An entire civilization must confront its destiny in alternative-animation pioneer René Laloux’s final feature, Gandahar, a cult classic of mind-bending science fiction that has been restored in 4K thanks to fine folks at Janus Films! 

In a distant world, a merciless army of automata attacks Gandahar, turning its peace-loving people to stone. Hoping to discover the source of these Men of Metal, a council of matriarchs enlists the brave yet inexperienced warrior Sylvain (Pierre-Marie Escourro), who, while journeying through his planet’s outer regions, teams up with the Deformed, a race cast out from Gandahar after failed science experiments rendered them mutants. Soon, Sylvain learns that a gargantuan brain called Metamorphis (Georges Wilson) is responsible for his utopian society’s strife, and together with the beautiful Airelle (Catherine Chevallier), travels through time to defeat him, in the process risking their lives and Gandahar’s very existence.

Featuring stunningly surreal creatures and wondrously bizarre environments designed by renowned comic-book artist Caza, Gandahar is a visceral, visionary head-trip in which animation opens a gateway to the furthest reaches of the imagination.

Hope, the wild new sci-fi epic from The Wailing director Na Hong-jin, is coming to The Frida Cinema!

In the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok and officer Sung-ae are called to investigate a mysterious creature wreaking havoc on the community. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.

Starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell, Hope is a sprawling, genre-bending monster movie that mixes Korean thriller intensity with wild sci-fi spectacle. The film premiered in Competition at Cannes, where it received a six-minute standing ovation, and has already been hailed for its ferocious action and audacious filmmaking.

Our first Volunteer of the Month pick for September comes from Sophia T, who has chosen the 1963 musical Bye Bye Birdie!

Based on the beloved Broadway musical, this ’60s classic follows rock ‘n’ roll heartthrob Conrad Birdie as he heads to a small Ohio town for one last televised kiss before being drafted into the Army, throwing the entire town into a frenzy of teenage rock ‘n’ roll mayhem.

Starring Ann-Margret, Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Bobby Rydell, Paul Lynde, and Maureen Stapleton, Bye Bye Birdie is a colorful, energetic blast of early-’60s pop culture packed with unforgettable songs!

Come celebrate the new movement of young filmmakers devouring the medium with their intense, cinematic visions with this double feature of two bold, boundary pushing, & incendiary debut feature films that compliment each-other: the hot-boiled angst of the timely ABRAXAS (Written, Directed, Edited, & Starring Charles Tyler Kinder) & the synthetic, neon-drenched, liminal nightmare fuel that schizoids out of the screen into your senses with FaceTape (Written, Directed, Edited, Shot, Sound Designed by Manny Liotta).

Made in unison with each other with a blend of cast members between the two films, this is a double feature that you won’t walk away from feeling the same as when you entered the theater! 

ABRAXAS (85 min): Struggling to complete his college thesis, a frustrated environmentalist starts to receive “divine inspiration” which liberates him from writer’s block. However, as his ideas intensify, he spirals into a dangerous fixation, crafting an enraged manifesto against techno-industrial civilization. Watch the trailer for it here! 

FaceTape (84 min): A junkie decides to come clean from abusing an analog VR drug called FaceTape only to find his life outside of his addiction is far from stable. Watch the trailer here!

There will be a 10 minute intermission between each film and an introduction by the filmmakers! 

How many times does it take to steal the same diamond?

Our Hallucinations series is getting heisty as we present the 1972 classic The Hot Rock! 

Robert Redford stars as John Dortmunder, a professional thief who assembles a motley crew to steal a priceless diamond from the Brooklyn Museum…only for the heist to go spectacularly, hilariously wrong. Based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel and scripted by William Goldman, this caper is classic ’70s New York fun.

In peak ’70s heartthrob mode, Robert Redford is the real hot rock here, putting yet another effortlessly cool performance onto his resume. Also starring George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn, and Zero Mostel, it’s wildly entertaining caper from director Peter Yates (Bullitt) with a screenplay by the legendary William Goldman. What else could you possibly want!?