Laemmle Theatres’ weekly series of fresh international films, Worldwide Wednesdays! Most are newer obscure films that we want to bring to a broader L.A. audience, screening in multiple venues all over L.A. County so cinephiles will not have to schlep to a single location. The films, however, come from many thousands of miles away! Screenings are Wednesday evenings with encore showings on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
PERFECT ENDINGS June 4, 7 & 8. After a decade-long relationship ends, filmmaker João finds himself at a crossroads in both his personal and professional lives. While trying to break into the film industry, he ends up directing amateur erotic films. With the support of loyal friends, João embarks on a dating journey, navigating modern romance and finding inspiration. Directed by Daniel Ribeiro. (Brazil, 2024)
BLOCK PASS June 11, 14 & 15. A queer motocross coming-of-age drama—sensitive, deeply felt, and quietly profound—that establishes Antoine Chevrollier as a filmmaker to watch. Reminiscent of Rebel Without a Cause but with dirt bikes as the vehicle for defiance, the film follows blood-brothers Willy (Sayyid El Alami) and Jojo (Amaury Foucher) as they navigate grief, masculinity, and unspoken desires. Directed by Antoine Chevrollier. (2024, France/United States)
ZÉNITHAL JUNE 18, 21 & 22. Ti-Kong, the famous kung fu master, is found dead. Could the assassin be the Machiavellian Dr. Sweeper? Insecure Francis falls into his clutches as he becomes a crucial part of Sweeper’s scheme to preserve absolute male domination over the globe. That is, unless Sonia, Francis’ girlfriend, decides to take action to save him, restore their relationship, and establish peace between the sexes. Directed by Jean-Baptiste Saurel. (France, 2024)
SHALL WE DANCE? June 25, 28 & 29. Shohei Sugiyama seems to have it all — a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day while commuting on the train he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him head-first into the world of competitive ballroom dancing. Directed by Masayuki Suô. (Japan, 1996)
SHANGHAI BLUES July 2, 5 & 6. In 1937, a soldier and a young woman meet in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bombing. Although they can’t see each other’s faces, they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later, the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba player, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it, they unknowingly end up living in the same building. Through a series of mishaps, he mistakes her new roommate for his love interest, and love triangle hijinks ensue. Directed by Tsui Hark. (Hong Kong, 1984)
THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS July 9, 12 & 13. In a cage on a trailer in the middle of the desert, BlackWoman is abandoned. But BlackWoman seems not ready to pass…she escapes, and walks through pestilence and persecution, from desert to canyon to mountain to city, on a quest that leads to a city, recapture and tragedy. BlackWoman, escaping once more, must find solace in her beginnings. Directed by Rolf de Heer. (Australia, 2022)
THE POLISH WOMEN July 16, 19 & 20. Rio de Janeiro, early 20th century. Escaping famine in Poland, Rebeca (Valentina Herszage), together with her son Joseph, arrives in Brazil to meet her husband, who immigrated first hoping for a better life for the three of them. However, she finds a completely different reality in Rio de Janeiro. Rebeca discovers that her husband has passed away and ends up a hostage of a large network of prostitution and trafficking of Jewish women headed by the ruthless Tzvi (Caco Ciocler). To escape this exploitation, she will need to transgress her beliefs. Directed by João Jardim. (Brazil, 2023)
A WORLD APART July 23, 26 & 27. Arriving during a snowstorm to take a post at a tiny rural school on the verge of closure, Cortese (Antonio Albanese) finds himself far from the comforts of Rome and faced with a lively, multi-age class. With the support of Agnese (Virginia Raffaele), the school’s passionate vice-principal, he gradually sheds his urban habits and rediscovers the true meaning of teaching — rooted in empathy, resilience, and the power of community. Directed by Riccardo Milani. (Italy, 2024)
FORBIDDEN GAMES July 30, August 2 & 3. When her parents are killed in an air strike while trying to flee Paris during the German invasion, five-year-old Paulette (Brigitte Fossey) (“in a performance that rips the heart out” – New York Times) wanders into the French countryside, where she encounters 11-year-old peasant boy Michel (Georges Poujouly). As they build a special, secret friendship, the adults play their own games of buffoonish peasant feuds. A masterpiece of French post-war cinema, Forbidden Games won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival — and then became a worldwide art house smash. Directed by René Clément. (France, 1952)
THE TIME IT TAKES August 6, 9 & 10. A devoted father shares a special bond with his young daughter, but as she grows, the enchantment begins to fade. Adolescence brings distance and disillusionment. She spirals into drug use, concealing her struggles from her father. Refusing to turn away, he takes a decisive step — bringing her to Paris in a final attempt to rekindle their connection and guide her back to herself. Directed by Francesca Comencini. (Italy/France, 2024)
THE TIES THAT BIND US August 13, 16 & 17. A poignant adaptation of Alice Ferney’s L’Intimité, Carine Tardieu’s The Ties that Bind Us explores how unexpected bonds can transform our beliefs and definitions of family. Sandra (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), a librarian who never wanted children, reluctantly agrees to care for her neighbor’s young son Elliot while his mother gives birth. When tragedy strikes, Sandra, Elliot, and his father find their lives unexpectedly intertwined. Tender and empathetic, Tardieu’s film is a moving meditation on grief, connection, and the forms love and family can take. Directed by Carine Tardieu. (France/Belgium, 2024)
BAURYNA SALU August 27, 30 & 31. In Kazakhstan, the ancient nomadic tradition of “bauryna salu” dictates that firstborn children are raised by their grandparents. Following this custom, Yersultan is sent to live with his grandmother from birth, growing up in her care while feeling increasingly abandoned by his parents. Though he forms a deep bond with his grandmother, Yersultan remains emotionally distant from his parents. At age 12, his world is shattered by his grandmother’s death, which forces him to leave the only home he’s ever known and return to live with a family he barely recognizes. Directed by Askhat Kuchinchirekov. (Kazakhstan, 2023)