Loosely based on the life story of famed diver Jacques Mayol, Luc Besson’s fairy tale romance The Big Blue (Le Grande Bleu) is one of the legendary cult films of 80’s European cinema. The relationships revered diver Jacques (Jean Marc Barr) has with his arch rival, Enzo (Jean Reno at his most charismatic) and his insurance adjuster girlfriend, Johana ( Rosanna Arquette) are tested by his nearly mystical obsession with the sea itself.  When his arch rival challenges him to a deep sea diving contest where the winner must essentially break a world depth record, Jacques limits begin to know no bounds…

Strung out junkie Nikita (Anne Parillaud) gets involved in a shoot out with police and is believed dead. Secretly however, she has been detained by the government to serve a new purpose: An assassin for the French government. Her devotion to her mission is not only tested by her own past but by the trust of her boyfriend (Jean Hugues Anglade), a checkout clerk at the supermarket who has no idea of Nikita’s true identity. 

Infamous as one of the most expensive French films ever produced, and iconic because of its extravagant, ecstatic visual romanticism, Leos Carax’s Les Amants Du Pont-Neuf (Lovers On The Bridge) remains its directors most epic vision of love on the margins of society. 

The Right Stuff came out to near universal praise. The film is an exhilarating look at the Mercury Seven, a group of almost mythical astronauts. These men would go on to be some of the first men to travel to space. Kaufman delivers a stunning ode to American exceptionalism that is not afraid to keep reminding audiences that the country has a long way to go still.

After escaping the jungle with his masterpiece Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola turned his attention to utilizing technological advances at his Zoetrope Studios. Initially conceiving One From the Heart as a simple romantic comedy, Coppola’s ambitions grew larger. The story became a musical, with the soundtrack composed by Tom Waits and Crystal Gale. Gene Kelly was brought in to oversee the dance number.

Heaven’s Gate is a movie of contrasts. East vs West. Rich vs Poor. Confined dark interiors vs expansive outdoor vistas. It makes sense then, that the reaction to its initial release contrasts wildly to its true quality. On a budget of $44 million dollars, Heaven’s Gate was not able to muster even $3.5 million dollars at the box office.

Charlie Chaplin believed that tragedy and comedy were not far removed, and so sought inspiration in tales of deprivation and horror from the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s for this silent comedy classic. The Calgary Cinematheque is excited to present this masterpiece of physical comedy with a live score by Icarus 3.

South Korean director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) explores themes of faith, morality, and the nature of desire in this acclaimed erotic horror inspired by the works of Émile Zola.

Amidst the "Blaxploitation" trend of early 70s American cinema, African-American filmmaker Bill Gunn found the opportunity to take a commercial project, a "Black vampire" movie, and use it to talk about the African diaspora, drug addiction, and other issues affecting the Black community of the time.

Exploring issues of feminism, religion, and horror, Iranian-American filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour exploded onto the international cinema scene with this critically acclaimed indie horror classic

A slapstick epic about a frostbitten battle between JEAN KAYAK and DIABOLICAL BEAVERS—hundreds of them—who stand between him and survival. In this 19th century, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become the greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

After his own attempt to adapt Lord of the Rings fell through, filmmaker John Boorman (Zardoz, Exorcist II: The Heretic) decided to bring his own unique sensibilities to the legend of King Arthur. Together with screenwriting partner Rospo Pallenberg he crafted a cinematic adaptation that covers the whole of the Arthurian legend, from his conception to his downfall, largely adapting Sir Thomas Mallory's Le morte d'Arthur.

Intended as a "family picture", Wizards evolved into an idiosyncratic work mixing a variety of tones and animation styles into one piece of counterculture art. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where nuclear holocaust has resulted in a return of magic, elves, and fairies, Wizards tells the tale of sibling spellcasters Avatar and Blackwolf and the war of their nations of Montagar and Scortch. When Blackwolf discovers the lost art of Nazi propaganda to motivate his armies of goblins and monsters, Avatar must journey with a small band of heroes to destroy his brother's film projector.

Debuting in the pages of pulp magazine Weird Tales in the 1930s, Conan the Barbarian was devised by his creator Robert E. Howard to express a philosophy of rugged individualism, unhindered freedom, and a critical view of modern ideals of civilization and progress. The character's popularity had surged thanks to the Frank Frazetta illustrated paperback editions of the 1960s, and the Marvel comics adaptation of the 1970s, and so the film rights were snapped up by legendary producer Dino de Laurentiis.

