A look at all the films of 2019's Cinetopia Film Festival

Cold Case Hammarskjöld
In 1961, United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, leaving no survivors. It’s understood that because Hammarskjöld was, at the time, advocating for Congo’s independence, the “crash” was an assassination. With the case still unsolved fifty-plus years later, Danish journalist, filmmaker, and provocateur Mads Brügger leads viewers down a wild investigative rabbit hole to unearth the truth. Scores of false starts, dead ends and elusive interviews later, Brügger begins to uncover a critical secret that could send shockwaves around the world. Mon, May 13 4:00 p.m.; Sat, May 18 2:30 p.m.; Sun, May 19 11:15 a.m.

Mr. Jimmy
In snowbound Tokamachi, Japan, teenaged Akio Sakurai took refuge in his room, escaping to another world with a pair of headphones and a pile of Led Zeppelin records. Moving to Tokyo, Akio worked as a kimono salesman by day, but by night became "Mr. Jimmy," adopting the guitar chops and persona of Jimmy Page. For 35 years, Akio recreated vintage Zeppelin concerts note-for-note in small Tokyo clubs, until the “real” Jimmy Page stopped by one night, and Akio’s life changed forever. Inspired by Mr. Page’s ovation, Akio quits his “salary man” job, leaving behind his family to move to Los Angeles and join “Led Zepagain.” Soon cultures clash, and Akio’s idyllic vision of America meets with reality. With special guest appearance by director Peter Dowd and assistant editor Yukari Kamiya at both screenings. Thu, May 16 3:45 p.m.; Fri, May 17 9:00 p.m.

To Dust
Grieving the recent death of his wife, Shmuel (Géza Rohrïg), decides that, in order to move on, he must understand the science behind the decomposition process of his wife’s body—despite the blasphemy inherent in any scientific inquiry. To assist his sinful pursuit, he seeks out Albert (Matthew Broderick), a community-college biology professor who Shmuel enlists to teach informal science lessons. These soon grow to include homemade experiments and a road trip to a body farm, and, as their macabre misadventures and unlikely friendship grow ever more peculiar, the odd couple prove they will stop at nothing to satiate their curiosity and, ultimately find Shmuel the peace he seeks. Sun, May 12 12:30 p.m.; Fri, May 17 6:30 p.m.; Sat, May 18 7:15 p.m.

To The Stars
In a god-fearing small town in 1960s Oklahoma, bespectacled and reclusive teen Iris endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates. She finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who hones in on Iris’s untapped potential and coaxes her out of her shell. When Maggie’s mysterious past can no longer be suppressed, the tiny community is thrown into a state of panic, leaving Maggie to take potentially drastic measures and inciting Iris to stand up for her friend and herself. MARTHA STEPHENS directs this period piece with flair, utilizing classic black-and-white landscape cinematography to create an aesthetic feast. With special guest appearance by director Martha Stephens on Sunday May 12th at the State Theatre. Sun, May 12 12:45 p.m.; Mon, May 13 7:00 p.m.

Styx
ER doctor Rike (Susanne Wolff) embarks on a one-woman solo sailing trip to Ascension Island in the Atlantic. When Rike comes across a sinking ship of refugees, she is quickly torn out of her contented and idealized world and must make a momentous decision. Aptly named after the mythological river that separates the living from the dead, STYX is an astute modern day parable of Western indifference in the face of marginalized suffering. Carrying practically the entire film, Wolff is riveting as a woman pushed to her physical, psychological and moral limits. Sat, May 11 1:00 p.m.; Tue, May 14 4:30 p.m.

The Infamous Future
The Infamous Future focuses on the unique perspectives of inspired educators and their remarkable students, as educator David C. Banks and his Eagle Academy Foundation strive to change an entrenched American mindset, insisting that young black and brown men are not going to be one of America’s problems, but instead one of its greatest successes. With special guest appearances by school CEO David C. Banks, writer John Campbell, and alumnus Christopher on Friday May 17th at Emagine Royal Oak. Fri, May 17 7:00 p.m.; Sat, May 18 2:45 p.m.

The Map To Paradise
THE MAP TO PARADISE is an adventure-filled and spectacularly gorgeous tale about the birth of the global movement to protect the sea. From underwater worlds of ice to glistening coral sanctuaries, discover what it takes to build a movement and to create positive change. Filmed across six continents, the filmmakers have set out to challenge the mainstream narrative of hard-hitting environmental documentaries with a “doom and gloom” message, and replace it with one of hope and courage. Along the way, we meet a prince, a president, a pirate, and also an island chief—among others—who are all playing a role in the quest to save the planet. Mixing colorful character-driven stories and hand-rendered animations, THE MAP TO PARADISE is a rare urgent environmental wake-up call that retains a sense of awe and wonder for the kind of beauty that is still possible. Tue, May 14 4:00 p.m.; Thu, May 16 7:15 p.m.

