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NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Museum of the Moving Image

Tom Gunning is celebrated in a weekend-long series featuring M on 35mm, Hal Hartley’s Flirt, and an avant-garde program; films by Buster Keaton and Renny Harlin play in See It Big: Stunts!

Nitehawk Cinema

A print of Josef von Sternberg’s The Devil is a Woman screens early on Saturday and Sunday.

Film at Lincoln Center

Films by Charles Burnett, Ousmane Sembène, and more screen in L.A. Rebellion.

Museum of Modern Art

Films by Howard Hawks, Leo McCarey, and Dorothy Arzner play in The Lady at 100.

Film Forum

A new 35mm print of 8½ begins playing, while Mort Rifkin favorite A Man and a Woman continues in a new restoration.

Bam

A retrospective of Sudanese cinema begins.

Roxy Cinema

The French Connection and City Dudes screen this Saturday; The Little Rascals plays for free on Sunday,...

The 2025 Berlin Film Festival jury, led by Todd Haynes, fell hard for their eventual Golden Bear winner “Dreams (Sex Love),” the third entry in a trilogy from Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud. Now, Strand Releasing has announced the acquisition of the film, about the fallout of a young woman’s (Ella Øverbye) crush on her female French teacher (Selome Emnetu), for North American release. Strand will also release the prior films in Haugerud’s Oslo Trilogy, “Sex” and “Love,” this summer as well. Watch the trailer for “Love” below.

Here’s the official synopsis of Berlin winner “Dreams,” as a refresh: “In ‘Dreams,’ Johanne falls in love for the first time, with her teacher. To preserve her feelings, she documents her emotions and experiences in writing. When her mother and grandmother read what she has written, they are initially shocked by its intimate content but soon see that it has literary potential.

When film historians speak of the first screenings of Louis Lumière’s “The Arrival of a Train,” they describe the Paris audience flinching in their seats to avoid being struck by the image of a locomotive rushing toward them on screen. The story is almost certainly apocryphal, but it makes me wonder how those who attended the 1971 premiere of James Bidgood’s iconic queer classic “Pink Narcissus” must have reacted to its, er, climactic moment.

A gauzy, softcore reimagining of Disney’s “Fantasia,” with well-endowed (live-action) hustlers in place of dancing cartoon hippos, “Pink Narcissus” unspools like some kind of erotic visual concerto. Ogling his rough-trade star Bobby Kendall, as the muscular young man admires his own ephemeral beauty reflected in countless mirrors, Bidgood stacks one super-saturated sexual fantasy upon another until such point that the film can’t contain itself any longer, erupting directly into the camera — and by extension,...

The annual To Save and Project festival has unveiled its 2025 lineup. Presented by the Museum of Modern Art and Chanel, the 21st annual event is the definitive international festival of film preservation. The latest edition is dedicated to celebrating newly preserved and restored films from archives, studios, distributors, foundations, and independent filmmakers from around the world.

The 2025 To Save and Project: The 21st MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation will take place from January 9 to January 30, and include more than 25 feature films and shorts programs in newly preserved or restored versions.

Frank Borzage’s “7th Heaven” (1927) will open the festival, as presented in a new upgrade from MoMA’s previous restoration. Charlie Chaplin’s 1918 World War I comedy “Shoulder Arms” will close the festival with a reconstruction of the seldom-seen original version presented as a work-in-progress.

Highlights also range from Yevgeny Chervyakov’s long-lost Soviet film “My Son (Moy Syn...

With a title that translates as Neighbourhood of Ill Repute, and featuring a bisexual love triangle, the 1971 film wowed festivals – before disappearing without trace. Now it’s been rediscovered – by accident

Nobody used the phrase “having a moment” back in 1971. Had they done, it could have been applied without contradiction to developments in queer cinema. It was four years after the Sexual Offences Act 1967 had partially decriminalised sex between consenting men over 21 in England and Wales, and two years after the Stonewall uprising in New York City. Queer desire was everywhere: in Sunday Bloody Sunday, Death in Venice, Pink Narcissus, the trans classic Women in Revolt, the lesbian horror Daughters of Darkness, the gay porn landmark Boys in the Sand and Rosa von Praunheim’s droll and provocative It Is Not the Homosexual Who is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives. Fassbinder, who could cough out movies in his sleep,...

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Paris Theater

An all-35mm Jane Campion retrospective is underway, with the director present for The Piano on Sunday.

