American Cinematheque's ‘Bleak Week' Expands to Seven Cities Including London, Sets Special Guest Robert Eggers – Film News in Brief
American Cinematheque's annual 'Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair' festival will expand beyond Los Angeles to seven cities across the United States and internationally to London in June. In addition to continuing operations at the Aero, Egyptian and Los Feliz 3 Theatres across Los Angeles, 'Bleak Week' will come to the Portland's Hollywood Theatre, Chicago's Music Box Theatre, Dallas' Texas Theatre, Minneapolis' Trylon Cinema, New York's Paris Theater, Boston's Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Prince Charles Cinema in London.
Special guests including Robert Eggers and Todd Solondz will visit the Prince Charles Cinema and Paris Theater, respectively.
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Founded in 2022, the festival celebrates films that 'fearlessly plunge the depths of human despair.' The festival will begin in Los Angeles and Chicago June 1-7, then move to Portland and Minneapolis June 6-12. 'Bleak Week' heads to New York, Boston and Dallas June 8-14, before concluding in London June 15-21.
As part of Bleak Week, Turner Classic Movies will present its own selection of 'bleak cinema' on June 2, including 'Make Way For Tomorrow,' 'Man of the West,' 'Cries and Whispers,' 'Breaking the Waves,' and 'The Seventh Victim.' Host Dave Karger will introduce the first three films of the evening.
The Cannes Film Festival's American Pavilion has launched California Day, an 'immersive day of celebration and programming' dedicated to highlighting California's contributions to the global film industry. California Day will take place May 15 and feature keynote addresses, panels, and networking opportunities.
The celebration is aimed at 'spotlight the state's role as a filmmaking hub and leader in entertainment innovation, celebrating its thriving creative scene and fostering international collaborations.' IndieWire will partner with The American Pavilion to program a keynote address discussing 'The Future of Filmmaking in California: Innovation, Creativity, and Global Impact,' with further speaker details to be announced.
'Our mission has always been to celebrate creativity and provide educational opportunities for the next generation of filmmakers by giving a platform to industry leaders and change-makers,' said American Pavilion founder and president Julie Sisk. 'This year, we feel it is important to honor California's unrivaled legacy in global entertainment. After several challenging years for the industry, dedicating a day to California is essential to spotlight its enduring impact and cultural significance in filmmaking.'
The Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) chair George Foulgham and vice chair Kate Davis announced the winners of the 2025 AMPS Television, Drama, Factual Film & Product Awards during a special presentation on April 13 at Greenwich University. The Television Drama and Factual Film category winners have also been nominated for the 2025 BAFTA Television Craft Awards.
Voted on by working wound professionals, the AMPS awards honor technical and creative excellence across multiple disciplines. AMPS also awards Certificates of Merit to every creative team member who contributes to the winning soundtracks, a practice intended to recognize the 'collaborative nature of sound.'
The winners of the 2025 AMPS Awards are:
Excellence in Sound for a Television Drama
'Slow Horses'
Excellence in Sound for a Factual Film
'Secret World of Sound With David Attenborough'
Excellence in Sound for a Production Hardware or Software Product
Sound Devices for A20-Supernexus Wireless Receiver
Excellence in Sound for a Post-Production Hardware or Software Product
Accentize for dxRevive Pro
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The festival Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair started three years ago as a primal scream from a little Los Angeles nonprofit organization. What has happened since says a lot about the mood in at least one corner of American culture. The American Cinematheque, a nonprofit that brings classic art films to Los Angeles theaters, was struggling to sell tickets in 2022. Older cinephiles were still spooked by the Covid pandemic; younger ones were glued to Netflix. At the same time, some Cinematheque staff members were depressed about the direction the world seemed to be heading. It was the year Russia invaded Ukraine, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a gunman killed 19 children at a Texas elementary school and Big Tech rolled out artificial intelligence bots. Out of that somber stew came a programming idea called Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair. Over seven days, the Cinematheque screened 30 feel-bad movies. It called the selections 'the greatest films from around the world that explore the darkest sides of humanity.' For the inaugural festival, one centerpiece film was Béla Tarr's 'Satantango' (1994), a seven-hour-and-19-minute contemplation of decay and misery. ''Everyone was saying, 'You should do comedies,'' Grant Moninger, the Cinematheque's artistic director, said. 'But we thought, 'What if you did the exact opposite?' We're not in this to dangle keys at a baby.' (Now might be a good moment to mention that Moninger grew up with a mother, he said, who 'only rented movies on VHS in two genres: the Holocaust and slavery.') Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
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