Observer Editor
61st Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Mar. 21–26. The oldest and one of the most prestigious avant-garde film festivals in North America, showcasing new experimental and independent films in a wide range of genres. Also, “Off the Screen” round-table discussions, exhibits, and parties (see aaFilmFest.org for full schedule). Tickets: $150 (buy before Mar. 1, $125; members, students, & seniors, $100) for the entire festival; $85 (buy before Mar. 1, $75) for weekend passes, or $60 (buy before Mar. 1, $60) for an online-only pass in advance at aafilmfest.org. $12 (students, seniors, & members, $8) per screening at the door. All feature films eligible for online viewing are available Mar. 21–29. 995–5356. Michigan Theater (except as noted), various times.
Mar. 25: “Up the River with Acid.” Harald Hutter’s competition documentary about his father’s cognitive decline, set in his mother’s native French village. 1 p.m., U-M School of Kinesiology, rm. 2500.
“Films in Competition 9.” Mixed-genre family-friendly films that feature a blind artist, multimillion-dollar apartments, and a 13-year-old figure skater. 1:30 p.m., $6.
“Darkness, Darkness, Burning Bright.” Gaëlle Rouard’s highly personal handmade 16mm competition film, which contemplates the mythical connotations of a rural landscape. 3 p.m., U-M School of Kinesiology, rm. 2500.
“Films in Competition 10.” Highlights include Douwe Dijkstra’s Neighbour Abdi and films about the supervision of a teacher and geological transformations. 3:30 p.m.
“Adieu Sauvage.” Sergio Guataquira Sarmiento’s competition documentary examines recent waves of suicide by Amerindian men in the Colombian Amazon, and how both lovesickness and lack of emotional expression may contribute to the crisis. 5 p.m., State Theatre.
“Kapr Code.” Lucie Králová’s competition film, a “documentary opera” that reconstructs the life of Czech composer Jan Kapr (1914-1988), a once-prominent communist. 5:30 p.m.
“MFW Decades.” A collection of films and digital works selected from the calendar of the Millennium Film Workshop, a Brooklyn community-based film nonprofit. Curated by Paul Echeverria. 7 p.m., State Theatre.
“Films in Competition 11.” Highlights include Sonya Stefan’s The Truss Arch and films about the collective memory of the pandemic, home movies, and the model Rico Sanches. 7:30 p.m.
“Super Natural.” Jorge Jácome’s competition film, a genre-defying collaborative work created with the dance company Dançando com a Diferença and the theatre company Teatro Praga. 9 p.m., State Theatre.
“Films in Competition 12.” Highlights include Brent Coughenour’s live video performance left/right/wrong (or, RGB and You and Me): The Sick Sense and films about the post-industrial landscape of Detroit, rhyming animation, and learning to lucid dream. 9:30 p.m.
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