Metrograph

Films by Varda, Chris Marker, Demy, and Resnais play in a new series on Left Bank cinema; “Metrograph A to Z” returns with Polanski’s Bitter Moon; Heavy Metal, Fantastic Planet, and Perfect Blue screen late.

Museum of Modern Art

A Peter Bogdanovich retrospective has begun, as has a look at the films of Larry Clark.

Roxy Cinema

Prints of Black Orpheus and Pink Narcissus play this weekend.

Film Forum

A new restoration of Joseph Losey’s The Servant begins playing, while Donkey Skin screens on Sunday.

Museum of the Moving Image

As First Look commences the Museum offers “Second Look,” a retrospective of past festivals that includes a print of Chantal Akerman’s Almayer’s Folly and Loznitsa’s Donbass.

James Bidgood, the initially anonymous director of underground classic Pink Narcissus, died January 31 at the age of 88, and his estate’s executor, Kelly McKaig, is organizing a fundraiser to go towards both a memorial service as well as the collection and preservation of his various work. From the GoFundMe page: As an artist, Jim’s dreamy, candy-colored world of beautiful boys—so far from the hard-muscled, butch fantasies of Tom of Finland—was a revelation. While much of his work, like his landmark film Pink Narcissus, was created over 50 years ago, Jim remains an inspiration. Jim’s influence can be seen in […]

The post Fundraiser: Restoring the Work of Pink Narcissus Director James Bidgood first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

James Bidgood, the initially anonymous director of underground classic Pink Narcissus, died January 31 at the age of 88, and his estate’s executor, Kelly McKaig, is organizing a fundraiser to go towards both a memorial service as well as the collection and preservation of his various work. From the GoFundMe page: As an artist, Jim’s dreamy, candy-colored world of beautiful boys—so far from the hard-muscled, butch fantasies of Tom of Finland—was a revelation. While much of his work, like his landmark film Pink Narcissus, was created over 50 years ago, Jim remains an inspiration. Jim’s influence can be seen in […]

The post Fundraiser: Restoring the Work of Pink Narcissus Director James Bidgood first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Monica Vitti in Red Desert (1964). (Courtesy of Janus Films)One of the most captivating presences in Italian cinema, actress Monica Vitti has died at age 90. She started as a stage and television actor before becoming known for her roles in Michelangelo Antonioni's L'avventura (1960), La notte (1960), L'eclisse (1962) and Red Desert (1964). After the end of her professional and romantic relationship with Antonioni (the two would return for The Mystery of Oberwald in 1980), Vitti turned to lighter fare by international directors, including a small part in Luis Buñuel's surrealist comedy The Phantom of Liberty (1974). In the official announcement of Vitti's death, Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini wrote, “Goodbye to the queen of Italian cinema.”The groundbreaking artist James Bidgood, whose artistic output spanned from photography and music to films like Pink Narcissus (1971), has also died.

The 14th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (Csl) — will take place from April 16-25. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Csl will offer all programs virtually, protecting the health of patrons. Programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates. Recorded introductions and Q&As will be available for most film programs. For the full schedule of screenings, including trailers and descriptions of the films, visit the festival website at www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest.

One of the eclectic array of 24 films that are part of this year’s QFest St. Louis is the 1971 film Pink Narcissus, an experimental and artistic ‘erotic poem’ set in the fantasies of a young male prostitute.

This year’s Q Classic, Pink Narcissus — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary — is a breathtaking and outrageous erotic poem focusing on the daydreams of a beautiful boy prostitute who, from the seclusion of his ultra-kitsch apartment,...

The 14th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (Csl) — will take place from April 16-25. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Csl will offer all programs virtually, protecting the health of patrons. Programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates. Recorded introductions and Q&As will be available for most film programs.

The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic array of 24 films. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture.

The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premiere of new works by internationally acclaimed filmmakers Agnieszka Holland (“Charlatan”) and François Ozon (“Summer of 85”). Another QFest highlight is this year’s Q Classic, the 50th anniversary of the trippy,...

Despite the proliferation of streaming services, it’s becoming increasingly clear that any cinephile only needs subscriptions to a few to survive. Among the top of our list are The Criterion Channel and Mubi and now they’ve each unveiled their stellar April line-ups.

Over at The Criterion Channel, highlights include spotlights on Ennio Morricone, the Marx Brothers, Isabel Sandoval, and Ramin Bahrani, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Frank Borzage’s Moonrise, the brand-new restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Smooth Talk, and one of last year’s best films, David Osit’s Mayor.

