Be sure to check out the final part of the Bijou’s Spring schedule!  It’s been a great school year.  Check bijoutheater.org for showtimes and more information about each of these amazing titles!

April 11 - 17, 2008
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY and
THE ORPHANAGE

April 18 - 24, 2008
2 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS and
THE RED BALLON / WHITE MANE

April 25 - May 1, 2008
TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE and
DIVA

May 2 - 8, 2008
DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM and
THRONE OF BLOOD

May 9 - May 15, 2008
FINISHING THE GAME and
THE SEVEN SAMURAI

The Bijou is happy to announce its first Spring 2008 calendar!  Here is information for the first two weeks:

January 25-January 31

WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY?
Directed by Rob Van Alkamade
USA, 2007 - 90 min.
English
From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPERSIZE ME) and director Rob Van Alkemade comes this year's must-see film.  Part agitprop theater and part civil disobedience, WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? is "a wickedly effective indictment of America's consumer compulsion, our mindless shopping and the multinational corporations controlling it all" that intriguingly chronicles Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping's attempts to combat consumerism, one person at a time (Chicago Tribune).
January 25: 7:00
January 26: 7:00
January 27: 3:00
January 28: 9:00
January 29: 7:00
January 30: 9:00
January 31: 7:00

BOB LE FLAMBEUR
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
France, 1955 - 98 min.
French with English subtitles
In this classic French gangster film Bob, a middle-aged gambler and thief, plans to rob the Deauville Casino.  Once the scheme is together, his crew begins the audacious robbery of the vault and Bob plays the tables - unfortunately, the cops are waiting because an old enemy of Bob, a policeman himself, has been tipped off. J. Hoberman of The Village Voice hails the film as "a superb riff with a boffo finale, a terrific, cynical punch line, and a crazy closing image of Bob's Plymouth on an empty beach."
January 25: 9:00
January 26: 5:00 & 9:00
January 27: 5:00
January 28: 7:00
January 29: 9:00
January 30: 7:00
January 31: 9:00

February 1-7

LUST, CAUTION
Directed by Ang Lee
China, 2007 - 157 min.
Mandarin with English subtitles
(NC-17 due to graphic sexual content)
Ang Lee (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) brings a film of war and espionage in occupied Shanghai in 1942.  Brilliantly performed by Tang Wei and Tony Leung (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE), a young Chinese woman involved in an assassination plot agrees to seduce a top Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee.  She finds herself in an unexpected position as she immerses herself deeper into the dangerous role of Mr. Yee's mistress.  This beautiful film has been describes as "a brooding meditation on the unnerving power and terrible cost of emotional and political masquerades, the Chinese-language Lust, Caution gets under your skin with its examination of what qualifies as love and what does not" (Los Angeles Times).
February 1: 7:00
February 2: 7:00
February 3: 3:00
February 4: 9:00
February 5: 7:00
February 6: 9:00
February 7: 7:00

MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Directed by Noah Baumbach
USA, 2007 - 91 min.
English
An achingly honest look at one family's misery, director Noah Baumbach (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE) tells the story of sisters Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Margot (Nicole Kidman) at odds over Pauline's fiance Malcolm (Jack Black).  Neurotic Margot brings her son to visit Pauline the weekend of the wedding and heartily disapproves of Malcolm at every turn.  Along with its tensions and heartbreak, "Margot is a fleet, strangely enjoyable film, animated by the acuity of Baumbach's perceptions and -- this helps a lot -- the frequent laugh-out-loud wit of his dialogue" (Premiere).     
February 1: 10:00
February 2: 5:00 & 10:00
February 3: 6:00
February 4: 7:00
February 5: 10:00
February 6: 7:00
February 7: 10:00

Check the website this week for the complete calendar! 

NOW PLAYING, SEPTEMBER 21-27 - THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE and LIGHTS IN THE DUSK

THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE
Directed by Todd Rohal
USA, 2006, 96 min | In English

In this assured feature debut, Todd Rohal has crafted a wonderfully offbeat film about mysterious power failure in a small mountain town that coincides with the disappearance of one of its most eccentric residents, played by Will Oldham, musician and recent star of "Old Joy." Thematically fraught with obsession, disjunctive time, and personal and collective meltdowns, THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE has recieved deserved critical acclaim and been likened to it's "a slapstick variation on a David Lynch movie" (Shadows on the Wall). Winner of a Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival.

