📆 November at Hard Light

Hey all,

Just sending out a quick schedule update to get some of the upcoming screenings on your radar rather than spamming you with emails for each individual event. We’ll have some VAFF updates here in a few days, and then we have our screening of Nosferatu the Vampyre at the University of Richmond. I hope to see you there!

Nov. 2nd: Horse Money (2014) dir. Pedro Costa

📍 RPL Main Library

📅 November 2

⏰ doors 1:30p / starts 2p

🐌 Part 3/4 of our Slow Sundays series

One of the most oft-cited names in slow cinema, Pedro Costa layers a mad, decolonial, nonlinear labyrinth of his friend Ventura’s memories of revolution, as he somnambulates amongst nameless institutions. Time is strange, elastic, and amorphous in Horse Money, refusing easy passage, like the history and wounds the film resurfaces to try to lay to rest.

There is ample free street parking surrounding RPL that is unlimited on weekends. Free refreshments will also be available inside. Come through for a lovely afternoon of slow cinema! As always, we are very appreciative of our hosts Richmond Public Library for making this partnership possible.

— Syd, Hard Light Cinema

Nov. 13th: Phoenix (2014) dir. Christian Petzold

📍 Boatwright Library, Adams Auditorium

📅 November 13

⏰ doors 6:30p / starts 7p

🇩🇪 Part 3/3 of our Focus on German Film series with the University of Richmond

Phoenix, Christian Petzold’s haunting riff on Vertigo, is the exciting capstone to our Hard Light Cinema at UR: Focus on German Film series. It’s equal parts tender and thrilling as it balances espionage and survival in post-WWII Berlin. One of Nina Hoss’s great collaborations with Petzold, Phoenix tells the story of a former cabaret singer who survived the concentration camps and returned to find those who betrayed her to the Gestapo. With scenes that will move you and keep you on the edge of your seat, Phoenix concludes with one of the 21st century’s great cinematic endings.

We’re excited to bring this beauty by Petzold to the city of Richmond on the eve of his new film, Mirrors No. 3. So join us at 7PM on November 13th for the ending of our Hard Light Cinema at UR German Cinema series and prepare to be moved.

Because this screening will be on the University of Richmond campus, parking will be a bit different than our usual screenings. We encourage parking at the Ryland Circle on campus. There will be a limited number of free visitor’s passes that we’ll be handing out in the parking lot, but we encourage you to fill out this form and get your own free pass mailed to you, especially since it’ll work at all of our University of Richmond screenings this semester! See y’all there!

— Warner West, Hard Light Cinema

Nov. 19: Atlantics (2019) dir. Mati Diop

📍 Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU

📅 November 19

⏰ doors 6p / starts 7p

🌊 Part 2/4 of our Black Atlantic series

Using entirely nonprofessional actors, Mati Diop’s debut film is a supernatural romance set in present-day Senegal, where Ada and her partner Souleiman navigate class struggle, unreliable employment, migration, refugee crises, family strife, and hauntings from the past. This modern masterpiece explores a West African perspective on the Black Atlantic, casting the Atlantic Ocean itself as a phantom character that drives the plot of the film. In 2019, Diop became the first Black woman director to compete in the Cannes Film Festival, ultimately winning the Grand Prix for Atlantics and setting the stage for the success of her following efforts, including last year’s hit documentary Dahomey (2024).

— Lewis Peterson, Hard Light Cinema

Nov. 21: Tampopo (1985) dir. Jūzō Itami

📍 Studio Two Three

📅 November 21

⏰ doors 7p / starts 7:30p

🌟 Staff Pick — Jack Wolfe

Often referred to as the “Ramen Western,” Tampopo is a delight for the senses. Featuring a dozen vignettes that weave in and out of the central plot featuring the titular character “Tampopo” and her journey along with pair of truck drivers, Gorō and Gun, to perfect her ramen recipe. Featuring the gorgeous cinematography of Masaki Tamura (Lady Snowblood, Serpent’s Path) and enthralling sound design by Kunihiko Murai. Do not come hungry, or have dinner plans after for maximum enjoyment.

Entry is pay-what-you-can, but we ask for a suggested donation of $10 to help cover licensing fees. Free for Hard Light Members!

— Jack Wolfe, Hard Light Cinema