Ganja & Hess (1973) | May 24

Flirting with the conventions of blaxploitation and horror, Bill Gunn’s revolutionary independent film Ganja & Hess is a highly stylized and utterly original treatise on sex, religion, and African American identity. Duane Jones stars as anthropologist Hess Green, who is stabbed with an ancient ceremonial dagger by his unstable assistant, bestowing upon him the blessing of immortality… and the curse of an unquenchable thirst for blood. When the assistant’s beautiful and outspoken wife Ganja comes searching for her missing husband, she and Hess form an unexpected partnership. Together, they explore just how much power blood holds. – Kino Lorber

Director: Bill Gunn

Cast: Marlene Clark, Duane Jones, Bill Gunn, Sam Waymon, Leonard Jackson. Candece Tarpley, Richard Harrow

Country: United States

Distributor: Kino Lorber

Rating: R

Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Platform: Shudder, Kanopy

Special Programming: Midnight Movies, Classic Cinema

Where to Watch

My Twentieth Century (1989) | May 24

Two twin sisters, who grew up separately, Dóra, a pseudo-aristocrat, and Lili, an anarchist bomber, are reunited through Z, a mysterious traveller of the luxurious Orient-Express. – IMDb.com

Director: Ildikó Enyedi

Cast: Dorota Segda, Paulus Manker, Péter Andorai, Gábor Máté, Eszter Kovács, Oleg Yankovskiy, Sándor Czvetkó

Country: Hungary

Distributor: Kino Lorber

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Platform: Kanopy

Special Programming: Classic Cinema

Where to Watch

Raining in the Mountain (1979) | May 24

An esquire and a General eyes a priceless handwritten scroll by Tripitaka, held in a Temple library. The Abbot of the Temple selects his successor. – JustWatch.com

Director: King Hu

Cast: Hsu Feng, Sun Yueh, Tung Lam, Tien Feng, Paul Chun, Shih Chun, Ng Ming-Choi

Country: Hong Kong

Distributor: Film Movement

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 2 hours

Platform: The Criterion Channel

Special Programming: Classic Cinema

Where to Watch

Out 1: Parts 1 & 2 (1971) | May 24

Once thought an impossible-to-see legend of cinephilia, Jacques Rivette’s multi-part epic has been revived, restored, and is available for your delirious immersion. It was originally conceived for French television by the director and Cahiers du cinéma editor and critic, but never properly shown. In its astoundingly adventurous, freeform creation—taking improvisation beyond dialog and performance into storytelling itself—the opus represents what might be considered the last great gesture of the French New Wave. – MUBI

Director: Jacques Rivette

Cast: Michèle Moretti, Hermine Karagheuz, Karen Puig, Pierre Baillot, Marcel Bozonnet, Jean-Pierre Léaud

Country: France

Distributor: Carlotta Films

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 3 hours, 19 minutes

Platform: MUBI, Kanopy

Special Programming: Long-Form Cinema, Classic Cinema

Where to Watch

The Learning Tree (1969) | May 24

The story, set in Kansas during the 1920’s, covers less than a year in the life of a black teenager, and documents the veritable deluge of events which force him into sudden manhood. The family relationships and enmities, the fears, frustrations and ambitions of the black teenager in small-town America are explored with a strong statement about human values. – JustWatch.com

Director: Gordon Parks

Cast: Kyle Johnson, Alex Clarke, Estelle Evans, Dana Elcar, Mira Waters, Joel Fluellen, Malcolm Atterbury

Country: United States

Distributor: Janus Films

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes

Platform: The Criterion Channel

Special Programming: Classic Cinema