrait of the immigrant experience.” – That Shelf

Synopsis:

From the late ’60s to the mid ’80s, in the notorious Times Square area known as the Deuce, the eccentric, Greek-born Chelly Wilson built a porn cinema empire and a reputation as one of the most savvy and charismatic figures on the scene. With a cigarette in hand and bags of money stashed in the corner, Chelly regularly held court in her bunkerlike apartment above the legendary 8th Avenue all-male Adonis Theatre, summoning a lively cabal of associates, entertainers and fellow poker players, with her female lovers always hovering and grandchildren often underfoot. Yet few in her circle knew of the risks she took to get there. Queen of the Deuce reveals Chelly’s origins as a taboo-breaking entrepreneur and traces the fraught events that lead to her departure from Europe on the eve of war, and the unconventional trajectories of her American business ventures and personal life. With the rise of feminism, the sexual revolution and gay pride in frame, Queen of the Deuce is an alternate take on cultural history as seen through Chelly Wilson’s empowering story of survival.

This film showing is part of the Mandell JCC’s 28th Annual Phyllis Hoffman Hartford Jewish Film Festival!

“A handsome, stirring, yet untaxing dose of underdog-sports uplift.” – Washington Post

“A film that often feels like one has walked into an oil painting: well-crafted, lovely to look at, and rather old-fashioned.” – Associated Press

“When people say ‘they don’t make movies like that anymore,’ this is the kind of movie they’re talking about.” – RogerEbert.com

Synopsis:

The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This inspirational true story follows a group of underdogs at the height of the Great Depression as they are thrust into the spotlight and take on elite rivals from around the world.