"Convention-defying filmmaking that suggests what Jacques Tati may have done with rural America..." - Variety

"A wonderfully exhilarating and strikingly original work." - indieWIRE

SHOWTIMES
Friday, September 21: 7:00
Saturday, September 22: 7:00
Sunday, September 23: 3:00
Monday, September 24: 9:00
Tuesday, September 25: 7:00
Wednesday, September 26: 9:00
Thursday, September 27: 7:00

and ...

LIGHTS IN THE DUSK
Directed by Aki Kaurismaki
Finland, 2007, 78 min. | In Finnish and Russian with English subtitles

LIGHTS IN THE DUSK concerns Koiskinen, a night watchman in Helsinki. With no social life to speak of, this lonesome figure becomes instantly smitten when a stunning blonde agrees to go on a date with him. In his infatuation, Koiskinen has no idea that this femme fatale is secretly connected to a conman looking for someone to frame. The final film of the "Helsinki Trilogy" (with DRIFTING CLOUDS and THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST) by acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki.

Official Selection, 2006 Cannes Film Festival

"There's great music, an excellent dog, and that indescribable Kaurismäki tension between misery and a cosmic joke." - Entertainment Weekly

"If you're new to Kaurismaki, the film will make you a fan. If you've seen everything else he's ever done, the comedy will confirm your commitment." - V.A. Musetto, New York Post

SHOWTIMES
Friday, September 21: 9:00
Saturday, September 22: 5:00 and 9:00
Sunday, September 23: 5:00
Monday, September 24: 7:00
Tuesday, September 25: 9:00
Wednesday, September 26: 7:00
Thursday, September 27: 9:00


COMING SOON TO THE BIJOU...

SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 4:
THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS and Charles Burnett's KILLER OF SHEEP

OCTOBER 5 - 11:
CRAZY LOVE and Max Ophuls' THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... *

OCTOBER 12 - 18:
LA VIE EN ROSE and Jean Renoir's THE RULES OF THE GAME *

OCTOBER 19 - 25:
BRAND UPON THE BRAIN! and Francois Truffaut's JULES AND JIM *

Films marked with an * are part of a Classics of French Cinema series -- each screening on restored 35mm prints! Jean-Luc Godard's PIERROT LE FOU will also screen as part of this series during the first week of the Bijou's second fall calendar, Oct 26 - Nov 2.

DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT
Directed by Julia Loktev
USA/Germany/France, 2007, 94 min | In English

In Times Square, a 19 year-old girl of indeterminate ethnicity prepares to become a suicide bomber. Although her history and motives remain unknown, her resolve seems frighteningly certain as she weaves her way silently through the noise and turmoil of the city. Shot superbly on digital video, this taut thriller examines notions of faith and devotion, even while keeping its politics decidedly opaque.

"The Cannes Film Festival's single most riveting work. An unforeseen tour de force. A genuinely unnerving and unexpectedly moving experience." - Gavin Smith, Film Comment

SHOWTIMES
Friday, September 14: 7:00
Saturday, September 15: 7:00
Sunday, September 16: 5:00
Monday, September 17: 9:00
Tuesday, September 18: 7:00
Wednesday, September 19: 9:00
Thursday, September 20: 7:00


and...


MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES
Directed by Jennifer Baichwal
Canada, 2007, 90 min | In English and Mandarin with English subtitles

MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES features gorgeous images of amazing color and composition from the most unlikely of places: industrial landscapes. From factories and strip mines to eviscerated ships, the beauty in destruction is captured on film by renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky. In this film, he tours Asia in an exploration of humankind's relationship with nature as it extracts and destroys in the pursuit of progress.

"Awe inspiring! Stimulates the senses and the consciene simultaneously." - Hollywood Reporter

"Stunning! Like Burtynsky's work, the film is gorgeous and haunting." - Utne Reader

SHOWTIMES
Friday, September 14: 9:00
Saturday, September 15: 5:00 and 9:00
Sunday, September 16: 3:00
Monday, September 17: 7:00
Tuesday, September 18: 9:00
Wednesday, September 19: 7:00
Thursday, September 20: 9:00


COMING SOON TO THE BIJOU...

