Check out the latest exclusive engagements and premieres, including the best in new indies, foreign films, documentaries and restored classics, by downloading a PDF of Landmark’s San Francisco Film Calendar, with all-new programming from May 11 through August 9!

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Every year, thousands of aspiring dancers enter one of the world's most prestigious ballet competitions, the Youth America Grand Prix, where lifelong dreams are at stake. In the final round, with hundreds competing for only a handful of elite scholarships and contracts, practice and discipline are paramount, and nothing short of perfection is expected. Bess Kargman's award-winning documentary and feature film debut, First Position, follows six young dancers as they prepare for a chance to enter the world of professional ballet, struggling through bloodied feet, near exhaustion and debilitating injuries, all while navigating the drama of adolescence. A showcase of awe-inspiring talent, tenacity and passion, First Position paints a thrilling and moving portrait of the most gifted young ballet stars of tomorrow. Official Web Site Allan Ulrich's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Bridge Theatre

Frank (Joel Murray) has had enough of the downward spiral of American culture, which he sees as overrun with cruelty, stupidity and intolerance. Divorced, recently fired, and possibly terminally ill, Frank truly has nothing left to live for. But instead of taking his own life, he buys a gun and decides to take out his frustration on the cruelest, stupidest, most intolerant people he can imagine—starting with some particularly odious reality television stars. Frank finds an unusual accomplice in a high-school student named Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), who shares his sense of rage and disenfranchisement, and together they embark on a nation-wide assault on our country's dumbest, most irritating celebrities. Written and directed by taboo-busting filmmaker and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait (Shakes the Clown, Sleeping Dogs Lie, World's Greatest Dad), God Bless America is a truly dark and very funny comedy for anyone who's had enough of the dumbing down of our society. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema
Must End Thursday, May 17!

Writer/director Jessica Yu's documentary Last Call at the Oasis presents a powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century. Illuminating the vital role water plays in our lives, exposing the defects in the current system and depicting communities already struggling with its ill-effects, the film features activist Erin Brockovich-Ellis and such distinguished experts as Peter Gleick, Alex Prud'homme, Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon. Official Web Site Director Jessica Yu films indelible images of a water crisis Amy Biancolli's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

In Lawrence Kasdan's (The Big Chill, Body Heat) drama Darling Companion, Beth (Diane Keaton) saves a bedraggled lost dog from the side of the freeway on a wintry day in Denver. Struggling with her distracted, self-involved husband Joseph (Kevin Kline) and an empty nest at home, Beth forms a special bond with the rescued animal. When Joseph loses the dog after a wedding at their vacation home in the Rockies, the distraught Beth enlists the help of the few remaining guests and a mysterious young woman (Ayelet Zurer) in a frantic search. Each member of the search party is affected by the adventure, which takes them in unexpected directions—comic, harrowing, sometimes deeply emotional and ultimately towards love. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, May 17!

Winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, The Artist is set in 1927 Hollywood. Silent movie matinee idol George Valentin (Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin, the charismatic star of OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies) is enjoying the good life, although he seems fonder of his faithful dog than of his trophy wife (Penelope Ann Miller). He meets funny, sexy young extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), a dancer set for a big break, and sparks fly. With the advent of the talkies George's career nosedives, while Peppy's takes off. The Artist is the charming and poignant story of their interlinked destinies—a delightful valentine to the love of cinema, with a tip of the hat to Singin' in the Rain and A Star Is Born. Academy Award-winning director Michel Hazanavicius daringly shot the film completely in the style of a silent feature, in black and white and without sound (with a few striking exceptions), filmed on location in Hollywood, set to a wonderful original score by Academy Award winner Ludovic Bource. Co-starring John Goodman, Malcolm McDowell, and James Cromwell. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Clay Theatre

Headhunters is an intense action thriller, as well as a provocative investigation into questions of betrayal, revenge and deadly ambition. The talented Aksel Hennie (Max Manus) stars as Roger, a charming scoundrel and Norway's most accomplished corporate headhunter. Roger is living a life of luxury well beyond his means, and has begun stealing art to subsidize his expensive lifestyle. At a gallery opening, his wife introduces him to Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, "Game of Thrones"). Not only is he a perfect candidate for the CEO position Roger is currently recruiting for, he is also in possession of a very valuable painting. Roger sees his chance to become financially independent, and starts planning his biggest hit ever, risking it all to get his hands on the painting. When Roger breaks into Greve's house, he finds something that changes his life completely, and soon forces him to run for his life. The headhunt has begun! Based on the bestselling book by author Jo Nesbø. Official Web Site Walter Addiego's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre
Must End Thursday, May 17!