Them That Follow
Snake handlers are spiritual renegades belonging to an obscure sect of American Pentecostalism: part of a century-old tradition of worshipping with venomous snakes during church services. Seeing themselves as the vanguards of salvation in a morally bankrupt world, believers put their lives on the line, each and every week, to prove themselves before God. Set deep in the hills of Appalachia, Them That Follow explores this unseen way of life—telling the story of a pastor’s daughter whose forbidden relationship forces her to confront the dangerous traditions of her father’s church. Featuring Olivia Colman and Jim Gaffigan. Sun, May 12 9:00 p.m.; Fri, May 17 9:00 p.m.; Sat, May 18 5:15 p.m.

Complicity (Kazenokiwa Kotono Youni)
Chen Liang, a young Chinese man is an illegal immigrant in Japan. One day he receives a call about a job offer meant for someone else. In his desperation, he pretends to be the intended recipient in order to get the job, which turns out to be work at a traditional Japanese soba restaurant. He starts his new life living and working with the elderly soba master with the fear that his identity could be exposed at any moment. Wed, May 15 8:45 p.m.; Thu, May 16 4:15 p.m.

Crossing Beyond
“Flowers bloom on every border” wrote Korean poet Ham Min-Bok, a metaphor which inspired acclaimed documentarian Yi Seung-jun to explore how the Olympic values reach across borders of all kinds to deliver hope. Crossing Beyond follows a select group of athletes from diverse backgrounds – British snowboarder Billy Morgan, Ghanaian skeleton racer Akwasi Frimpong, ice hockey player Park Yoon-jung and the unified Korean team, Austrian ski jumper Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, and Afghani Alpine skiers Sayed Alishah Farhang and Sajjad Husaini – as they navigate the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. It tells the stories of athletes compelled to confront personal, social, political and geographical boundaries in the face of daunting challenges. YI SEUNG-JUN captures the Olympic spirit and soul of this edition of the Olympic Games, celebrating their essence by asking deeper questions about the value of sport beyond the podium. Sun, May 12 6:00 p.m.; Sat, May 18 3:00 p.m.

Fonotune: An Electric Fairytale
In another time and place, where people barely communicate and an impending apocalypse is in the air, lone drifter Mono makes an odyssey to experience mysterious rock star Blitz’s final cosmic performance out in the Big White Nothing, a desert surrounding the city. Here, people escape from reality, and each other, through music. A constant companion in their headphones is Radio, nihilistic DJ of radio station FONOTUNE, playing his own joyous soundtrack to destruction! On his journey, Mono shares fleeting connections with a gang of strangers: Teen-hooker Stereo, lo-fi cowboy Analog, and the sassy Bubblegum. Their paths finally collide in an audiovisual showdown with the mythical musician many thought dead or long-gone. Tue, May 14 9:15 p.m.; Fri, May 17 9:45 p.m.

The Sharks (Los Tiburones)
The quiet atmosphere at a small beach resort is rattled by the suspicion of an unheard-of shark invasion, which alarms the locals. 14-year-old Rosina, the middle child of three siblings, has no friends, and her exchanges with the world only consist of monosyllables and the occasional short phrase. She thinks she saw something in the water, but no one seems to be paying much attention to her. Her family is more concerned about their tight economic situation, work and the approaching summer season. When her father recruits her to do maintenance work at some summer houses around town, she meets Joselo, a slightly older fisherman. To get his attention, she comes up with a convoluted, poorly planned strategy, going about it stealthily and menacingly, as if inspired by the mysterious predators. Sat, May 11 9:00 p.m.; Fri, May 17 4:30 p.m.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM offers an artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of the acclaimed novelist. From her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio to ‘70s-era book tours with Muhammed Ali, from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writing room, Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature. Inspired to write because no one took a “little black girl” seriously, Morrison reflects on her lifelong deconstruction of the master narrative. Woven together with a rich collection of art, history, literature and personality, the film includes discussions about her many critically acclaimed works, including novels “The Bluest Eye,” “Sula” and “Song of Solomon,” her role as an editor of iconic African-American literature and her time teaching at Princeton University. Mon, May 13 7:00 p.m.; Wed, May 15 8:30 p.m.; Fri, May 17 4:00 p.m.

