West Newton Cinema

ABOUT THE FILM - AGE GROUP WINNER In 1980 Jay Helgerson shocked the world, becoming the first person to run a marathon a week for a year – each race completed in under three hours. For the last ten years, his daughter, filmmaker Alexandra Helgerson, followed him with a camera in order to understand the eccentric man who raised her. What she gets are his projected anxieties, his struggles with physical age and emotional distress, all while he endlessly trains for the Boston Marathon. But as Jay trains, the film is nearly derailed by Alexandra’s encounter with a life threatening illness. Ultimately, AGE GROUP WINNER is an affirmation of the will to live. Join us after the film for a discussion with the filmmakers: Alexandra Helgerson is a filmmaker, actor and musician. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where she played basketball her freshman year. After working in publishing in New York City, she began a career in acting. Notable roles include Viola and Rosaline for the American Shakespeare Center, Vivien in VIVIEN, and Brynne in the horror-comedy HAPPY ENDING. AGE GROUP WINNER, a ten year in the making cinema-verité documentary about her world record setting, marathon running father, is her directorial debut. A recent survivor of sarcoma, Helgerson chronicles her experiences of love, loss, and desire on her debut album Halcyon Days, to be released in the summer of 2026. Jay Helgerson was born in Wichita, KS and served in the U.S. Marine Corps before earning a degree in History at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1980 he became the first person in the world to run 52 marathons in one year, each in under 3 hours. His feat earned him a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. He trains daily in Portland's Forest Park, and at age 71 will run his 20th Boston Marathon in April of 2026. When not running, Jay enjoys eating pizza, reading the news, and talking pop culture, mostly with his three daughters and two granddaughters.

Global Spotlight: Partners in Health Date and Time: Friday April 17 th 5:00 pm–7:45 pm Partners In Health: The Journey Continues In the 1980s, Dr. Paul Farmer, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, activist Ophelia Dahl, Todd McCormack, and investor Thomas White began a movement that changed global health forever. Treating patients who had been abandoned by the health establishment, they developed through Partners In Health (PIH) a community health model that saved millions of lives in the developing world. Their fight became a global battle in the highest halls of power for the right to health for all. Join PIH co-founder Todd McCormack, their CEO Sheila Davis, and Dr. Anatole Manzi to learn the challenges and opportunities for global health now and in the future. This event will begin at 5 pm with a pre-screening reception with PIH representatives. At 5:30 pm, we will screen Bending the Arc, the riveting documentary that shows how moral imagination, strategy, and sheer force of will can change the trajectory of the world. After the screening, our panelists will discuss the film and their work followed by an audience Q&A. PANELISTS: DR. SHEILA DAVIS Dr. Sheila Davis is Chief Executive Officer of Partners In Health (PIH), where she previously served as Chief of Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Officer, overseeing global clinical and operational programs. She led PIH’s response to the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic and has spent more than two decades advancing global health, HIV/AIDS care, and nursing leadership worldwide. A nationally recognized speaker and Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she holds doctoral and graduate nursing degrees from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. TODD MCCORMACK Todd McCormack is a co-founder of Partners In Health and has supported the organization since meeting Paul Farmer at Duke University in 1978. He serves on PIH’s Board of Trustees and Board of Directors, where he focuses on stewarding partnerships and mobilizing resources to advance the organization’s mission, and chairs the Governance and Nominating Committee. A Senior Corporate Vice President at IMG, he has been a pioneer in digital media strategy and continues to advise and invest in emerging media ventures. DR. ANATOLE MANZI Dr. Anatole Manzi is a global health leader advancing equity and excellence in healthcare delivery and serves as Cluster Lead for Capacity Strengthening & Professional Development at the University of Global Health Equity’s LEAP Center. He previously served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Partners In Health, leading multi-country strategies to improve clinical quality and care systems. Born and raised in Rwanda, he holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, the University of Global Health Equity, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, grounding his work in social justice and accompaniment.