In the mystery drama Sound of My Voice, a couple of young documentary filmmakers infiltrate a mysterious group led by an enigmatic young woman named Maggie (co-writer Brit Marling, Another Earth). Intent on exposing her as a charlatan and freeing the followers from her grip, Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius) start to question their objective and each other as they unravel the secrets of Maggie's underworld. Sound of My Voice is the directorial debut of co-writer Zal Batmanglij. Official Web Site Filmmaker Zal Batmanglij on infiltrating the fringes in his film

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Director Kevin Macdonald's (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) documentary Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. Marley is the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive. Official Web Site

Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre

In Montreal, an elementary school teacher dies abruptly. Having learned of the incident in the newspaper, Bachir Lazhar (Fellag), a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, goes to the school to offer his services as a substitute teacher. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself in an establishment in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. While the class goes through the healing process, and Bachir learns to better know this group of shaken but endearing kids, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful past; nor do they suspect that he is at risk of being deported at any moment. Adapted from "Bachir Lazhar," a play by Evelyne de la Chenelière, Monsieur Lazhar depicts the encounter between two distant worlds and the power of self-expression. Using great sensitivity and humor, writer/director Philippe Falardeau follows a humble man who is ready to transcend his own loss in order to accompany children beyond the silence and taboo of death. An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Official Web Site Filmmaker Philippe Falardeau on finding the "right" story for his film Walter Addiego's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a quiet yet enthralling documentary that chronicles the life of Jiro Ono, the most famous sushi chef in Tokyo. For most of his 85 years, Jiro has been perfecting the art of making sushi. He works from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. Although his restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro only seats ten diners, it is a phenomenon in Tokyo that has won the prestigious 3-Star Michelin review, making him the oldest Michelin chef alive. Jiro Dreams of Sushi chronicles Jiro's life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and as a loving yet complicated father of two. Jiro Dreams of Sushi explores the passion required to run and maintain a legendary sushi restaurant, and one son's journey to eventually take his father's place at the head of the culinary dynasty. Official Web Site Walter Addiego's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema

Footnote is the tale of a great rivalry between a father and son. Eliezer and Uriel Shkolnik are both eccentric professors, who have dedicated their lives to their work in Talmudic Studies. The father, Eliezer, is a stubborn purist who fears the establishment and has never been recognized for his work. Meanwhile his son, Uriel, is an up-and-coming star in the field, who appears to feed on accolades, endlessly seeking recognition. Then one day, the tables turn. When Eliezer learns that he is to be awarded the Israel Prize, the most valuable honor for scholarship in the country, his vanity and desperate need for validation are exposed. His son, Uriel, is thrilled to see his father's achievements finally recognized but, in a darkly funny twist, is forced to choose between the advancement of his own career and his father's. Will he sabotage his father's glory? A story of insane academic competition and the dichotomy between admiration and envy for a role model, Footnote is written and directed by Joseph Cedar (Time of Favor). An Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Official Web Site Amy Biancolli's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Lumiere Theatre
Must End Thursday, May 17!

The Lady, directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, The Professional), is the extraordinary story of human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Yeoh) and her husband, Michael Aris (David Thewlis). It is also the epic story of the peaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma's democracy movement. Despite distance, long separations, and a dangerously hostile regime, their love endures until the very end. A story of devotion and human understanding set against a backdrop of political turmoil that continues today, The Lady was written over a period of three years by Rebecca Frayn. Interviews with key figures in Aung San Suu Kyi's entourage enabled her to reconstruct for the first time the true story of Burma's national heroine. Official Web Site Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, May 17!

Writer/director Terence Davies (The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth), master chronicler of post-War England, returns with a timeless romantic drama starring Rachel Weisz as a woman whose overpowering love threatens her well-being and alienates the men in her life. In a deeply vulnerable performance, Weisz plays Hester Collyer, the wife of an upper-class judge (Simon Russell Beale) and a free spirit trapped in a passionless marriage. Her encounter with Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a troubled former Royal Air Force pilot, throws her life in turmoil, as their erotic relationship leaves her emotionally stranded and physically isolated. Based on Terence Rattigan's play of the same name, The Deep Blue Sea is an uncompromising study of the fear of loneliness and the frustratingly unreliable nature of love. Official Web Site Filmmaker Terence Davies on the most powerful of human emotions Mick LaSalle's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, May 17!

