In myth, literature, and religion, forty is a number believed to signify transformation and change, as well as providing a sense of time that separates different periods. Moses spent forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai. Muhammad was forty years old when he received God’s word. Age forty marks the beginning of middle adulthood, bringing with it reflection and a sense of renewed purpose. I keep all this in mind, with excitement, as the Cinematheque is going into its 40th year.
As some of you know, the Cinematheque celebrates two anniversaries: July 14, 1985 for the first screening of the Cleveland Cinematheque, and August 1,1986 for the Cinematheque operating under the Cleveland Institute of Art. We are lucky to start our celebration year with a movie selected by the Cinematheque founder John Ewing himself – a summer-appropriate, French New Wave classic Adieu, Phillipine by Jacque Rozier. We will continue commemorating the 40th anniversary with film series from November 2025 through July 2026.
In the face of the disconcerting news that impacted the arts and culture field in the last couple of weeks – the funding cuts to the NEA, PBS, and NPR in particular – I am again grateful for your support of our programming and mission, and I am excited to present you a calendar is packed with film series that span across genres, decades, and continents, as well as highlighting the work of directors as distinct as René Clair, Bruce Robinson, Luc Moullet, and Nobuhiko Ôbayashi.
For those of you looking for special engagements, don’t miss Rebel With A Clause on July 17 with Ellen Jovin of the “Grammer Table” in person, the Art House Theater Day screening of Tangerine on July 24 with exclusive content from Sean Baker, and live music by synth enthusiasts Montropolis accompanying a curated selection of classic horror clips for Ghost Almanac on August 16. My most selfish programming pick of this calendar is The Sword and the Claw on August 8. If you would like to see the kind of movies I grew up with – and this particular one directed by Natuk Baytan, who made some of my all-time favorite Turkish action and comedy movies – join us for a fun night of gonzo action. The program will be introduced by fellow Turkish Clevelander Cigdem Slankard, CSU Professor and Director of School of Film & Media Arts.
As always, we might add more movies to our program as release dates get announced. If you haven’t done so already, sign up for our email newsletter for latest updates here on our website. See you at the movies!
Bilgesu Sisman, Director of Cinematheque