Charlie Hickman - Executive Director
Top 5 New Releases:
- One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
- Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
- Sorry, Baby (2025) Eva Victor
- Marty Supreme (2025) Josh Safdie
- The Mastermind (2025) Kelly Reichardt
Top 5 New Discoveries:
- Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995) John McTiernon - I’ve always avoided the Die Hard sequels, but to be honest, I think I like this one more than the original. It rips!
- Carlito's Way (1993) Brian de Palma - Brian de Palma is my favorite director, so I threw this on one day to continue my mission to see his whole filmography, and it knocked me out.
- Pavements (2024) Alex Ross Perry - Pavement is my favorite band, and checking out Alex Ross Perry’s experimental documentary about them was a highlight of my year.
- Jerry Maguire (1996) Cameron Crowe - Tom Cruise is my favorite actor, and this is his best performance.
- Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) Chantal Akerman - I had avoided this movie for years because of the runtime, but being forced to sit in a dark theater with no distractions really opened my eyes and was a super rewarding experience.
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
- Lawrence of Arabia on 70mm at the Music Box Theater in Chicago
- F1 in a sold-out IMAX theater, people were hooting and hollering
- Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris while studying abroad. The French people loved it
- Zodiac Killer Project at FilmScene at the Ped Mall during Refocus Film Festival
- Risky Business at FilmScene for the last Bijou After Hours of Spring 2025
Maddie Gingery - Partnerships Director
Top 5 New Releases:
Sorry, Baby (2025) Eva Victor
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Train Dreams (2025) Clint Bentley
Hamnet (2025) Chloe Zhao
Frankenstein (2025) Guillermo del Toro
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Nowhere (1997) Gregg Araki
Wings of Desire (1988) Wim Wenders
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968) William Greaves
Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Craig Gillespie
Companion (2025) Drew Hancock
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
Train Dreams (2025) Clint Bentley
The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973) Ivan Dixon
She’s the He (2025) Siobhan McCarthy
Fargo (1996) Joel Coen
Thunderbolts (2025) Jake Schreier
Ben Romero - Programming Director
Top 5 New Releases:
The Ice Tower (2025) Lucile Hadžihalilović
Afternoons of Solitude (2025) Albert Serra
April (2025) Dea Kulumbegashvili
Marty Supreme (2025) Josh Safdie
Dig! XX (2025) Ondi Timoner
Top 5 New Discoveries
The Cloud-Capped Star (1960) Ritwik Ghatak
Sátántangó (2025) Béla Tarr
El Pico / El Pico 2 (1983/1984) Eloy de la Iglesia
Intentions of Murder (1964) Shōhei Imamura)
Rocco and His Brothers (1960) Luchino Visconti
Ariana Martinez - Marketing Director
Top 5 New Releases:
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Twinless (2025) James Sweeney
Sorry, Baby (2025) Eva Victor
No Other Choice (2025) Park Chan-wook
Romería (2025) Carla Simon
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Clockwatchers (1997) Jill Sprecher
The Wedding Banquet (1993) Ang Lee
Romeo + Juliet (1996) Baz Luhrmann
This is Spinal Tap (1984) Rob Reiner
Dazed and Confused (1993) Richard Linklater
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
Dazed and Confused - The opening film for Bijou's Fall 2025 slate and my first time seeing it!
Romeo + Juliet - Bijou's Valentine's Day screening and the energy was so exciting and romantic
Clue - FilmScene in the Park is always magical and this is one of my favorite films. Truly a perfect time
All the President’s Men - Got to intro the film and moderate a panel on print journalism alongside the screening, so this was a special one
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - Co-programmed this screening as part of FilmScene 101 with other grad students, which was so lovely
Alexis Grantz
Top 5 New Releases:
One Battle After Another (2025) Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Friendship (2024) Directed by Andrew DeYoung
Sinners (2025) Directed by Ryan Coogler
Mickey 17 (2025) Directed by Bong Joon Ho
Marty Supreme (2025) Directed by Josh Safdie
Top 5 New Discoveries
Mulholland Drive (2001) Directed by David Lynch
All That Jazz (1979) Directed by Bob Fosse
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Withnail & I (1987) Directed by Bruce Robinson
Donkey Skin (1970) Directed by Jacques Demy
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
The People's Joker (2022) at FilmScene. An electric screening that I got to share with an audience that also related to the film's message.
She's the He (2025) at Refocus was a blast. The film's humor immediately resonated with the audience which made it so much fun to watch and interact with.
Friendship (2024). Got to see it with a great friend of mine, and we were both reminded that Tim Robinson is the greatest comedian of this generation.
Mulholland Drive (2001) at FilmScene. As a David Lynch fan, it was otherworldly to experience this film on the big screen for the first time. The scene at Silencio broke me and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.
