2026 SPRING CINEMA SERIES
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, and additional information.
February 11: MEAN GIRLS
Mark Waters, 2004, USA, 97 min.
When home-schooled teenager Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) moves from Africa to the suburbs of Illinois, she is forced to confront the cattiness and social cliques of a public high school. Produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels and written by comedian and actress Tina Fey, Mean Girls is a snappy, female-driven satire that skewers the psychological warfare inherent in high school power dynamics. Presented in a bold color palette with sharp, quotable dialogue, the film has achieved cult status for its vibrant hyper-realized presentation of American teenage life in the early 2000s.
February 18: BUGONIA
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2025, Ireland/UK/USA, 118 min.
Two conspiracy-obsessed young men (Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company (Emma Stone), convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. Director Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite) is back with another allegorical fever dream exploring contemporary paranoia, the manosphere, climate change, and the ever-widening wealth and information gap that continues to polarize America. Nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Actress, Screenplay, and Musical Score.
February 25: SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Joachim Trier, 2025, Norway/Germany/Denmark, 133 min.
When a fading Norwegian filmmaker (Stellan Skarsgård) resurfaces to cast his estranged actress daughter Nora in a raw, autobiographical project, she is forced to confront decades of inherited family trauma. Despite rejecting the offer, the subsequent casting of an American actress (Elle Fanning) only complicates the family dynamic and the blurry line between artistic truth and personal exploitation. Gorgeously photographed and exquisitely acted, the film also serves as a powerful meditation on home, memory, and the reconciliatory power of art. Winner of the Grand Prize for Best Film at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Nominated for nine Oscars including Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, and Film Editing.
March 4: HAMNET
Chloé Zhao, 2025, UK/USA, 125 min.
The fierce and intuitive Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley), wife of rising playwright William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), must hold the family together in spite of a devastating tragedy in 1580s Warwickshire. Director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) beautifully adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s critically-acclaimed bestselling novel into a heart-wrenching meditation on the visceral nature of maternal grief and the transformative power of art. Winner of the Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Actress. Nominated for eight Oscars including Best Film, Director, Actress, Screenplay, Production Design, and Score.
March 11: A NICE INDIAN BOY
Roshan Sethi, 2025, USA, 96 min.
When Naveen (Karan Soni), a shy and introverted doctor falls for Jay (Jonathan Groff), an orphaned photographer who grew up in an Indian family, he must navigate a “meet the parents” scenario that challenges his family’s expectations and his own perceptions of cultural identity. Director Roshan Sethi blends the vibrant, saturated colors of Bollywood cinema with the crisp, modern look of an American indie romcom, while at the same time subverting the genre’s classic tropes into a clever and heartwarming exploration of queer joy and immigrant family dynamics. Director Roshan Sethi and actor Karan Soni will participate in an onstage conversation at 6pm and answer questions following the 7pm screening.
March 25: EASY RIDER
Dennis Hopper, 1969, USA, 95 min.
As the US reaches its semiquincentennial year, we look back at one of the great cinematic investigations of the America ideal: Easy Rider. Dennis Hopper’s seminal exploration of late 60s counterculture follows tripped out biker buddies Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) as they travel across America in search of Mardi Gras and American Dream. Masterfully examining the tension between individual freedom and stifling conformity in a fractured society, the film revolutionized cinema with its raw, documentary-style cinematography, innovative rock soundtrack, and standout performances, most notably from Jack Nicholson who rocketed into stardom. The film earned Oscar nominations for Nicholson and its screenplay in addition to winning Best First Film at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.
April 1: BLADE RUNNER
Ridley Scott, 1982, USA/UK, 117 min.
In a rain-soaked, neon-lit future Los Angeles, Deckard (Harrison Ford), a specialized cop known as a blade runner, is tasked with hunting down a group of bioengineered humanoids who have returned to Earth to find their creator. A neo-noir sci-fi masterwork, the film is a profound philosophical inquiry into the ethics of artificial life, questioning whether memories and emotions are enough to define a soul. Adapted from Philip K. Dick’s acclaimed novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film earned Oscar nominations for its groundbreaking art direction and visual effects.
April 8: UNDER THE LIGHTS
Miles Levin, 2025, USA, 108 min.
High school student Sam (Pearce Joza) reaches a crossroads when his epilepsy diagnosis interferes with the independence he so desperately desires. SRJC alumnus Miles Levin skillfully directs this coming-of-age tale about social stigma and the delicate balance between a caregiver’s protection and an individual’s autonomy. Featuring indie film heavyweights Nick Offerman, Mark Duplass, and Lake Bell, the film serves as a powerful call for understanding the widespread impacts of epilepsy on young people. Director Miles Levin will participate in an onstage conversation at 6pm and answer questions following the 7pm screening.
April 15: SIRĀT
Oliver Laxe, 2025, Spain/France, 115 min.
With the world on the brink of a global conflict, a desperate father and his young son traverse the Moroccan desert with a caravan of nomadic ravers in search of his daughter who vanished months ago. Defying genre and examining the evanescent line between destruction and renewal, director Oliver Laxe offers up a harrowing, techno-fueled spiritual parable that takes us on a sensorial pilgrimage at once transfixing and transcendent. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Nominated for Best International Film and Best Sound at 2026 Academy Awards.
April 22: THE DATING GAME
Violet Du Feng, 2025, USA/China, 92 min.
In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love. Violet Du Feng’s acclaimed documentary is a poignant tragicomedy, exploring themes of male loneliness, the crushing weight of socioeconomic class, and the struggle for authenticity in a digital age where women are increasingly turning to AI boyfriends for connection. Official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Director Violet Du Feng will answer questions in a virtual Q & A following the 7pm screening.
April 29: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN - A Stop/Start Deconstruction
Alfred Hitchcock, 1951, USA, 101 min.
A famous tennis star (Farley Granger) finds himself trapped in a nightmare of murderous intrigue after a chance encounter with a charming stranger on a train (Robert Walker). Featuring a noir aesthetic with gorgeous Oscar-nominated cinematography and kinetic editing, this thrilling psychological melodrama is Hitchcock at his very best. Join acclaimed documentarian and film scholar Alexandre Philippe as he takes us on a deep dive into the 1951 classic with a stop/start deconstruction of the film. This special program begins at 6pm. Guests are encouraged to watch Strangers on a Train in advance of the program as the screening will be repeatedly interrupted with commentary and discussion.
May 6: DAZED AND CONFUSED
Richard Linklater, 1993, USA, 103 min.
Set in the bicentennial year of 1976, Dazed and Confused captures the hopes, dreams, and raucous parties of a sprawling group of Texas high schoolers on the last day of the academic year. With style, humor, and a rock solid soundtrack, director Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Waking Life) mixes youthful rebellion with nostalgic melancholy to lay bare the universal teenage experience of transitioning into adulthood. The film launched the careers of a number of indie icons, including Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Jason London, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey, and Rory Cochrane, among others.