Join us for the Local Spotlight screening of Cosmic Coda with a post-film discussion with the Filmmaker MJ Doherty and Senior Research Scientist Peter Fritschel ABOUT THE FILM: Some burning questions: How do you build a machine to test Einstein's Relativity Theory? Will you need a screwdriver? What does an astrophysicist do exactly on any given Tuesday while searching the cosmos? In 1985, a clueless but educable filmmaker pursues these questions, skips 3 decades, then picks the story up again, 39 years later. One of the most important discoveries in physics then, is told as it happens. COSMIC CODA is about the in-between moments of scientific discovery - how it feels going to work each day on a machine that tests both the limits of our universe and our ability to comprehend this mind boggling goal. FILMMAKER MJ DOHERTY Back in 1985, inspired by her mentor and teacher, the late great Ricky Leacock, MJ Doherty filmed her astrophysicists solo. (MJ was one of Ricky's last grad students.) She began the project without an agenda or message; this made it easier for her film subjects to be who they are, instead of who she wanted them to be. And so for the contemporary footage she filmed the exact same way, to provide coherence across the massive time gap. PETER FRITSCHEL Peter Fritschel is a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and a long-time member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. A leading experimental physicist in gravitational-wave detection, he has played a central role in the design, commissioning, and operation of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), the groundbreaking instrument that made the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015. Fritschel’s work focuses on precision interferometry and the ultra-sensitive measurement systems required to detect ripples in spacetime predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Over decades, he has helped push the technological boundaries that allow scientists to observe some of the most energetic events in the universe—colliding black holes and neutron stars—transforming gravitational-wave astronomy from theory into reality.

DIARY OF MADMEN Premiered in Riga in 2024, Diary of Madmen is an independent production by visionary director Dmitry Krymov — an ode to theater as both escape and salvation from a collapsing world. In this deeply personal work, two acclaimed actors, Chulpan Khamatova and Maksim Sukhanov, portray artists confronting the loss of their familiar lives and the meaning of their craft. Even as madness and despair close in, Krymov insists on the power of resistance, of laughter and love, and of art as the last refuge of inner freedom. An Artists in Exile Series Film Presented in Russian w/ English subtitles Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes CREATIVE TEAM Directed by Dmitry Krymov Set Design by Dmitry Krymov, Petr Voznesenskiy CAST Chulpan Khamatova Maksim Sukhanov ABOUT THE DIRECTOR DMITRY KRYMOV Known for his innovative, design-centric style, Dmitry Krymov is one of the most original directorial voices of his generation. He has been hailed as “one of the world’s finest theatermakers” (New York Times), and has won several awards for his work, both in Russia and internationally. In early 2022, Krymov was in Philadelphia, preparing his production of The Cherry Orchard, which was scheduled to premiere at the Wilma Theatre in February. After Russia invaded Ukraine, he condemned the invasion and refused to return to his homeland. In October 2022, Krymov announced the opening of his new studio in New York City – Krymov Lab NYC.

EPiC features long-lost footage from Presely's legendary Las Vegas residency in the 1970s, woven together with rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour, and precious 8mm from the Graceland archive, plus recordings of Elvis telling "his side of the story" rediscovered during Luhrmann's research for his Best Picture Oscar-nominated 2022 film Elvis.

Winner of the Golden Lion Best Film prize at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER is the eagerly-awaited new film from Jim Jarmusch. Funny, tender and astutely observed, this is an intimate exploration of the universal intricacies of family dynamics. Starring Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat. Told in the form of a triptych divided into chapters set in New Jersey, Dublin and Paris, each story concerns the relationships between adult children, their somewhat distant parent (or parents), and each other. Blending remarkable performances from its ensemble cast with Jarmusch’s wry and idiosyncratic observations of everyday life, the iconic indie director’s latest serves as a timely reminder that you can choose your friends and your lovers, but you can’t choose your family.

The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen Hill and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito in the Italian-American crime syndicate.

