Film at Lincoln Center will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer with a free showcase of movies, including nine French films from the 1960s to current releases. Every Thursday from June 27 to September 5, the center will host a double-feature screening. The film pairings bring different directors, generations of actors, and cinematic styles together. The showings will be split between the Walter Reade Theater and the Francesca Beale Theater.
The summer series kicks off with Agnès Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7, which follows a pop singer’s confrontation with her own death and the consequences of the Algerian war. This premier event will also include free popcorn and soda, as well as a special reception after the film from 7-8 pm.
July brings Two English Girls (François Truffaut), a film about a writer and his affections for two sisters. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch) tells the story of an aspiring movie star in a fading Hollywood, and The Leopard (Luchino Visconti), which won a Palme d’Or, depicts a Bourbon family slowly losing power in Risorgimento-era Italy.
In August, High Life (Claire Denis) will take its audience to outer space aboard a spaceship run by death-row inmates. The thriller, Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello) features a mass attack on Paris exacted by rebel-millennials, while demonlover (Olivier Assayas) twists the espionage-thriller genre into an exploration of a capitalist aristocracy. Elle (Paul Verhoeven) tells the controversial story of a female survivor of sexual assault who turns to dangerous games to dominate her perpetrator.
Finally, September features Three Times (Hou Hsiao-hsien), which follows three love stories set in different time periods yet starring the same leads. The last two films, which will be shown on September 11th, will be decided by audience vote, which begins June 27th.
Online reservations are required for each film and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The theatre opens to the public one hour before each screening.