At Mubi (where we’re offering a 30-day trial), they’ll have the exclusive streaming premiere of two of the finest festival films from last year’s circuit, Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema, plus Philippe Garrel’s latest The Salt of Tears, along with films from Terry Gilliam, George A. Romero,...

Founder and managing director of the UK’s Peccadillo Pictures awarded last night.

Tom Abell, founder and managing director of the UK’s Peccadillo Pictures, was presented last night (April 11) with the inaugural Iris Fellowship, honouring those who have made a significant contribution to the Lgbt+ film industry.

The award is an extension of the Iris Prize, which awards £30,000 annually to the best short film shown at Cardiff’s Lgbt+ Iris Prize Film Festival, with entries selected by multiple international partner festivals, and £20,000 to the best British short. The prizes are supported annually by a £50,000 donation by the Michael Bishop Foundation.

What critic B. Ruby Rich dubbed the “New Queer Cinema” encountered little but praise (plus some attention-getting damnation from political conservatives) with such early ’90s titles as “Swoon,” “My Own Private Idaho,” “The Living End,” “Paris Is Burning,” and so forth. But by mid-decade the vogue had run long enough that even gay audiences felt less inclined to embrace every creative effort, giving a relatively cold shoulder to Steve McLean’s “Postcards From America” (1994) and Todd Verow’s “Frisk.” Both were adapted from edgy gay lit figures — the former from autobiographical writings by David Wojnarowicz (who’d died of AIDS), the latter from a typically violent, queasy novel by Dennis Cooper.

These films look better now than most critics or viewers allowed then. The revulsion “Frisk” was greeted with (at a time when gay films were expected to provide some measure of reassuring uplift) only emboldened Verow as a since-highly-prolific director of microbudget features,...

“Todd Haynes‘ filmography is often overwhelming in its intellectual acumen and emotional devastation,” we noted upon the release of his latest film this past fall. “This is true of Carol, which is at once a return to the deconstruction of femininity, social mores, and mild anarchy of privilege, as well as an honest and heartbreaking story about falling in love and the trepidation therein.” Over 100 film experts, ranging from critics to writers to programmers, agree on the emotional power of the drama, as they’ve voted it the best Lgbt film of all-time.

Conducted by BFI ahead of the 30th BFI Flare: London Lgbt Film Festival, they note this is the “first major critical survey of Lgbt films.” Speaking about leading the poll, Haynes said, “I’m so proud to have Carol voted as the top Lgbt film of all time in this poll launched for the Fest’s 30th edition.

In the Best Shot series we challenge participants to watch a pre-selected movie and choose what they think is the best shot... according to their own fluctuating rules about what "best" means. Next week we return to widely seen classics with The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) -- will you join us? --  but this week I wanted to challenge everyone with an influential avant-garde gay indie known as Pink Narcissus (1971). 

original newspaper ad... cinema village still shows hard to see movies. "Margaret" played there recently

You can see modern echos or just plain stealing from Pink Narcissus in everything from Michel Gondry music videos to Pierre et Gilles celebrity portraiture. I like to imagine that it's a movie the young Todd Haynes watched non-stop before making Superstar, his Karen Carpenter biopic with Barbie dolls. Truly creative artists, don't need a big budget. They just need the will to make art. Even if...

For this edition of Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Tfe's signature series in which everyone playing along must choose one shot from a selected movie that they define as best, we're looking at Sam Mendes Oscar-winning Road to Perdition (2002) on the eve of its 10th anniversary. 

The film's sole Oscar win was a posthumous statue for the great cinematographer Conrad L Hall. He died in early January of 2003, just a few weeks before his tenth Oscar nomination was announced. Hall didn't have anything to prove this late in his career but Mendes sure did, given that it was his follow up to his Oscar winning debut American Beauty (1999). This crime drama is filled with frameable frames. It's majestic looking really, veritably dripping with prestige for better and worse, usually on account of both the lighting (one shudders to think how long Hall spent on each set up) and the intricate staging and compositions.

I'm debating whether Hit Me With Your Best Shot will get a season 4 but it depends on how the rest of the summer goes. If you've always wanted to join in, please do. The more the merrier... the more the essential actually as it's meant to be a film club conversation with all eyes on one movie, making a case for the movie's single best shot.

Wednesday July 11th

Road To Perdition (2002)

*10th Anniversary*

Sam Mendes' stately and self-conciously "best shoty" gangster drama, adapted from a graphic novel, won Paul Newman his last Oscar nomination, introduced many moviegoers to both Daniel Craig (now very James Bond) and Tyler Hoechlin (now very grown up on Teen Wolf) and won the Oscar for Best Cinematography. How has it aged? 117 minutes.