A happily married father of two, shaken by a message written in a birthday card for his daughter, abruptly leaves his family for a week-long trek through the Grand Canyon. As we follow his solo hike, we see his memories of an earlier trip through the Grand Canyon with a different woman. Shot with only the equipment that a cast and crew of eight could carry on two 41-mile hikes (one in 20-degree December and the other in 95-degree June), this family-friendly romantic drama is the first narrative feature to shoot the majority of its footage inside the rim of the Grand Canyon. FILMED at Grand Canyon National Park WRITTEN & DIRECTED by Kenneth Cran
 PRODUCED by John Charles Meyer & Susan Papa STARRING Brit Morgan, John Charles Meyer, Susan Papa, Etienne Eckert, Micah Cohen, KylieRae Condon, and Missi Pyle

From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, HAMNET tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Join us in celebrating a remarkable community, the South Sudanese Enrichment for Families, and their inspiring stories of courage, resilience, and hope. Hosted by Reverend Liz Walker, author of No One Left Alone: A Story of How Community Helps Us Heal. This event will begin with a screening of the short documentary Between Two Worlds, directed and produced by Molly Bedell, for the South Sudanese Enrichment for Families (SSEF). After the screening, members of this community will join Reverend Walker, in a discussion about steps we can all take to collective healing. Drawing on her humanitarian work in South Sudan and in counseling community members through hardship, Reverend Walker will lead us through what it takes to access the resources we have within us to survive the unthinkable. A reception and signing of Reverend Walker's No One Left Alone will follow in the cinema lobby, with all book proceeds benefiting the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing. We thank the Roxbury Presbyterian Church for coordinating the signing. PANEL REVEREND LIZ WALKER - MODERATOR Liz Walker is a minister, journalist, activist, and Founder of Can We Talk ® Community Sharing on Trauma and Healing. Best known as Boston's first Black evening television news anchor, Walker has given the last 25 years of her life to humanitarian work and Urban Ministry. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Walker served as pastor of Roxbury Presbyterian Church. She helped found the Jane Doe Safety Fund, has done humanitarian work in South Sudan, and has served on the boards of Boston Medical Center and Andover Newton Theological Seminary. PANTHER ALIER Panther Alier came to America in 2001 as a "lost boy" from Sudan. He earned his Masters in International Development from Brandeis University and then worked in South Sudan with several NGOs, starting a school for boys in South Sudan. With the recent defunding of NGOs in Africa, Panther has returned to Boston, where he will become the Executive Director of SSEF in June 2026. MOLLY BEDELL Molly Bedell has worked her entire career as a television journalist. She began at CBS News and then moved to producing and writing long-form documentaries for PBS, NBC, A&E, National Geographic. and History. She directed and produced Between Two Worlds. TABAN MANYOK Taban Manyok is a 25-year-old college graduate with a degree in computer information systems and a minor in cyber security. Taban currently works at Aztech Consulting, a Boston technology business, and serves on the board of SSEF. NYANDENG YAK Nyandeng Yak was born in a refugee camp and came to Boston when she was a young child. She attended school in Malden and now is a junior at Boston University. She plans to apply to law school and currently works part-time for SSEF and as a leader of monthly Youth Meetings for South Sudanese youth in the Boston area.

What if you could talk to animals and understand what they’re saying? In Disney and Pixar’s all-new feature film “Hoppers,” scientists have discovered how to “hop” human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals! The adventure introduces Mabel, an animal lover who seizes an opportunity to use the technology, uncovering mysteries within the animal world that are beyond anything she could have imagined.

Tickets can be purchased here for the Friday Opening Night Programming OR an All Access Pass. The one-day Saturday or Sunday program tickets purchased separately. FRIDAY MARCH 20: Red Carpet Opening Night Party 5:00-9:00 PM Step into an unforgettable evening of glamour and cinema. Begin with networking, red-carpet photos, elegant hors d’oeuvres, and a sparkling champagne toast, followed by a Women in Film Board of Directors Showcase. At 7:00 PM, the spotlight turns to a rare screening of Lois Weber’s 1921 silent masterpiece The Blot, accompanied live by celebrated silent film musician Jeff Rapsis. Formal attire suggested. SATURDAY, MARCH 21 • Short Films (USA) — 5:00 PM • Feature Presentation: Riot in Bloom — 7:00 PM SUNDAY, MARCH 22 • World Premiere: Punkie — 1:00 PM • Local Massachusetts Short Films — 2:30 PM • Women in Film Panel Discussion — 3:30 PM • Genie Lamp Award Ceremony — 4:30 PM

