SIRI HUSTVEDT – DANCE AROUND THE SELF

NYC PREMIERE How does ballet remain relevant while continuing to evolve? This intimate documentary follows emerging and established choreographers during an intense 10-day creation process at the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, where they navigate ideas, dancers, production, and nerves. Archival clips of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins present ballet’s creative lineage, while leading choreographers illuminate the craft today. This intimate and visually stunning exploration of the artistic process celebrates the grace, beauty, and expressive possibilities of the human form. - Karen McMullen

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/producers Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger, editor Anne Barliant, cinematographer Claudia Raschke, and composer Philip Sheppard.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

NYC PREMIERE After the publicly beloved New York City singer, songwriter, and holy teacher Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach passed away in 1994, denominations across the Jewish faith were shaken when numerous women accused him of shocking incidents of sexual abuse. How could someone whose music moved so many people commit such egregious breaches of trust in private? Foregrounding the survivors and Carlebach’s daughter Neshama, first-time feature director Simon Mendes threads a complicated needle as he grapples with questions of healing with sensitivity, grace, and a sense that both light and darkness must be confronted. - Jaie Laplante

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Simon Mendes and protagonists Neshama Carlebach, Donna Zerner, and S.J. Schwaidelson.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

NYC PREMIERE Painter and master collagist Romare Bearden created vibrant, groundbreaking depictions of Black American life. From childhood in Harlem and Pittsburgh and a stint as a gifted baseball player to his expansive art career, the film illuminates his immense talent through rich archival footage, including Bearden in his NYC studios and with collaborators Alvin Ailey and James Baldwin. Beautifully illustrated with Bearden’s artwork, this portrait deftly weaves Black life, history, and creativity into the story of a singular American artist. - Karen McMullen

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with writer/director Deborah Riley Draper, producer Jarobi Moorhead, protagonist and President Emerita of Spelman College Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, and contemporary artist Al-Baseer Holly.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Harvey Kurtzman, the irreverent creative voice known for founding MAD Magazine, inspired a generation of offbeat creatives, and his absurdist taste influenced a broader shift in American humor. This chronicling of the illustrator’s life includes animated sketches and archival footage of Kurtzman, and a chorus of voices—from artists Matt Groening and Terry Gilliam to family members—lauds the cartoonist’s groundbreaking countercultural legacy. - Brandon Harrison

The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Bart Simpson and protagonist Nellie Kurtzman.

All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.