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BOUNDARIES

Watch Trailer Director: Shana Feste
Writer(s): Shana Feste
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Vera Farmiga, Lewis MacDougall

Laura (Vera Farmiga) is a single mother living in Seattle, who has a constant need to put others & animals before her. When her estranged, criminally-minded father Jack (Christopher Plummer) is kicked out of his retirement home, Laura agrees to drive him down the coast to live with her sister JoJo (Kristen Schaal) in LA. Along for the ride is her bright but troubled son Henry, and an assortment of animal charity cases. Without telling Laura, Jack convinces Henry to help him sell off his copious supply of marijuana at every stop of their journey, resulting in unexpected reunions with old friends and family.

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Running Time: 104 min104 MIN
R Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

Plummer isn't the only thing this movie has going for it. There's writer-director Feste's knack for a choice line and a real feel for how to stage an offbeat comic moment.

David Fear
Rolling Stone
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Beat the Heat: THE BEATLES: YELLOW SUBMARINE

Watch Trailer Director: George Dunning
Cast: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

Join us during Ohio Brew Week’s Last Call festivities for a one-time-only, extra special return to Pepperland! Newly restored in 4K with 5.1 Surround Sound for its 50th anniversary, Yellow Submarine is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, presented today more complete and colorful than ever before. It is propelled by essential Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.”  When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognized as a landmark achievement, revolutionizing a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.

Yellow Submarine was restored in 4K digital resolution by Paul Rutan Jr. and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc.  The film’s songs and score were remixed in 5.1 stereo surround sound at UMG’s Abbey Road Studios by music mix engineer Peter Cobbin. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements.  This was all done by hand, frame by frame. 

Athena Cinema of Ohio University’s College of Fine Arts will partner with the Department of Real Estate Management, Community Engagement and Economic Development to present the Athena Cinema 6th Annual Beat the Heat $2 Days Film Series and Fundraiser for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Athens County! Every year, the summer series showcases children’s and family-friendly films at a discounted admission. Get out of the heat and come enjoy the cool air conditioning, delicious concessions, and movies that every child should see on the big screen!

To benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Athens County, the price of admission to these screenings is a suggested minimum donation of $2 per ticket.

Yellow Submarine is part of Ohio Brew Week’s official Last Call celebration.

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Running Time: 87 minutes87 MIN
G Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

An endlessly inventive picture that blends 1960s psychedelia with such diverse styles as pop art and Art Deco to create the fantastical world of Pepperland and its bizarre inhabitants.

David Parkinson
Radio Times
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Sponsored by Ohio Brew Week, Ohio University, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Athens County Children Services, Athens County Public Libraries, Athens Prosecutor’s Office, Ohio University Credit Union

Sustainability Series: WATER WARRIORS & FROM FLINT: VOICES OF A POISONED CITY

Athena Cinema, Environmental Studies, and the Alden Library present the sixth year of the Sustainability Film Series, working in partnership with many sponsors. Our vision and goal are those of years past: to offer attendees the opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of the current issues related to global environmental and sustainable challenges and solutions. We aim to bring together students, faculty and regional community members. The program recognizes the strength of this integration, coming together and learning from each other. Following each screening, we invite audience members to join us for a panel discussion hosted by faculty members, students, and community members. Please join us for a conversation following these beautiful, thought-provoking and timely films. All admissions free.

Water Warriors (22 mins)

When an energy company begins searching for natural gas in New Brunswick, Canada, indigenous and white families unite to drive out the company in a campaign to protect their water and way of life. Texas-based SWN Resources arrived in New Brunswick, Canada to explore for natural gas. The region is known for its forestry, farming and fishing industries, which are both commercial and small-scale subsistence operations that rural communities depend on. In response, a multicultural group of unlikely warriors–including members of the Mi’kmaq Elsipogtog First Nation, French-speaking Acadians and white, English-speaking families–set up a series of road blockades, preventing exploration. After months of resistance, their efforts not only halted drilling; they elected a new government and won an indefinite moratorium on fracking in the province.