Cure (1997) at After Hours. As a first watch, it immediately gripped me and I left the theater feeling both haunted and in love with Koji Yakusho.
Jeremy Laughery
Top 5 New Releases:
Cloud (2024) Kyoshi Kurosawa
The Mastermind (2025) Kelly Reichardt
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Sorry, Baby (2025) Eva Victor
Vulcanizadora (2024) Joel Potrykus
Top 5 New Discoveries:
The Blackwell Ghost series (2017- , dir. Turner Clay) (cheating with this one)
Pather Panchali (1955, dir. Satyajit Ray)
Police Story (1985, dir. Jackie Chan)
Shadows in Paradise (1986, dir. Aki Kaurismäki)
Wendigo (2001, dir. Larry Fessenden)
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
Before Sunrise in 35mm at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago - part of Filmspotting Fest
Clue on the Chauncey Lawn - part of the FilmScene in the Park series
The Devil's Backbone at FilmScene at the Chauncey - part of the Cinema Summer School series (I had the privilege of being one of the presenters!)
I Am My Own Woman at FilmScene at the Chauncey - part of the Trans Narratives series
Train Dreams at the Englert Theatre for opening night of the Refocus Film Festival
Lydia Meth
Top 5 New Releases:
K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025) Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc (2025) Tatsuya Yoshihara
Superman (2025) James Gunn
Good Boy (2025) Ben Leonberg
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Fallen Angels (dir. Wong Kar Wai)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols)
The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)
Oldboy (Park Chan Wook)
Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher)
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
Avatar: Fire and Ash (James Cameron)
Angels Egg (Mamoru Oshii)
100 Meters (Kenji Iwaisawa)
Weapons (Zach Cregger)
Wicked For Good (Jon Chu)
Kyenn Baccam
Top 5 New Releases:
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
Marty Supreme (2025) Josh Safdie
Superman (2025) James Gunn
Eddington (2025) Ari Aster
Top 5 New Discoveries:
45365 (2010) Turner Ross
The Secret Agent (2025) Kleber Mendonça Filho
Kpop Demon Hunters (2025) Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Amadeus (1984) Milos Forman
American Pie 2 (2001) J.B Rogers
Abril Garcia Rojas
Top 5 New Releases:
Fucktoys (2025) Annapurna Sriram
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Frankenstein (2025) Guillermo del Toro
Bugonia (2025) Yorgos Lanthimos
One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Pinocchio 964 (1991) Shozin Fukui
Rabbits (2002) David Lynch
Empire Records (1995) Allan Moyle
The Player (1992) Robert Altman
Climax (2018) Gaspar Noe
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
Sinners
Eddington
Mickey 17
Le Bonheur
Hospital Massacre: X-Ray
Leyton Mau
Top 5 New Releases:
Fucktoys (2025) Annapurna Sriram
No Other Choice (2025) Park Chan-wook
Marty Supreme (2025) Josh Safdie
One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
Bugonia (2025) Yorgos Lanthimos
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Until the End of the World (1991) Wim Wenders
The Lovers on the Bridge (1991) Leos Carax
Pixote (1980) Hector Babenco
Out of the Blue (1980) Dennis Hopper
Repo Man (1984) Alex Cox
Lynette Ott
Top 5 New Releases:
Superman (2025) James Gunn
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Black Phone 2 (2025) Scott Derickson
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Ballerina (2025) Len Wiseman
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Christmas Evil (1980) - This film depicts a truly disturbed man desperately trying to hold on to his one refuge in life: his love of Christmas. A protagonist you're both frightened of and for. There are both sincere moments of Christmas spirit and moments of sheer cynicism. Top it all off with philosophical conversation about what Christmas and the iconography of Santa Claus truly means. When the movie ended, my immediate thought was "If you meet Santa on the road, kill him."
Dracula 2000 (2000) - As a lifelong Dracula fan and certified Dracula Daily participant, I try to see as many Dracula films as possible. I accidentally obtained access to Canadian Tubi, and here we are. This is perhaps the ultimate fan fiction film. Not a second is wasted and every scene is treated with enough seriousness for the kind of campiness needed to make a Dracula film worthwhile.
Blondie Johnson (1933) - A pre-code lady gangster movie. Seeing a woman in power who is also treated respectfully is too rare in the gangster film genre, so this was a refreshing watch.
The Girl Can't Help It (1956) - A wild satirical romcom musical where every song is sung by the real-life musicians who made the music famous. Little Richard, Fats Domino, Julie London, Abbey Lincoln, and more appear in this technicolor Jayne Mansfield vehicle that comes highly recommend by John Waters himself.
