Current & Upcoming Film Series
Past Film Series-
French Noir: From the Shadows into the Light
June 4–August 28, 2026A selection of some of the greatest noir films from France, where the expression film noir was originally coined. Featured guest speakers include film historian David Thomson and Berkeley-based Laura Truffaut, the eldest daughter of François Truffaut.
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Summer with Monica Vitti
June 11–August 13, 2026Thanks to recent restorations from Cinecittà, this series offers the opportunity to experience a selection of Monica Vitti’s best work on the big screen, from her iconic performances in the films of Michelangelo Antonioni to her exuberant comedies with Carlo Di Palma, Mario Monicelli, Luciano Salce, and Alberto Sordi.
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A Complete Stanley Kubrick
June 12–August 30, 2026Stanley Kubrick created some of the most revered works in cinema history, both critically lauded and hugely successful at the box office, while maintaining a singular vision across genres. This series includes all of Kubrick’s features, a few of his early short documentaries, and two films he prepared to make but that were ultimately completed by others.
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Some Nostalgic Place: The Films of Isao Takahata
July 2–August 28, 2026A cofounder of Studio Ghibli, director Isao Takahata (1935–2018) pushed feature animation into uncharted territories, making films using a variety of techniques but always with reverence for both the natural world and the present-tense, unremarked-upon moments in life.
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Made in Berkeley: The House That Zaentz Built
August 1–30, 2026Copresented with the Berkeley Film Foundation, Made in Berkeley presents a selection of exceptional documentaries made at the storied Fantasy Studios building over four decades. With filmmakers Vivien Hillgrove, Vivian Kleiman, Steven Okazaki, Justine Shapiro, and Denise Zmekhol in person.
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Nathaniel Dorsky & Jerome Hiler: Film Offerings
August 14–29, 2026We welcome Bay Area filmmakers Nathaniel Dorsky and Jerome Hiler, who will present four programs of their films, including Dorsky’s Hours for Jerome, Parts 1 & 2; Alaya; and Arboretum Cycle; as well as Hiler’s Words of Mercury and his latest, Careless Passage.
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Alice Diop in Person
September 3–18, 2026In conjunction with her residency at UC Berkeley as 2026–27 Avenali Chair in the Humanities at the Townsend Center for the Humanities and Pajus Distinguished Visitor in French Studies, BAMPFA presents a retrospective of Alice Diop’s cinema of formal rigor and ethical commitment.
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Jean-Luc Godard’s Early Films
September 5–November 19, 2026A selection of Jean-Luc Godard’s early films is presented in conjunction with a BAMPFA poster exhibition. The posters, recently acquired by BAMPFA, were commissioned by Tom Luddy and designed by American painter and graphic artist Gvido Augusts on the occasion of Godard’s first visit to Berkeley in 1968.
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Martin Scorsese Pictures
September 5, 2026–June 2027This extensive retrospective running through June 2027 offers the opportunity to experience the depth, breadth, and brilliance of Martin Scorsese’s cinematic vision, and to consider the themes and concerns to which he frequently returns.
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Alternative Visions
September 9–November 18, 2026This fall BAMPFA’s long-running annual series of historical and contemporary experimental film includes the work of dozens of artists across ten programs, with filmmakers, scholars, and curators in person.
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Special Screenings
OngoingRecent releases, restored classics, and special guests grace the Barbro Osher Theater.
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Georgian Cinema Now: Part 1
September 23–October 2, 2026A delegation of nine Georgian independent filmmakers and experts visits Berkeley for ten days in late September for a festival-like launch to this ongoing retrospective planned for 2026–27. Guest presenters will offer invaluable insights into the creative flourishing of contemporary Georgian cinema and the challenges filmmakers face.
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Stefanie Schulte Strathaus: Modes of Archivism
October 14–18, 2026Arsenal Filminstitut’s Artistic Director Stefanie Schulte Strathaus joins us from Berlin to share her thoughts and experiences working with the world’s archives and discuss her curatorial vision. Highlights include programs related to German filmmaker Harun Farocki, Egyptian cinema, and the epic Sudanese film Shaihu Umar (1976).
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Hong Kong Cinema: Rarities and Restorations
October 23–November 28, 2026Romantic yearning, swordplay, and the specter of the past infuse these rarities and restorations, which capture important moments and movements in the creative arc of Hong Kong cinema.
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The Cinema of Masaki Kobayashi: Midcareer Masterworks
October 31–November 21, 2026Timed with a new 4K restoration of the Director’s Cut of Kwaidan, this series focuses on the middle part of Masaki Kobayashi’s career and offers a rare chance to see 35mm prints of the works that established his place in film history: The Human Condition, Harakiri, Samurai Rebellion, and The Inheritance.
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Yim Soon-rye in Person
November 13–14, 2026BAMPFA is honored to welcome Yim Soon-rye to present two of her most heartfelt, resonant works, Waikiki Brothers and Little Forest.