SEPTEMBER 21 - 27:
THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE
and LIGHTS IN THE DUSK

SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 4:
THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS and
Charles Burnett's KILLER OF SHEEP

OCTOBER 5 - 11:
CRAZY LOVE and
Max Ophuls' THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE... *

OCTOBER 12 - 18:
LA VIE EN ROSE and
Jean Renoir's THE RULES OF THE GAME *

OCTOBER 19 - 25:
BRAND UPON THE BRAIN! and
Francois Truffaut's JULES AND JIM *

Films marked with an * are part of a Classics of French Cinema series -- each screening on restored 35mm prints! Jean-Luc Godard's PIERROT LE FOU will also screen as part of this series during the first week of the Bijou's second fall calendar, Oct 26 - Nov 2.

Plus, these special events...

THIS IS SPINAL TAP

SATURDAY, SEPT 22 @ MIDNIGHT (11:59pm)

Come see the mockumentary that started it all, screening on a 35mm print as part of the Bijou's Midnight Movie Series! Starring Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean, THIS IS SPINAL TAP is funny, irreverent, insightful...and, oh yeah, this one goes up to eleven!

Dress as an 80s rocker and bring your best Guitar Hero skills for our pre-screening GH Tournament! Prizes awarded to whoever impresses us -- and the audience -- most!

Screening at Midnight (11:59 pm). Guitar Hero Tournament begins at 11:00 pm sharp. Anyone who wants to participate will receive a raffle ticket; we'll choose 10 patrons at random to compete. Sorry, but you must purchase a film ticket to play in the tourney. Tickets are $7.

Note: ANIMAL HOUSE, originally scheduled to screen on 9/22, had to be rescheduled for a later date. Stay tuned for details!

INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM
40th ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS

The University of Iowa International Writing Program (IWP), the unique "United Nations of Writing," celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year! To help commemorate the event, IWP has partnered with the Bijou to show three free films in October. The screenings include THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, accompanied by a Q & A with co-producer Jane Wells; and a double-feature of films directed by IWP alum on Sunday, October 7. To learn more about the IWP, visit them online at www.uiowa.edu/~iwp.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7: IWP DOUBLE FEATURE
Join us for a FREE double feature of films directed by IWP alum Etgar Keret and Martin Rejtman. Get an early look at Keret's debut feature JELLYFISH (not released theatrically until spring of '08), winner of the Camera d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Following JELLYFISH, we'll screen Rejtman's feature THE MAGIC GLOVES.

JELLYFISH @ 7:00 p.m. -- THE MAGIC GlOVES @ 9:00 p.m.
Both films are FREE, but seating is limited.

OCTOBER 10, 11 & 14: THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK
The Bijou and IWP are proud to present three FREE screenings of the award-winning documentary THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK, about the continuing Darfur conflict in Sudan. Following the screening on Thursday, October 11, we will host a Q&A with the film's co-producer Jane Wells. All screenings are FREE, but seating is limited.

Screening Times:
Wednesday, Oct 10 at 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, Oct 11 at 7:00 p.m. * Q&A w/ Jane Wells to follow
Sunday, Oct 14 at 8:00 p.m.

ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

OCTOBER 26 & 27

Dress up in your best RHPS-wear and come do the Time Warp again on Friday & Saturday, October 26 & 27. You buy the tickets; we'll provide the kits. Virgins welcome! Watch for more details in early October!

The Bijou closes its summer calendar this week with INTO GREAT SILENCE, opening tonight and playing through July 26. We've had a number of requests for this film and we're happy to offer it... a lovely, poetic and elemental film, INTO GREAT SILENCE offers the first-ever look inside the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps... it's the antithesis to the summer action flick (which we love too), so come clean your palette at the Bijou!

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SCREENING July 20-26
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INTO GREAT SILENCE
Directed by Philip GröningGermany, 2006, 162 min | In French with
English subtitles

Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world's most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks' quarters for six months -- filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one -- it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life.

"EXHILARATING! A poetic essay on the slowed-down rhythms of life... its quiet pleasures carry the viewer along at a pace commensurate with the monks' own unhurried sense of time." - Variety

"STUNNING... INTO GREAT SILENCE sharpens your senses... rarely is time so intensified, or so pure." - The Nation

SHOWTIMES
Friday: 7:30
Saturday: 5:00 and 8:00
Sunday: 3:00 and 6:00
Monday-Thursday: 7:30

----------------------------------
COMING SOON
----------------------------------

The Bijou Theater will be closed July 27 - September 6. The fall schedule begins Friday, September 7. Watch our website in August for the line-up... we've got lots more great film coming up!