Netflix |  Blockbuster | LoveFilm  

Wednesday July 18th

Pink Narcissus (1971)

Black Narcissus was one of my top three favorite episodes of this series,...

The halfway mark. Gulp. What do we have to show for it? Perhaps a renewed sense of purpose? We're crawling our way back after a very difficult May/early June. Here were ten highlights from the month that was.

Frock of Ages Joanna & I had a laugh -- make that several-- discussing recent premiere fashions

How Long Since You've Seen The Matrix? A look back at the beloved 1999 reality bender. "There is no spoon."

Seven Ways... that Waiting For the New James Bond Movie (Skyfall) is Exactly Like Waiting for the New Woody Allen Movie  (To Rome With Love)

True Blood Sinks / Teen Wolf Rises time to pass the (supernatural) torch 

On Screen Beauty and Jean Harlow who died young 

Oscar Prediction Updates it had to be done.

Isabelle Adjani and The Story of Adele H "Best Shot" returned with a rarely discussed but interesting historic Oscar bid. "Best Shot" needs fresh blood.

 

"Hit Me With Your Best Shot" returns from its month-long hiatus in two weeks. Will you join us? I'll try to catch up soon with Possessed (1947) which had terrible timing given my father's passing. Other than a short upcoming moment with Joan Crawford, what's next?

 Wednesday June 27th - The Story Of Adele H. (1975)

For Isabelle Adjani's birthday (and considering that Victor Hugo madness will be heading our way at Christmas time) we'll look back at François Truffaut's Oscar nominated tale of obsessive love. Trivia: Adjani held the "youngest Best Actress nominee" record for three decades until a certain Whale Rider teared up.

*Thursday* July 5th -Picnic (1955)

Technically this is a Labor Day movie as opposed to 4th of July but the point is who wants to sit at home blogging on Independence Day? I've never seen this - hence the choice - but I hear it's...

In recent years France has been among the front-runners in pushing the boundaries of modern horror. With such offerings as Frontier(s), Inside and High Tension, French filmmakers have been making us seriously squirm. It is with this reminder of the quality of their filmmaking that we at Dread Central bring you an announcement of the film list from the 17th Annual L'Etrange Festival, France's biggest horror film festival.

With over 70 films being screened and more than 17,000 attendees expected to descend on Paris, Le'Etrange Festival

Below we have the Complete listing of the festival's events:

From the Press Release

L’Étrange Festival – a unique event bringing filmgoers a fascinating roster of provocative and eye-opening films – is thrilled to announce the line-up for its 17th edition, September 2 – 11, 2011 in Paris, France.

The 2011 line-up continues the tradition of highlighting emerging talent, paying homage to independent-minded filmmakers and featuring a truly diverse program that includes cutting-edge works,...

John Lithgow is playing Barney’s dad on How I Met Your Mother, and even though he knew nothing about the show, the role appealed to him because of Neil Patrick Harris, and some family ties. “"I didn't know what the deal was at all. You're talking to someone who's clueless about most things in life and one of those things was How I Met Your Mother. But they sent me all these episodes and I loved it. Then I found out from my son and his wife that it was their favorite show, period. It was their appointment TV. And I do know Neil. I'm a huge fan of his. He's such a talented guy."

The 2011 Capitol Queer Prom was held over the weekend, and couples of all ages celebrated the ritual that so many take for granted.

Take a moment and read this guest post from Carl Siciliano...

Subtitled ‘Birds of Paradise’, the third Fashion in Film Festival will take place in three London venues on 1st – 12th December. There is plenty to see and digest too, including a wealth of rare UK screenings for films such as Red Heels (Dir. Michael Curtiz, 1925) and Ziegfeld Girl (Robert Z. Leonard, 1941).

The festival investigates costume in European and American film as cinematic spectacle. Specifically an analysis of theme, form, texture and colour – those movies that foreground costume as an enrichment of the viewing experience.

Unashamedly analytical, there are obscure screenings, some experimental, some features; from the silent era (Orientalist) to the 1970s (conspicuous display) and incorporating the influence of Hollywood throughout the 1940’s (exotica).

Films such as Pink Narcissus (James Bidgood, 1971), Moulin Rouge (1928, E.A. Dupont), Cobra Woman (Robert Siodmak, 1944), Lupe (José Rodríguez-Soltero, 1964) and the aforementioned Ziegfeld Girl starring Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Hedy Lamarr form the bedrock of the festival’s attraction,...