In Polyester, suburban housewife Francine Fishpaw (Divine) navigates a crumbling world as her husband confesses infidelity, her daughter announces a pregnancy, and her son is suspected of bizarre crimes. Amidst chaos, she finds an unexpected romance with heartthrob Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter). Polyester is a cheeky comedy with outlandish characters and irreverent humor, starring Divine, the (drag) queen of flamboyance.

How the West Was Won won three Oscars and tells the story of a family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads. It boasts an all-star cast including James Stewart, John Wayn, Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda and dozens of other stars. While legendary western director John Ford (Stagecoach, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) helms the Civil War Segment. 

Chronicling the world of fierce performance and competition at Harlem drag balls during the 1980s, Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning is a groundbreaking exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality. The documentary follows the lives of Dorian Corey, Will Ninja, Sol, Freddie and Kim Pedavis, Octavia St. Laurent, Angie and Venus Xtravaganza, and Pepper LaBeija as they perform and tell their respective stories.

Saving Face is Alice Wu’s debut directorial film. A Chinese-American lesbian filmmaker, Saving Face is a film loosely based on Wu’s personal life. Despite protests from Hollywood production companies to white-wash the film, Wu insisted on keeping the cast strictly Chinese-American with Mandarin included in the film. Wu’s insistence to keep her film truly authentic to her culture and upbringing makes this film an influential step forward for the future of East Asian-American filmmakers.

Gohatto (Taboo) is the dreamlike final film of director Nagisa Oshima (In The Realm Of The Senses, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence). When a new Samurai recruit joins the ranks of the all-male warrior class, his beauty and skill capture the attention of nearly all his comrades. Aloof and ambiguous in his sexuality, the anarchy his presence unleashes not only attracts his brethren, but also threatens to violently upend the stability of their entire society. 

The Handmaiden is one of Park Chan-wook’s most iconic films. In classic Chan-wook style, it has mystery and action elements, with mind-bending plot twists. Set in Japan-occupied Korea of the early 1900s, Chan-wook unconventionally tells the story of two women who become attracted to each other, and fall into a surprising romantic relationship.

Starring Mimi Rogers in a performance hailed by Marxist film critic Robin Wood as “one of the greatest in the history of Hollywood cinema,” The Rapture is a terrifying and impassioned theistic provocation in an age of post-religiosity. This film will challenge viewers, leaving nonbelievers grappling with dark theological questions and believers questioning the foundations of their faith

A deeply political film, the deceptively simple Devi explores the most sacrosanct ideas of patriarchy, faith and objectification with radiant emotional resonance. With lustrous cinematography by Subrata Mitra that seems to be lit by burning phosphorus, Devi explores the impact and intoxication of one person being heralded as a goddess.

Featuring a 15 minute sequence where the audience is required to close their eyes to “experience” pulsing colours and sounds from the screen.  A sequence where what you see through your eyelids may be as stirring as any image in any film. Samsara was recently featured at the Berlin Film Festival and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Calgary Cinematheque is proud to present this radical and deeply moving film on the big screen. 

This difficult drama depicts the theme of emasculation and helplessness in the face of overwhelming terror through a realistic lens, separating it from the genre trappings of our other three presentations. I Live in Fear depicts the crippling effect that the realities of life in our terrifying modern world can have on our psyche and our relationships.

Here, the power of unknown science renders a man into a child in his own home, then a doll, and finally in a harrowing ending Arnold had to fight to retain, shrinking into infinitesimal nothingness. The ideal American man of the 1950s was king of his castle, but the incredible shrinking man is dwarfed and defeated by his.

Sure to surprise anyone familiar with the later campier incarnations of the character, the original Godzilla is a dark and unrelenting work of righteous anger and despair.

Them! presents a typical 1950s American enemy - a relentless insidious hive mind, and a typical 1950s American response - trust in your police, scientists, military, and government officials and everything will be okay.

A high school senior from South Carolina gets her first glimpse of the wider world, picturesque cities and woods of the Eastern seaboard on a class trip to Washington, D.C.

When Domenico first meets Filomena in Naples during World War II, he's instantly captivated. Fast forward to the postwar era, they reunite, sparking a passionate affair that lasts for two decades. As Filomena becomes Domenico's mistress, she discovers his intention to marry someone else, leading her to become resolute in her determination to make him her husband. She devises a series of outlandish plans in an attempt to win him back.

In Rome, fascist supporter Emanuele attends a parade commemorating Adolf Hitler's historic meeting with Italian leader Benito Mussolini, leaving his conservative wife, Antonietta, to tend to household duties. Antonietta encounters Gabriele, a liberal radio broadcaster, surprisingly unfazed by the significance of the day. Throughout the day, they develop a deep friendship that profoundly alters their views on life, love, and politics.