-----
SIGNUP FOR THE BIJOU MOVIE GOERS EMAIL GUIDE:

To subscribe to the Bijou Movie Goers Guide, a weekly e-mail with film showtimes and theater news:

1. Send an email to BijouMovies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com;

OR

2. Go to http://www.bijoutheater.org and enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box at the top of the site.

Opening tonight and playing through July 19 at the Bijou is OFFSIDE, the latest from acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon, Crimson Gold) and a Grand Jury prizewinner at the Berlin Film Festival.

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SCREENING July 13-19
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OFFSIDE
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Iran, 2007, 99 min | In Persian with English subtitles

Watch Trailer:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/offside/trailer/

Six Iranian girls disguise themselves as boys in order to enter Tehran's Azadi Stadium to watch the 2006 World Cup Asian zone qualifier between Iran and Bahrain. However, their presence is discovered and they are arrested one by one. Many Iranian girls love soccer as much as their countrymen and sport fans all over the world, but they are prevented by law from attending live soccer matches in their country. Inspired by the day when his own daughter was refused entry to a soccer stadium in Iran, Jafar Panahi's OFFSIDE follows a day in the life of a disparate group of girls, united only by their desire to see their beloved team play live and in-person.

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize - Berlin Int'l Film Festival

"Although its message is deadly serious, OFFSIDE is almost lighthearted, filled with wit and winning characters." - San Francisco Chronicle

SHOWTIMES
Friday: 7:00 and 9:00
Saturday: 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00
Sunday: 5:00 and 7:00
Monday-Thursday: 7:00 and 9:00


----------------------------------
COMING SOON
----------------------------------

July 20-26
INTO GREAT SILENCE


SIGNUP FOR THE BIJOU MOVIE GOERS EMAIL GUIDE:

To subscribe to the Bijou Movie Goers Guide, a weekly e-mail with film showtimes and theater news:

1. Send an email to BijouMovies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com;

OR

2. Go to http://www.bijoutheater.org and enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box at the top of the site.

Greetings Bijou Fans!

We hope everyone had a nice holiday... we did, and the Bijou is back tonight with the second half of the summer calendar!

Opening tonight is the incredible ZOO, playing July 6-12. We saw this film in March at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, and we knew it was a film we wanted to support by bringing it to Iowa City. Read more below, and be sure not to miss it. As the temps heat up outside, come stay cool at the Bijou!

Coming soon we've also got acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi's new film OFFSIDE (a prizewinner at the Berlin Film Festival), and another beautiful documentary -- INTO GREAT SILENCE -- that offers an unprecedented look inside he Grande Chartreuse monastery. Details
online: http://www.bijoutheater.org

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SCREENING July 6-12
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ZOO
Directed by Robinson Devor
USA, 2007, 80 min | In English

ZOO is an extraordinary glimpse into the life of a seemingly normal Seattle family man whose secret sexual appetites led to his shocking death. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Robinson Devor ("Woman Chaser," "Police Beat"), the film explores the ensuing media coverage and public outcry that uncovered a secret community of zoophiles, who call themselves "zoos." This expressionistic rendering of how apparently upstanding citizens banded together and videotaped their journey into the most taboo realms of behavior, reveals the enormous gulf between what we appear to be and who we really are. An official selection of both the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.

"Filmed with visual beauty and conceptual taste, it's an eerie glimpse into a secret world." - Boston Globe

"ZOO achieves the seemingly impossible: It tells the luridly reported tale of a Pacific Northwest businessman's fatal sexual encounter with a horse in a way that's haunting rather than shocking and tender beyond reason." - indieWIRE

SHOWTIMES
Friday: 7:00 and 9:00
Saturday: 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00
Sunday: 5:00 and 7:00
Monday-Thursday: 7:00 and 9:00

----------------------------------
COMING SOON
----------------------------------

July 13-19
OFFSIDE

July 20-26
INTO GREAT SILENCE


SIGNUP FOR THE BIJOU MOVIE GOERS EMAIL GUIDE:

To subscribe to the Bijou Movie Goers Guide, a weekly e-mail with film showtimes and theater news:

1. Send an email to BijouMovies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com;

OR

2. Go to http://www.bijoutheater.org and enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box at the top of the site.

Too much work can be murder! Take a break this week with SEVERANCE, opening tonight and playing through June 28. Fans of "The Host" -- a monster hit at the Bijou -- and British laugh-fest "Hot Fuzz" won't want to miss SEVERANCE! Billed as "The Office" meets "Deliverance," SEVERANCE is a twisted and bloody spoof on office life that perfectly balances horror and comedy.