From Flint: Voices From a Poisoned City (25 mins)

From Flint goes beyond the news headlines to spotlight the impact of the devastating water contamination crisis on the people of Flint, Michigan. The film highlights the stories of residents who were personally injured, along with the work of local organizations and individuals that rallied to support them. Flint is a city of 100,000 people, with 41% living below the poverty line and an African-American majority. The city switched in 2014 to water from the polluted Flint River to save money, but the new water supply wasn’t properly treated. Lead from aging lines leached into the local water supply, along with coliform bacteria and other contaminants, creating a serious health crisis. Up to 12,000 children may have been exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water. Some residents were also forced to abandon their homes without warning. Residents describe their personal struggles, including the serious medical issues that afflicted them — seizures, rashes, problems affecting newborns and young children –as well as their anger over a government that continually failed to protect them. The citizens of Flint make their displeasure known through emotional testimonies to officials about the impact on children and families, as well as through large, peaceful protests. The film also highlights how residents and local organizations have come together to help and support one another through the crisis.

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Running Time: 47 min47 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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THE VOICELESS

Watch Trailer Director: Vanessa McNeal

The Voiceless came into fruition following the “We Are Survivors” film produced by Vanessa McNeal and PLVTO Pros. That short featured the stories of eight survivors of sexual violence. Viewers were in disbelief when they saw that one of the subjects in the film was male. They were shocked because we live in a society that doesn’t acknowledge that sexual violence happens to men. That disbelief inspired the creation of a documentary solely about men. This film is the first step to changing the culture and conversation surrounding sexual violence and who it happens to.

Free admission brought to you by OU Health Promotion.

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OU Health Promotion for Sexual Assault/Misconduct Prevention

Beat the Heat: HOOK

Watch Trailer Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts

When his young children are abducted by his old nemesis, Capt. Hook (Dustin Hoffman), middle-aged lawyer Peter Banning (Robin Williams) returns to his magical origins as Peter Pan. Peter must revisit a foggy past in which he abandoned Neverland for family life, leaving Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts) and the Lost Boys to fend for themselves. Given their bitterness toward Peter for growing up — and their allegiance to their new leader, Rufio — the old gang may not be happy to see him.

Athena Cinema of Ohio University’s College of Fine Arts will partner with the Department of Real Estate Management, Community Engagement and Economic Development to present the Athena Cinema 6th Annual Beat the Heat $2 Days Film Series and Fundraiser for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Athens County! Every year, the summer series showcases children’s and family-friendly films at a discounted admission. Get out of the heat and come enjoy the cool air conditioning, delicious concessions, and movies that every child should see on the big screen!

To benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Athens County, the price of admission to these screenings is a suggested minimum donation of $2 per ticket.

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Running Time: 144 minutes144 MIN
PG Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Sponsored by Ohio University, Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Athens County Children Services, Athens County Public Libraries, Athens Prosecutor’s Office, Ohio University Credit Union

Dads Weekend: MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN

Watch Trailer Director: Terry Jones
Cast: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin

Monty Python delivers the group’s sharpest and smartest satire of both religion and Hollywood’s epic films. Set in 33 A.D. Judea where the exasperated Romans try to impose order, it is a time of chaos and change with no shortage of messiahs and followers willing to believe them. At it’s center is Brian Cohen, born in Bethlehem in a stable next door, who, by a series of absurd circumstances is caught up in the new religion and reluctantly mistaken for the promised messiah, providing ample opportunity for the entire ensemble (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin) to shine in multiple roles as they question everyone and everything from ex-lepers, Pontius Pilate and haggling to revolutionaries, crazy prophets, religious fanaticism, Roman centurions and crucifixion, forever changing our biblical view.

Admission is $8

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Running Time: 94 min94 MIN
R Rated
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

Still holds up beautifully, as both pointed satire and silly, stakes-free comedy.

Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
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Welcome Week Movie

Welcome to Athens, Bobcats! Did you know there is a historic art house movie theater right on Court St…? The Athena Cinema has been a fixture of Uptown Athens for more than a century. We not only show an excellent selection of contemporary independent films, classic movies, and timely documentaries, we’re also the home of the annual Athens International Film and Video Festival – one of the oldest film fests in the country!

Stop in and pay us a visit at 20 S. Court St! Sign up for our email list and get a free small popcorn – we proudly use kernels from Athens’ own Shagbark Seed & Mill. We’d love you to come by and check out the movies we’re playing, get a limited edition student loyalty card, become a member, and have a look at the classy lobby of our 109-year-old cinema!