The inspirational romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen stars Ewan McGregor as Dr. Alfred Jones, a fisheries scientist who one day receives an unusual request. A businesswoman named Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt, The Adjustment Bureau) wants his help in fulfilling a wealthy sheikh's (Amr Waked) desire to bring sport fishing to Yemen. Jones declines at first, but when the British prime minister's overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to the project as a way to improve Middle East relations, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible. Meanwhile, romance blooms as Jones and Harriet work to make the sheikh's dream come true. Written by Simon Beaufoy (the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire), based on the novel by Paul Torday. Directed by Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules). Official Web Site Director Lasse Hallström transcends genres in his film Amy Biancolli's San Francisco Chronicle review...

Now Playing at the Opera Plaza Cinema
Must End Thursday, May 17!

Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, A Separation is a compelling drama about the dissolution of a marriage in contemporary Iran. Simin (Leila Hatami) wants to leave Iran to provide better opportunities for her daughter. When her husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father, Simin sues for divorce. But her request fails, so she returns to her parents' home—without her daughter. Nader hires a young woman to assist with his father in his wife's absence, hoping that his life will return to a normal state. However, when he discovers that the new maid has been lying to him, he realizes that there is more on the line than just his marriage. Winner of four awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, including the Golden Bear for Best Film. Official Web Site Amy Biancolli's San Francisco Chronicle review...

May 17 & 22 Screenings Cancelled!
(See Below for Details)

Due to circumstances beyond our control, all screenings of The Beatles: The Lost Concert, originally scheduled for May 17 and 22, have been cancelled by Screenvision, the film’s distributor. If you purchased advance tickets online, your credit card will be refunded automatically. If you purchased advance tickets in person, please return to the point of purchase for a full refund. Read Screenvision's Press Release

Starts Friday, May 18
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Filmmaker Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunset) returns to his Texas roots for this delightfully poker-faced black comedy—based on a true story—about East Texas assistant funeral home director Bernie Tiede (Jack Black). He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Driven by her cruelty to put four bullets in her, Bernie goes to great lengths to keep up the illusion that she's still alive. So well liked is Bernie, especially by the town's elderly ladies, that nobody in town will say a bad thing about him, even after he commits the nasty crime.... Matthew McConaughey co-stars. Official Web Site

Starts Friday, May 18
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Infused with songs and dancing, this serio-comic fable of a community beset by conflict between two faiths speaks out the desire of every citizen to live in peace. Set in a remote village where a Christian church and Muslim mosque stand side by side, director/co-writer/actress Nadine Labaki's (Caramel) ironically humorous drama follows the antics of the town's women to keep their blowhard men from starting a religious war. Women heartsick over sons, husbands and fathers lost to previous flare-ups unite to distract their men with a variety of clever ruses, from faking a miracle to hiring a troop of Ukrainian strippers. Winner of the People's Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Official Web Site

One Week Only!
Starts Friday, May 18 at the Lumiere Theatre
Special Event on Friday, May 18 at 5:45pm:
Q&A with Director Jennifer Baichwal via Skype!

Margaret Atwood's visionary work Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth is the basis for this riveting and poetic documentary on "debt" in its various forms—societal, personal, environmental, spiritual, criminal, and of course, economic. Filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God) strikingly interweaves these (sometimes surprising) debtor/creditor relationships: two families in a years-long Albanian blood feud; the BP oil spill vs. the Earth; mistreated Florida tomato farm workers and their bosses; and imprisoned media mogul Conrad Black and the U.S. justice system. With stunning cinematography and insightful commentary from renowned thinkers Raj Patel, Louise Arbour, Karen Armstrong, William Rees and Atwood herself, Payback is a brilliant, game-changing rumination on the subject. Official Web Site

One Week Only!
Starts Friday, May 18 at a the Bridge Theatre

"Juliette Binoche, surely one of the most inquisitive and daring actors working in cinema today, plays Anne, a wife, mother and—most importantly—a journalist currently researching an article about student prostitution for the French edition of ELLE magazine. Anne finds herself drawn to two young women: a down-on-her-luck Polish student (Joanna Kulig) and a French girl (Anaïs Demoustier) who comes from one of Paris' many anonymous housing projects. Both women have entered the sex trade for different reasons, and as they open up to Anne, we are allowed glimpses of the reality of their work. Meanwhile, Anne is forced to confront the bourgeois reality of her own life, where her husband seems married to his cellphone and her son to his PlayStation. The sordid scenes of various sexual deviations and couplings play out against the humor and naturalness that both girls bring to their encounters with Anne, where they talk with complete frankness about their lives. A bold mix of Bunuel's Belle de Jour and Godard's Two or Three Things I Know About Her—the result being entirely new—Malgoska Szumowska's film dares to explore a precarious region where perhaps only Catherine Breillat has ventured before." —Piers Handling, Toronto International Film Festival Official Web Site