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SCREENING June 22-28
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SEVERANCE
Directed by Christopher Smith
Germany/UK, 2007, 90 min | In English

Working nine to five is a real killer, but teambuilding holidays can sometimes be even worse. A charter bus lurches out of the hustle and bustle of Budapest and heads towards the mountainous border. Aboard are seven employees of the international weapons manufacturer Palisade Defense, global suppliers of innovative weaponry for the past 75 war-torn years. The lucky group are being treated to a team-building weekend at the company's newly built luxury spa lodge by their president, George Cinders. But things quickly go awry as the colleagues find themselves faced with the chop when their corporate weekend is sabotaged by a deadly enemy. Forget office politics, only the smartest will survive this bloody office outing.

"It's a brutal, gruesome horror film with a dose of refined British wit, a delicate combination that serves the film remarkably well." - Reel.com

View Trailer:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/severance/trailer/

SHOWTIMES

Friday: 7:00 and 9:00
Saturday: 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00
Sunday: 5:00 and 7:00
Monday-Thursday: 7:00 and 9:00

----------------------------------
COMING SOON
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June 29 - July 5
Closed for 4th of July Holiday

July 6-12
ZOO

July 13-19
OFFSIDE

July 20-26
INTO GREAT SILENCE

If you haven't seen it yet, come out in the next few night to catch the awesome, very fun doc AIR GUITAR NATION at the Bijou! See C-Diddy unleash his "Asian Fury" as he represents the US in the World Air Guitar Championships! Trailer at www.airguitarnation.com. Audience Award Winner at the SXSW Film Festival... playing at 7 and 9pm nightly through Thursday night!

AIR GUITAR NATION
Directed by Alexandra Lipsitz
USA, 2007, 81 min | In English

Chronicles the birth of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships as legions of aspiring rock stars live out their dreams on a quest to become the world champion in a strange world where musical ability plays second fiddle to virtual virtuosity. As the film un-reels, two aspiring rock legends strum and strut their way towards glory and the coveted national title. C. Diddy (David Jung), a samurai warrior clad in a "Hello Kitty" breast plate and red kimono, emerges as an early favorite. But his arch nemesis from the Lower East Side, Björn Türoque (Dan Crane), is not far behind. While C. Diddy threatens to unleash his self-professed "Asian Fury" on his competitors, Björn vows to take Diddy down.

Winner - SXSW Film Festival Audience Award

"The film is a lovingly hilarious portrait of a bizarre and endearing pastime." - Austin Chronicle

SHOWTIMES
Friday: 7:00 and 9:00
Saturday: 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00
Sunday: 5:00 and 7:00
Monday-Thursday: 7:00 and 9:00

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SCREENING THIS WEEK (May 4-10)
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CLIMATES
Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Turkey/France, 2006, 101 min
In Turkish with English subtitles

Stuck in Istanbul and longing for his lost love, a university professor, Isa, decides to leave the city and pursue his former girlfriend through wintery climes. Winner of the prestigious Fipresci Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, CLIMATES is another beautifully photographed and intimate human story from director Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Distant).

Official Selection
- Cannes Film Festival
- Toronto Int'l Film Festival
- New York Film Festival

"Subtle, substantial and sublimely beautiful... the film confirms him [Ceylan] as one of the most exciting cinematic talents to emerge in recent years." - Time Out London

"Extraordinary... One of the world's most accomplished filmmakers!" - J. Hoberman, Village Voice

SHOWTIMES
Friday, May 4: 9:15
Saturday, May 5: 2:30 and 7:00
Sunday, May 6: 5:15
Monday, May 7: 9:15
Tuesday, May 8: 7:00
Wednesday, May 9: 9:15
Thursday, May 10: 7:00


THE ANIMATION SHOW 3
Various Directors, 2007
Total runtime approx. 90 min

The Animation Show is an annual feature-length compilation of the best animated short films from around the world, exclusively curated by Mike Judge (Office Space, "Beavis and Butt-Head," "King of the Hill") and Academy Award nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt (Billy's Balloon, Rejected, The Meaning of Life). The program's short films include cell-drawn, computer generated, and stop-motion delights. See our website for the lineup. Contains adult material.

SHOWTIMES
Friday, May 4: 7:00
Saturday, May 5: 4:45 and 9:15
Sunday, May 6: 3:00 and 7:30
Monday, May 7: 7:00
Tuesday, May 8: 9:15
Wednesday, May 9: 7:00
Thursday, May 10: 9:15