In Fabric
A lonely woman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), recently separated from her husband, visits a bewitching London department store in search of a dress that will transform her life. She's fitted with a perfectly flattering, artery-red gown—which, in time, will come to unleash a malevolent curse and unstoppable evil, threatening everyone who comes into its path. From acclaimed horror director Peter Strickland (the singular auteur behind the sumptuous sadomasochistic romance The Duke of Burgundy and auditory gaillo-homage Berberian Sound Studio) comes a truly nightmarish film, at turns frightening, seductive, and darkly humorous. Channeling voyeuristic fantasies of high fashion and bloodshed, In Fabric is Strickland’s most twisted and brilliantly original vision yet. Fri, May 17 10:15 p.m.; Sat, May 18 7:45 p.m.

Killing God (Matar a Dios)
Killing God takes place at an isolated house in the countryside over New Year’s Eve: Carlos and his wife Ana invite Carlos’s brother and father to spend the holidays with them at the rented house. But a strange small homeless man crashes the party claiming to be God, and announces that all of humanity will perish at dawn with the exception of two survivors – to be chosen by the dinner party. With special guest appearance by director Caye Cabas and art director Cristina Borobia on Friday May 17th at Emagine Royal Oak! Sat, May 11 8:45 p.m.; Fri, May 17 4:15 p.m.

Welcome to Commie High
During the late 1960s, a wave of experimental public schools based on humanistic and anti-establishment ideas, began spreading across the United States. Community High School, situated in downtown Ann Arbor, MI and considered a "school without walls" by its founders, was challenged from its opening day in 1972. Maligned with a bad reputation, threatened regularly with closures, it was called "Commie High" by some that questioned its merits (and proudly by many within its culture). Fast forward twenty years later, Community High had became so popular that long lines formed to attend, culminating in a two-week camp out in 1996, and a subsequent lottery system for admission. Today "Commie High" remains one of the only schools from this movement to do school differently that survived and continues to evolve and thrive. With special guest appearance by director Donald Harrison. Sun, May 12 6:30 p.m.

The Ancient Law (Das alte Gesetz)
Part of the Jewish Film Festival!The digital restoration of this lost gem from the silent era features with an original live score by the extraordinary violinist Alicia Svigals (who accompanied The Yellow Ticket at the Michigan Theater in 2018) and acclaimed pianist Donald Sosin! In a shtetl in Galicia, the son of a rabbi gets a bug for acting and is swept into a glamorous lifestyle, much to the chagrin of his very traditional father. The son becomes the object of a Viennese arch duchess’s affections, and, with a sweetheart waiting back home, he must decide between two divergent paths. The Ancient Law offers a nuanced depiction of both the shtetl and the Jewish ideals of the era, steering clear of caricature at every turn. The cinematography is spectacular, emulating the light and shadow of a Rembrandt etching. With a live accompaniment by Alicia Svigals and Donald Sosin. Tue, May 14 7:30 p.m.

The Third Wife (Nguoi Vo Ba)
In 19th century rural Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes the third wife of wealthy landowner Hung. Soon she learns that she can only gain status by asserting herself as a woman who can give birth to a male child. May’s hope to change her status turns into a real and tantalizing possibility when she gets pregnant. Faced with forbidden love and its devastating consequences, May finally comes to an understanding of the brutal truth: the options available to her are few and far between. Sat, May 11 6:00 p.m.; Sun, May 19 11:30 a.m.

93Queen
Part of the Jewish Film Festival! Set in the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park, Brooklyn, 93QUEEN follows a group of tenacious Hasidic women who are smashing the patriarchy in their community by creating the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in New York City. With unprecedented—and insider—access, 93QUEEN offers up a unique portrayal of a group of empowered women who are taking matters into their own hands to change their own community from within. Sun, May 12 5:00 p.m.

Cassandro, The Exotico! (Cassandro El Exotico!)
This stirring feature portrait of lucha libre star Cassandro in his waning years in the ring is less a swan song than a meteor shower rendered in Technicolor. Famed as much for his flamboyant drag and sky-high pompadour as for his show-stopping kicks and flips, Cassandro’s trailblazing ascent as one the industry’s first openly gay wrestlers has resonated internationally for a quarter century. Marie Losier captures the moving, at times humorous, and always colorful dualities of this legendary figure with her talent for forging intimacy with a subject while celebrating his individuality broadly. Wed, May 15 3:45 p.m.; Sat, May 18 8:30 p.m.