On select weekends of February and March, Charles Coleman, FACETS Film Program Director has chosen three films which also should be celebrated and did not have the spotlight that was shown on other work.

The phenomenon of Barbie and Oppenheimer, known as “Barbenheimer,” was the cultural phenomenon of the year and clearly a milestone for marketing, but there was also a number of impressive films, including amazing work by new filmmakers. 2023 was quite a year for cinema, showcasing the range of established directors, such as Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon), Michael Mann (Ferrari), David Fincher (The Killer), Wes Anderson (Asteroid City), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Alexander Payne (The Holdovers), among others.

The films that will be shown for this program, May December (Todd Haynes), Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli), and All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson) are exceptional, yet they are unlikely to be part of the Oscar race, due to their unusual narratives, yet their work clearly indicates considerable talent, with an ambitious personal voice. These are the kind of films which certainly deserve a chance to be seen prior to the 96^th Academy Award ceremony which will be held on Sunday, March 10^th. It is clear that the Academy cannot recognize all of the films which deserve attention, and now this is your chance to take advantage of this opportunity, which you will want to see, talk about, and maybe even rewatch again and again.

All text written and films selected by Charles Coleman, FACETS Film Program Director.