NEW HABIT CINEMA PORTAL

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, films a little later.

Orderly or Disorderly, dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1981

Kiarostami directs orderly and disorderly versions of events in this educational short. Depictions of children lining up versus crowding into a bus set the film up to abandon moral judgment in favor of children's anarchy.

First Case, Second Case, dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1979

A film from before the height of the Iranian Revolution that contrasts establishment to resistance. Portraying two variations of a teacher-student dispute, director Kiarostami examines morality and ideology from the lens of the classroom.

The House is Black, dir. Forough Farrokhzad, 1963

Directed by beloved Iranian modernist poet Forough Farrokhzad and set in a leper colony in the north of Iran, The House is Black explores beauty and suffering with readings from the Old Testament, the Qur'an and Forough's own poetry.

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, film a little later.

Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) dir. Tsui Hark

This story follows a low-ranking soldier (Yuen Biao) who deserts a foolish war, slipping into a world dotted with mythical palaces and seemingly filled to the brim with immortal heroes, demons, and godlike beings. As the film progresses, ridiculous analog special effects (worked on by Industrial Light and Magic alumni) escalate in psychedelic spectacle.

Hong Kong, 1983, 98 min, Cantonese, Stereo Sound

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, film a little later.

Green Snake (1993) dir. Tsui Hark

Green and White (Maggie Cheung, Joey Wong) are immortal snake demons who gain the ability to assume human form after finding a magical rosary, discarded by an arrogant monk (Vincent Zhao), who is seeking immortality himself. The struggles of human romance prove more problematic than any struggles faced in demon form... One of the most atmospheric Hong Kong films ever produced! Lavish sets, moody cinematography, and honed practical effects.

Hong Kong, 1993, 99 min, Cantonese, Stereo Sound

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, film a little later.

Angel’s Egg (1985) dir. Mamoru Oshii, character design / art direction by Yoshitaka Amano

In the ruins of a strange city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. She bonds with a boy who is searching for a bird he saw in a dream.

Japan, 1985, 71 min, Stereo Sound

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, film a little later.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri, character design / art direction by Yoshitaka Amano.

D, a legendary dhampir competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to track down Charlotte, a young woman who has seemingly been abducted by a vampire nobleman.

Japan, 2000, 103 min, Stereo Sound

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, film at 7:30.

Man with a Movie Camera (2025) is a collectively authored three-channel video which reinterprets the 1929 film of the same name through the lens of internet-based aesthetics.

Drawing a lineage from the experiments of Soviet montage to contemporary trends such as sludge content, desktop documentary, corecore, and database cinema, Man with a Movie Camera (2025) attempts to reinvigorate the popular avant-garde project of a universal cinematic language which was originally developed almost a century ago by Dziga Vertov and The Kinoks.

Man with a Movie Camera (2025) was directed and edited by a stylistically diverse range of artists working autonomously and in tandem: Esteban Alarcón, Hank Allen, Breeding Castle, Melissa Cha, Crisis Acting, Dana Dawud, Kayla Drzewicki, Gavin Dubois, Andrea Florens, Janelle Howerton, Levels of Nuance, Tanner Masseth, Emma Murray, Jose Perez, Progga, Abbey Pusz, Redacted Cut, Blake Robbins, Max Rooney, Paranoia State, Twee Whistler, Elijah Valter, Jay Villalobos, and Brian Wiebe.

USA, 2025, 68 min, Stereo Sound, DCP

Screening at Studio Two Three. Doors at 7:00, film at 7:30.
Stick around after the screening for a Q&A with the filmmakers!!

Aidan (Russell Sorbello), an awkward fanboy, finally leaves his mother’s basement and goes to meet Sierra (Natasha Mercado), a bubbly vlogger fresh off a break up who needs help filming a new video series at Comic-Con. At first they struggle to navigate their devirtualized relationship. Right as they start to figure it out, disaster strikes.

While fan culture predates the internet, (scholar Adrianne Wadewitz argues that the “janeites”—fans of 19th century writer Jane Austen—are the first notable example of a fan subculture) the impact fans have in shaping online culture is undeniable. Since the early days of social media, fan communities have found ways to creatively manipulate online space, with their actions often having real-world consequences. From harmless trolling to influencing political elections, it is crucial not to undermine the creative force that is fandom. In Transformers: Terminal, we witness its destructive side, within the context of a coming-of-age, body-horror, dark comedy. What happens when the orbiter gets promoted to co-content creator?

USA, 2025, 95 mins, Stereo Sound, DCP

This film contains blood/gore, viewer discretion is advised.

Screening at Richmond Public Library, Main Branch, Auditorium. 1:00PM, 2:00PM

In honor of May Day, join us at the library for a multi-channel video installation followed by a short film, both focused on global labor conditions.

1:00PM - The Movement of People Working (1973-1985): Experimental drone musician Phill Niblock spent a decade traveling the world and documenting rural workers doing their trades. Backed with a dissonant score and projected expanded cinema style on multiple surfaces, we invite you to drop into this rare presentation of Niblock's work.

2:00PM - Coal Money (2009): The singular Wang Bing takes us along the shipping route of a group of truckers attempting to sell their loads of coal for the highest price. Over 54 minutes, we glimpse one tiny thread of a massive industry, and the inordinate sweat and blood it takes to move the coal from a mine to a seller.

May 10th 2025
101 E Franklin St
Richmond Public Library
Main Branch Auditorium
Masks encouraged.