Robot Jox (1989) - Stuart Gordon's sci-fi dystopia film where governments solve international disputes via mech fights. This film should be discussed in the same vein as Robocop and Starship Troopers due to its themes on capitalism, comodification, and how they feed the government's systematic dehumanization of its own citizens until we all end up as either puppets, cattle, or product. Crash and burn.
Top 5 Theatrical Releases:
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) - I was lucky enough to attend the FilmScene screening where writer Nicholas Meyer was in attendance as a part of his book tour. Meyer spoke about the film beforehand, which was amazing for me because I'd wanted to see this film for a long time. The theater was packed with fans, Meyer brought some wonderful insight to the film, and it was a dream come true to meet him.
Superman (2025) - As the opening film logos began to roll, the theater paused the movie and two employees came in to accost some teenagers for sneaking in candy. Witnessing this grand injustice seemed to unite the theater, as I had previously assumed the group of teens in front of me would cause a ruckus. They proved me wrong and acted with perfect theater etiquette. I wish them luck in their future of sneaking in candy.
The Church (1989) - For the second year in a row I attended the annual FilmScream 12 hour horror movie marathon and stayed the whole night. The Church is the film I was most excited for. I'm a big fan of Dario Argento, who wrote and produced, the music is by Philip Glass and Fabio Pignatelli, and as icing on the cake, the film is based on an MR James story. I was entranced seeing this on the big screen in such a fun environment.
Trick or Treat (1986) - Another FilmScream entry, this time with rock n roll! This is a great film about celebrities and parasocial relationships, but the best part about seeing it in theaters is getting to jam out to great music with a bunch of other excited horror fans. A movie made to be watched with others.
Wicked: For Good (2025) - I might as well movie into FilmScene given how much time I spend there. I saw the Wicked double feature and spent about 6 hours at the theater. Again, it was packed. Being gathered with so many people excited about movies is always fantastic. I had been anticipating Wicked: For Good all year, so seeing the double feature felt like all my waiting paid off.
Brianna Bohling-Hall
Top 5 New Releases:
In the Shadow of the Cypress (2025) Directed by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani.
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc (2025) Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara.
Look Back (2025) Directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama.
One Battle After Another (2025) Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Hollywood’s Finest: Becoming a mother on the streets of L.A. (2025) Directed by Claire Collins for the Los Angeles Times.
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Starman (1984) Directed by John Carpenter.
Not a movie, but the pilot of Knights of Guinevere (2025) Directed by Dana Terrace.
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Directed by Norman Jewison.
Minority Report (2002) Directed by Steven Spielberg.
The Descent (2006) Directed by Neil Marshall.
Chase Haydock
Top 5 New Releases:
One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
No Other Choice (2025) Park Chan-wook
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
Bugonia (2025) Yorgos Lanthimos
Weapons (2025) Zach Cregger
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Beau Travail (1999) Claire Denis
Y tu Mama Tambien (2001) Alfonso Cuaron
Happiness (1998) Todd Solondz
The Hole (1998) Tsai Ming-liang
La Haine (1995) Mathieu Kassovitz
Mark Flores
Top 5 New Releases:
One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
Freaky Tales (2025) Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
Vulcanizadora (2025) Joel Potrykus
Marty Supreme (2025) Josh Safdie
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025) Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Takeshi Kitano's Filmography
Michael Haneke's Filmography
The Before Trilogy
Police Story Trilogy
New Jack City
Top 5 Theatrical Experiences:
F1 in Imax - Felt like objectively the correct way to experience this, roaring engines on either side of you while taking in Joseph Kosinski's talent for filming things going fast
Field of Dreams at Filmscene in the Park - Experiencing this outdoors, in Iowa, as the crowd quotes iconic lines, is hard to match
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at Alamo Drafthouse - my first experience at an Alamo Drafthouse and what a treat to reexperience some childhood nostalgia on the big screen again
There Will be Blood in 35mm - made an already gorgeous film not just a watch but an experience, the technical difficulties of a damaged reel towards the opening just added to it
Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death at Sycamore - Awesome experiencing what has become one of my favorite anime story arcs on a giant screen and got me back into anime after a long hiatus
Fisher Meyerink
Top 5 New Releases:
Marty Supreme (2025) Josh Safdie
Bugonia (2025) Yorgos Lanthimos
Sinners (2025) Ryan Coogler
The Long Walk (2025) Francis Lawrence
One Battle After Another (2025) Paul Thomas Anderson
Top 5 New Discoveries:
Do the Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee
Blue Velvet (1986) David Lynch
Being John Malkovich (1999) Spike Jonze
The Wolf House (2018) Cristobal Leon, Joaquin Cocina
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Sidney Lumet