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FIRST REFORMED

Watch Trailer Director: Paul Schrader
Writer(s): Paul Schrader
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer

Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past, and equally despairing future, until he finds redemption in an act of grandiose violence. From writer-director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver; American Gigolo; Affliction) comes a gripping thriller about a crisis of faith that is at once personal, political, and planetary.

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Running Time: 108 minutes108 MIN
R Rated
Closed Captioning is available for this film. Open Captioning is available for this film. This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

Ethan Hawke is better than ever in Paul Schrader’s tense eco-thriller

Eric Kohn
indieWIRE
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THE SEAGULL

Watch Trailer Director: Michael Mayer
Cast: ANNETTE BENING, SAOIRSE RONAN, COREY STOLL, ELISABETH MOSS, MARE WINNINGHAM, JON TENNEY, GLENN FLESHLER MICHAEL ZEGEN, BILLY HOWLE, BRIAN DENNEHY

One summer at a lakeside Russian estate, friends and family gather for a weekend in the countryside. While everyone is caught up in passionately loving someone who loves somebody else, a tragicomedy unfolds about art, fame, human folly, and the eternal desire to live a purposeful life.

The estate is owned by Sorin (Brian Dennehy), a retired government employee, and his sister Irina (Annette Bening), a legendary actress of the Moscow stage. Irina is imperious, narcissistic and selfish, and anxious about holding on to her star status and the affections of her younger lover, Boris Trigorin (Corey Stoll), a successful writer of short stories. Irina constantly belittles her aspiring writer son Konstantin (Billy Howle), perhaps because his existence as a grown man reminds her that age is catching up with her. While he adores his mother despite her cruelty, Konstantin acts out his insecurity and anger by rejecting both her style of theatre and Boris’s writing, declaring them old-fashioned and banal. A dreamer, Konstantin declares he will create bold and superior new forms of theatre and literature.

Konstantin, who grew up on the estate, is head over heels in love with Nina (Saoirse Ronan), a beautiful and naïve local girl who dreams of being an actress. Nina is flattered when Konstantin gives her the starring role in his newly written play, but soon after encountering Boris, she rejects Konstantin, and pursues the handsome and famous writer instead.

Masha (Elisabeth Moss), the forlorn, black-clad, self-medicating daughter of Sorin’s estate manager Shamrayev (Glenn Fleshler) and his wife Polina (Mare Winningham), suffers an unrequited love for Konstantin, who insensitively spurns her. She scorns the insipid schoolteacher Medvedenko (Michael Zegen), who refuses to be discouraged by her rejection and accepts any crumbs of attention she drops him. Polina aches for the charismatic country doctor Dorn (Jon Tenney), who, pays her some attention, but still relishes the connection with Irina with whom he had an affair years ago. The elderly Sorin, long past any hope of romance, lives in a languid state of regret over roads not taken.

Adapted by Tony-winning playwright Stephen Karam (“The Humans”) from Anton Chekhov’s classic play and directed by Tony-winner Michael Mayer (“Spring Awakening”), THE SEAGULL explores, with comedy and melancholy, the obsessive nature of love, the tangled relationships between parents and children, and the transcendent value and psychic toll of art.

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Running Time: 98 minutes98 MIN
PG-13 Rated
Closed Captioning is available for this film. Open Captioning is available for this film. Listening Aids are available for this film. Descriptive Aids are available for this film. This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

When [Saoirse] Ronan's face appears for the first time it is a glowing orb that fills the screen. She seems to emit sunshine from inside her white dress.

Josephine Livingstone
Slate
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THE RIDER

Watch Trailer Director: Chloé Zhao
Cast: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau

Based on his a true story, THE RIDER stars breakout Brady Jandreau as a once rising star of the rodeo circuit warned that his competition days are over after a tragic riding accident. Back home, Brady finds himself wondering what he has to live for when he can no longer do what gives him a sense of purpose: to ride and compete. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity and tries to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.

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Running Time: 104 minutes104 MIN
R Rated
Closed Captioning is available for this film. Open Captioning is available for this film. Listening Aids are available for this film. Descriptive Aids are available for this film. This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

"The Rider" comes as close to a spiritual experience as anything I've encountered in a movie theater this year.

Justin Chang
Los Angeles Times
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