Tickets can be purchased here for the Saturday Program. The individual Friday, Sunday, or All Access Package tickets can be purchased separately. SATURDAY, March 21: Shorts Block (USA) 5:00-7:00 PM Chore Wheel - Rylie Field (Comedy | 5 min) For All Humankind - Sheila E. Schroeder (Comedy | 13 min) The Winemaker - Sarey Martin (Sci-fi | 16 min) Rock Island Prison 1864 - Joy Shannon (Historical | 7 min) Over the Kitchen Table - Nisha Burton (Documentary | 22 min) There Was - Amanda Besl (Experimental | 5 min) Veritas Obscura - Lily Jones (Student | 9 min) BOT OR NOT - Meghan Carrasquillo, Jadon Cal (Sci-fi | 20 min) Reminisce - Leslie Morris (Drama | 12 min) FRANKSLIST - Christine Celozzi (Comedy | 14 min) Feature Film Presentation 7:00-9:00 PM Queer Up The Details - Anna Rose Ii-Epstein (LGBTQ | 8 min) Riot In Bloom - Brett C Levner (Drama | 83 min)

Tickets can be purchased here for the Sunday Program. The individual Friday, Saturday, or All Access Package tickets can be purchased separately. SUNDAY, MARCH 22: World Premiere 1:00-2:00 PM PUNKIE - Audrey Olsen (Documentary | 65 min) Massachusetts Shorts Block (USA) 2:30-3:30 PM Steeped In Denial - Sue Farina (Mocumentary | 7 min) Shift - Bridgette Cannell (Horror | 8 min) The Red Reina - Nick Pithis, Sophia Ciampaglia (Western | 20 min) Dissection Day - Rachel Thomas-Medwid (Thriller | 15 min) The Rewind - Mikel Wisler, Diana Porter (Sci-Fi | 11 min) Women In Film Panel Discussion 3:30-4:30 PM Join us for an exclusive Women in Film Panel Discussion, moderated by Kim Douglas of Boston’s Bold Like Her podcast, with industry professionals Michele Meek, Jodi Purdy, Alecia Orsini, and Marilyn Busch. Award Ceremony 4:30-5:00 PM Please Note: Films will play in the order listed, with a brief Q&A following each screening.

Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive. Content Warning- Scenes include portrayals of BDSM, such as consensual role-play incorporating submissive and dominant power dynamics.

Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

After a perfect outing with her boyfriend, Kenna (Maika Monroe; The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Longlegs) makes an unbearable mistake that sends her to prison. Seven years later, Kenna returns to her hometown in Wyoming, hoping to rebuild her life and earn the chance to reunite with her young daughter, Diem, whom she has never known. When Diem’s custodial grandparents adamantly refuse Kenna’s attempts to see her daughter, Kenna discovers unexpected compassion, and then something truer and deeper, with former NFL player and local bar owner Ledger (Tyriq Withers; HIM, I Know What You Did Last Summer). As their secret romance develops, so do the dangers for both of them, leading Kenna toward heartbreak and, ultimately, the hope for a second chance.

A father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa.

While people across 1990s Iraq struggle to survive the war and food shortages, the President requires each school in the country to prepare a cake to celebrate his birthday. Despite her efforts to avoid getting picked, 9-year-old Lamia is chosen among her classmates. The young girl must now use her wits and imagination to gather ingredients and prepare the mandatory cake in THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros., and follows The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023 and earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Both the 2023 film and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are produced by Chris Meledandri of Illumination and Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo. The film will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo and will be released worldwide by Universal Pictures. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is directed by returning filmmakers Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, from a screenplay by returning screenwriter Matthew Fogel, with Brian Tyler returning to compose the score.

Join us for an unforgettable Oscars Party on Sunday, March 15th from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM! Strike a pose at our red carpet photo booth, enjoy a dinner buffet by Anoush’ella, and settle in to watch the awards with fellow film lovers. A cash bar will be available throughout the event. Film critic Ty Burr will serve as MC, sharing commentary as the night unfolds. Pre-registration is required. Don't miss this chance to celebrate the magic of the Oscars in style!