Welcome to Absurdistan, a small, arid rural village in an imaginary former-Eastern-bloc country. The town is facing a water shortage, but the men are too lazy to fix the rickety pipeline and the women are getting fed up with their virility-proud husbands’ apathy. Led by young Aya (Kristyna Malerova), the women make a simple vow: “No water, no sex.” The men’s only hope is Temelko (Maximilian Mauff), whose promised wedding (and honeymoon) with Aya is put on hold until he finds a solution to the water problem. A hilarious refiguring of the Lysistrata fable, this absurdist battle of the sexes story unfolds as a perfectly pitched lyrical comedy.More...   Not Rated

Even if you are about as metal as your aunt, you will be spellbound by "Anvil! The Story of Anvil," which is not just much better than most music documentaries, it's much better than most documentaries, period. You will laugh, but you will also be inspired to think and feel, and perhaps you will be literally moved to the edge of tears by the complicated-simple, stupid-smart, goofy-serious story that it tells thanks to Sacha Gervasi's inspired and impressive direction. Anvil, a band known as the “demigods of Canadian metal,” released one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982’s "Metal on Metal." The album influenced a musical generation, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, and went on to sell millions of records. This amazing documentary follows the criminally overlooked Canadian band -- a group whose core members started playing together in high school and are still going strong 35 years later. After nearly making it big, sharing the stage with acts like Whitesnake and Bon Jovi, the band has continually fallen just short of stardom, but hasn't given up on the rock-n-roll dream. A touching portrait of this real-life Spinal Tap, the film focuses equal attention on music, friendship, and the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into keeping this duo together for decades. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the L.A. Film Festival, the Galway Film Festival, and others. Following both screenings of the film, the band will perform a short live set on stage. And catch them later on Friday night at Union Street. This is a rare event not to be missed. More...   Not Rated

The perfect summer blockbuster, this action-packed time-traveling comedy stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a typical 80's teen who travels back in time to 1955. After accidentally interrupting his teenaged parents' courtship, Marty has to reunite them to make sure he'll still exist in 1980. He also has to fix the time machine so he can get back to his own time, invent the skateboard, fend off 50's bullies and introduce the world to rock-and-roll. Features unforgettable performances by Crispin Glover as Marty's wimpy dad, Lea Thompson as his lustful mom, and Christopher Lloyd as the mad scientist.More...   Rated PG

Filmmakers Ivan O'Mahoney and Laura Winter made this movie based on a simple but intriguing idea: find four typical teens in Baghdad, give them video cameras, and ask them to document a year of their lives. The results are truly remarkable. Living in Iraq's war-torn capital, these four middle-class, religiously diverse teens aren't so different from teens in America -- they worry about getting into college, listen to pop music, and send text messages to their girlfriends. But they also have to avoid roadside bombs on the way to school, and weigh the option of abandoning their hometown. An intimate look into the lives of ordinary teens living in truly extraordinary conditions.More...   Not Rated

The TCFF welcomes you to an amazing opportunity to see some of the world's most beloved and enduring cartoons like you've never seen them before. And we're talking about the best of the best here -- most of these shorts are featured at the top of countless "Greatest Cartoons of All Time" lists. Featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and more, these classic selections from the 40s and 50s include the wackiest, zaniest, and most dazzling shorts from the crown jewel of animation's golden age. A rare treat.More...   Not Rated

Director Chris Bell and his two brothers grew up in the 1980s idolizing muscle-men like Sylvester Stalone, Hulk Hogan and Arnold Schwarzenegger -- but what would it take to become them? In this fascinating, no-nonsense documentary, Bell investigates the issue of steroids and America's body-image obsession. Offering a surprisingly balanced perspective on the culturally charged topic of performance enhancing drugs, Bell's documentary combines interviews, investigative journalism, and personal stories (his brothers are both body builders who became steroid users) to offer a smart, fresh point of view on our country's worship of brawny masculinity. The asterisk in the title (*The Side Effects of Being American) says it all: what is the cost of living up to America's inflated standards? Produced by Jim Czarnecki (producer of "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11") and co-produced by Kurt Engfehr (editor and co-producer of "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11").More...   Rated PG-13

Italian master Michelangelo Antonioni's first English-language feature, "Blow-Up" follows a trendy fashion photographer (David Hemmings) in mod-era London who may have inadvertently photographed a murder. Both an erotic thriller (glamorous stars like Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles and Jane Birkin are never too far away) and a portrait of the joyless decadence, casual sex and ennui of life in London in the 60s, this artful, cinematic masterpiece unfolds as a captivating spectacle of sights and sounds. Nominated for two Oscars (Best Director, Best Original Screenplay). A true turning point in the history of cinema, "Blow-Up" helped pave the way for many of the great films films of the late 60s and 70s.More...   Not Rated

This transfixing, emotionally charged documentary follows Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, a 25-year-old soldier who was shot after only five days in Iraq. Paralyzed from the legs down by the bullet wound, Young goes on to campaign against the failures of government as a member of Iraqi Veterans Against the War. The body in the title of this documentary refers not only to Tomas, but also to the U.S. Congress -- the body whose decisions got Young into the war. Co-directors Ellen Spiro and television legend Phil Donahue will be in attendance for our screenings of this film, an impassioned documentary about a truly remarkable American.More...   Not Rated

This stunning debut feature from 18-year-old Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf follows a fable-like day in the life of a resourceful six-year-old girl who must overcome many obstacles simply to get to school. She goes to great lengths just to procure a notebook, and she is attacked and kidnapped by a group of boys playing war games in no-man's land. Set in Bamian, a small town in Afghanistan where the Taliban infamously destroyed giant Buddha statues in 2001, this epic and poetic film offers an incredible document of life in a war-torn nation and the effects of daily devastation on the minds of children.More...   Not Rated