A compact preview of New York repertory programs, tickets and programming for the 25th Green Mountain Film Festival, and a note on Sang-il Lee's Kabuki drama kokuho
This weekend is built for people who love film as a physical, communal experience: the kind of viewer who prefers grain, projection lamps and live introductions to streaming thumbnails. Across Manhattan and Vermont, repertory theaters and festivals have pulled together programs that mix archival restorations, filmmaker Q&As and 35mm/16mm presentations — everything from silent-era rarities to newly celebrated international epics.
What’s playing in New York
– Japan Society: A 35mm print of Yasujirō Ozu’s Late Autumn surfaces on the schedule, a warm, tactile presentation that highlights how projection and source material interact. The program places Ozu’s late work in a curated archival frame rather than treating it like background viewing.
– BAM: Triple Canopy Presents: Magic pairs historical and avant-garde pieces — names include Orson Welles, Raúl Ruiz, Dario Argento and Maya Deren — to trace cinematic sleight-of-hand and transformation across different eras and styles.
– Film Forum: A newly restored Satyajit Ray title, Days and Nights in the Forest, runs alongside a lighter Sunday repertory pick, Mouse Hunt. The contrast shows how restoration work and crowd-pleasing programming can coexist under one roof.
– Museum of the Moving Image: The retrospective 2001 in Cinema looks at how directors reworked cinematic time and memory. Expect 35mm prints such as David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr., Christopher Nolan’s Memento and Manoel de Oliveira’s I’m Going Home.
– Anthology Film Archives: The Essential Cinema series continues with 35mm screenings of Renoir and Rossellini, programmed to preserve the ritual of communal, context-rich viewing that streaming doesn’t reproduce.
– Roxy Cinema: For a more playful, family-friendly option, the Roxy presents a 16mm puppet program on Sunday — small-gauge projection, tactile pleasures, and an audience that can bring kids along.
– IFC Center: Late-night fans can catch genre staples like An American Werewolf in London, House, The Fall and The Piano Teacher in neighborhood screenings that lean into cult and midnight energy.
– Nitehawk Cinema: Offers an evening alternative with the documentary Cameraperson, programmed for viewers who prefer a quieter, reflective start to the night.
– Metrograph: The house continues its commitment to 35mm with prints of The Milky Way, Weekend, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard. New cycles include a Juliette Binoche series, Sukiyaki Bebop and What Price Hollywood, alongside ongoing strands such as Currents of Southeast Asian Cinema and Holy Trips.
Across these venues the curatorial choices matter as much as the titles: restorations, thematic pairings and printed film create experiences — sensory, intellectual and social — that can’t be fully replicated on a laptop.
Green Mountain film festival: what to know
Ticketing: The 25th Green Mountain Film Festival has opened online ticket sales. If you need a different payment method, contact Phayvanh for assistance. In-person sales begin at the Festival Hub on Thursday, March 12; individual-show tickets will be sold at the door unless a screening is already sold out.
Highlights and events
– The Ozu Diaries (USA | 2026 | Documentary | 140 min) — Vermont premiere on Friday, March 13 at 12:30 PM in the Savoy Upstairs. This feature weaves Ozu’s writings, archival footage and interviews with directors such as Wim Wenders and Tsai Ming-liang to map the director’s aesthetic across wartime and postwar Japan.
– Barbara Forever (USA | 2026 | Documentary | 102 min) — Friday, March 13 at 7:15 PM in the Capitol. The program pairs the feature with Corpus, a 7-minute experimental piece by John Killacky, who will participate in a post-screening Q&A. Note: the screening includes sexual content and nudity.
– Film Slam 2026 — Short projects created to the prompt “sci-fi,” screening with a filmmaker Q&A on Saturday, March 14 at 5:15 PM in the Savoy Downstairs. Admission is free, but tickets are required to help the festival manage capacity.
– Community and shorts programming: The festival tightens its focus on queer experimental work and short-form pieces this year, pairing premieres with conversation-driven events that foreground artist voices.
Why this weekend matters
Two threads run through these programs: a recommitment to celluloid projection and a willingness to mix archival restoration with new, often experimental work. Whether you’re watching a 35mm print or attending a festival Q&A, the emphasis is on context — projection craft, curated pairings and artist engagement all shape how films are understood. Sang-il Lee’s Kokuho, a near three-hour study of onnagata performers and the pursuit of a living national treasure, is a good example of a film that blends archival inquiry with broad audience appeal; its presence on the slate signals how documentaries can both illuminate and enliven cinema history.
Practical details and what to expect
– Look up screening times and buy tickets through each venue’s box office or official website. Festivals will update programs and panel lineups as events progress.
– Many New York houses are highlighting 35mm and 16mm presentations; if the physicality of film matters to you, check listings carefully — some shows include live introductions, archival notes or post-screening conversations.
– In Vermont, anticipate smaller, more intimate Q&As and community-focused events alongside premieres — a different pace from the city but complementary in intent.
If you want, I can pull together a two-day itinerary (Manhattan or Vermont), flag the must-see 35mm screenings, or summarize Q&A schedules and accessibility details for any of these programs. Which would be most useful?