2022 FALL CINEMA SERIES
Most films screen Wednesday nights at 7pm in the Carole L. Ellis Auditorium on the SRJC Petaluma Campus. Guests are invited to attend an optional pre-show program at 6pm. Click here for pricing, directions, COVID protocols, and additional information.
September 7: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2022, USA
The Cinema Series opens with Everything Everywhere All at Once, a hyper-innovative thrill-ride that has become one of the surprise hits of the year. When an aging Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) is swept up in an insane adventure due to a rupture in the multi-verse, she alone can save the world by inhabiting the alternate lives she could have led. The Daniels (Swiss Army Man) deliver another visionary absurdist comedy full of technical prowess, martial arts and, most importantly, heart. 139 minutes. The film begins at 6:30pm.
September 14: DUNE
Denis Villeneuve, 2021, USA
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) adapts Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel about a noble family embroiled in a war to control the galaxy’s spice trade. At the center of the struggle is Paul (Timothée Chalamet), the heir to the family dynasty who, troubled by dark visions, must face the realization that he was born into a destiny beyond his understanding. Epic in scope with extraordinary visual and aural design, the film earned 6 Oscars this year for cinematography, sound, editing, production design, visual effects, and music. 155 minutes. The film begins at 6:30pm.
September 21: PETITE MAMAN
Céline Sciamma, 2021, France
When 8-year-old Nelly accompanies her parents to her mother’s childhood home following her grandmother’s death, she is immediately drawn to a neighbor girl she discovers in the woods. What follows is a surreal and mesmerizing tale of childhood whimsy, memory, and loss. Beautifully designed and tenderly acted, Petite Maman cements Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) as one of Europe’s most innovative storytellers. 73 minutes.
September 28: SAFETY LAST
Fred Newmeyer & Sam Taylor, 1923, USA
When Harold (played by the iconic Harold Lloyd) moves to the big city in pursuit of the American Dream, his scheme for success goes awry and threatens to derail his future. Known as the King of Daredevil Comedy, Lloyd delivers an astounding array of physical stunts culminating in his iconic climb up a clock tower over the streets of downtown LA. Widely acknowledged as one of the great silent comedies in the history of cinema, the film will be presented with live musical accompaniment by Frederick Hodges. 74 minutes. The pre-show will feature additional comedy shorts at 6pm.
October 5: MONOS
Alejandro Landes, 2019, Colombia
October 12: A PLACE IN THE SUN
George Stevens, 1951, USA
When George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) becomes enchanted with a young socialite (Elizabeth Taylor), he is confronted with a harrowing decision that will either grant him a perfect life in a new social sphere, or shatter everything he’s built for himself. Inspired by a true story and fusing characteristics from multiple film genres from romance to noir, A Place in the Sun is one of the most heralded dramas of the studio era. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, the film picked up six wins including ones for director George Stevens and William Mellor’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. 122 minutes.
October 19: I, TONYA
Craig Gillespie, 2017, USA
Director Craig Gillespie takes a darkly comedic approach as he tackles one of the most notorious and sensational scandals in sports history: the ill-conceived and poorly executed attack on Olympic ice skater Nancy Kerrigan. Told through multiple perspectives over a span of twenty years and accompanied by an expertly constructed soundtrack, I, Tonya offers humor, insight, and a great deal of empathy toward Tonya Harding, a working-class sports hero that everyone loves to hate. The film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actress for Margot Robbie and Best Supporting Actress for Allison Janney (who won as Harding’s mother). 119 minutes.
October 26: LAMB
Valdimar Jóhannsson, 2021, Iceland
In this dark and atmospheric folktale, a childless couple discover a mysterious newborn lamb on their Icelandic farm. When they defy the natural order and raise it as their own, the consequences may be too much to bear. Fiercely original, beautifully photographed, and featuring an eerie and uneasy quiet, Lamb transcends into a thought-provoking allegory on human-animal relations. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize of Originality at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. 106 minutes.
November 2: BAY AREA ENVIRONMENTAL SHORTS SHOWCASE
Various Filmmakers, 2020-2022, USA
In an effort to promote better stewardship of our own backyard and acknowledge the impacts of climate change and urban growth, we’ve curated an impressive collection of documentary shorts focused on keeping our local plant, animal, insect, and sea life in balance. Come listen to Bay Area documentarians discuss the inspiration behind their films and the extraordinary efforts activists are engaged in to preserve a healthy North Bay ecosystem. Inspired by and coordinated with the upcoming book release, Wild Sonoma, by Charles Hood. A conversation with the filmmakers on cinema and social activism will take place at 6pm. A Q & A will also follow the program. Photo from Nick Stone Schearer’s don’t feed the coyotes. The program will include:
DICK OGG: FISHERMAN (Cynthia Abbott, 9m)
A fisherman embraces the creation of a Marine Protected Area in Bodega Bay.
DON’T FEED THE COYOTES (Nick Stone Schearer, 35m)
San Franciscans struggle to protect its urban coyote population.
GOOD FIRE (Erica Tom, 5m)
The North Fork Mono Tribe advocates using fire for better forest management.
TULE ELK: THE KILLING OF NATIVE SPECIES (Filipe Deandrade, 8m)
Conservationists challenge land usage and farming practices in Point Reyes National Seashore.
FOR THE BEES (Chloë Fitzmaurice, 16m)
A Yemeni immigrant relocates to Oakland to pursue beekeeping and a better life.
PLANT HEIST (Chelsi & Gabriel de Cuba, 18m)
A game warden attempts to stop an international poaching ring from stealing a valuable Sonoma coast succulent.
November 9: WOMEN IS LOSERS
Lissette Feliciano, 2021, USA
In 1960s San Francisco, Celina Guerrera (Lorenza Izzo), a once-promising Catholic school girl, sets out to rise above the oppression of poverty and invest in a future for herself that sets new precedents for the time. Inspired by real women (and the Janis Joplin song of the same title), Women is Losers anchors its feminist themes with a cheeky direct address narration, establishing filmmaker Lissette Feliciano as one of the most original voices on the American independent film scene. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival. 84 minutes. Writer/director Lissette Feliciano will participate in an onstage interview at 6pm and answer questions following the 7pm screening.
November 16: THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, 2020, Italy
This delightful documentary follows a handful of men and their trusty canine companions as they scour the forests of Piedmont, Italy in search of the rare and illusive white Alba truffle, one of the most expensive and highly sought after mushrooms on Earth. Exquisitely photographed and endlessly entertaining, the film functions as both a heartwarming character study and a treatise on capitalist exploitation. The film was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography by the American Society of Cinematographers and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary by the Director’s Guild of America. 84 minutes.
November 30: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Steven Spielberg, 1982, USA
Our fall season closes with Steven Spielberg’s cinematic fairy tale about a young boy who befriends a stranded alien and attempts to help it find its way home. Filled with laughter, heart, thrills, and wonder, E.T. remains one of the great films of the modern era. Nominated for nine Oscars, the film picked up four wins, including one for John Williams’ iconic score. The film stars Henry Thomas as Elliott, Peter Coyote as the government agent Keys, and 6-year-old Drew Barrymore as Elliott’s younger sister. 115 minutes.