Starts Friday, May 18 at the Lumiere Theatre

Morgan Spurlock's documentary Mansome brings us a hilarious look at male identity in the 21st century as it's defined through men's grooming habits. From America's greatest beardsman, to Spurlock's own mustache, Executive Producers Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Ben Silverman and other models, actors, experts and comedians weigh in on what it is to be a man in a world where the definition of masculinity has become as diverse as a hipster's facial hair in Williamsburg. The hilarious follicles of men's idiosyncratic grooming habits are thoroughly combed over as men finally take a long hard look in the mirror. Official Web Site

Starts Friday, May 25
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Hysteria is a lighthearted romantic comedy that tells the surprising story of the birth of the electro-mechanical vibrator at the very peak of Victorian prudishness. Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), a struggling yet dedicated young doctor, is hired by Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce), London's leading specialist in women's medicine. Indeed, his waiting room is overflowing with well-dressed women suffering afflictions of the female nervous system known as "hysteria." Granville's improved lot in life makes him a worthy suitor for Dalrymple's daughter Emily (Felicity Jones, Like Crazy), but he finds himself unable to perform his duties satisfactorily. Seeking refuge with his lifelong friend, the eccentric Edmund St. John Smythe (Rupert Everett), whose passion is newfangled technology, Granville is struck by how pleasurable the vibrating sensation of Smythe's invention, an electric feather-duster, feels in his hand. A brilliant idea takes hold, and Granville and Smythe convince Dalrymple to try out the innovation on his patients, with spectacular results. More than a playful comic romp, Hysteria is a feisty love story and a trip into hidden history, an exploration of women's passion and a celebration of the forward-thinking spirit that has always kept human progress buzzing. Also starring Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart). Official Web Site Director Tanya Wexler on a silly and sexy therapy treatment

Starts Friday, May 25
at the Embarcadero Center Cinema

Maïwenn's vibrant crime drama Polisse, a smash hit from France, follows the daily lives of a tightly-knit team of men and women working in the Child Protection Unit of the Parisian police. Basing her richly textured script on real child investigation cases, co-writer/director/co-star Maïwenn has gathered an accomplished ensemble cast of French actors—including Karin Viard, Marina Foïs, co-writer Emmanuelle Bercot, Nicolas Duvauchelle, and rapper-turned-actor Joeystarr—who convey the emotional strain of the unit's work with gritty realism (the director herself plays the role of a photographer embedded within the unit). They not only deal with the stress of their jobs but with the inevitable fall-out in their personal lives—breakdowns, divorce and adulterous relations within the force. In between, there are frequent flashes of humor as the team attempts to diffuse daily realities. As the cases, confessions and interrogations pile up, the squad members have only each other as support as they face an uphill battle against both criminals and bureaucracy. Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Nominated for 15 César Awards (including two wins). Official Web Site

One Week Only!
Starts Friday, May 25 at the Lumiere Theatre

The third film in Michael Glawogger's globalization trilogy (following Megacities and Workingman's Death), Whores' Glory is an explicit, unflinching exposé of global prostitution, where grinding poverty dictates hard choices. In Bangkok, Thailand, women punch a clock and wait for clients in a brightly lit glass box; in the red-light district of Faridpur, Bangladesh, a madam haggles over the price of a teenage girl; and in the border town of Reynosa, Mexico, crack-addicted women pray to a deity named Lady Death. Winner of the Orizzonti Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, Glawogger's latest larger-than-life documentary is an audacious, non-judgmental study of sexuality, politics, human behavior and the effects of capital and religion on both women and men from starkly different cultures. Shot with rich, saturated colors, and set to a soundtrack featuring CocoRosie and P.J. Harvey—the film offers an indelible glimpse of ordinary women caught up in the world's oldest profession. Official Web Site

Sat, May 26 at Midnight at the Clay Theatre!
With The Bawdy Caste LIVE!

The longest-running midnight movie of all time stars Tim Curry as the kinky yet endearing “transsexual from Transylvania” Dr. Frank N. Furter, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as his hapless guests Brad and Janet, Meat Loaf as motorcycle-riding rough trade and author Richard O’Brien as the hunchbacked butler Riff Raff. It’s harmless musical fun—a delightful spoof of Hollywood horror movies and Old Dark House melodramas. The Rocky Horror Picture was the first—and is still the best—interactive movie experience! Official Web Site

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