Detroit Film Theatre's winter-spring lineup has edgy fare, docs and world classics

A visually dazzling film that takes viewers to a remote corner of the globe — and has a totally unexpected tie to Detroit — is one of the highlights of the Detroit Film Theatre's 2022 winter-spring schedule.

For the venerable cinema located inside the Detroit Institute of Arts, the new season is a continuation of its 3-month-old return to showing films on the big screen.

Now more than ever, taking a journey with a movie can be meaningful, according to the man who has been choosing the DFT's films since 1974.

"This connection to the cinema, I feel, is particularly important to people, to step outside of themselves and to immerse themselves in stories from every corner of the world and from every era," says Elliot Wilhelm, the curator of film for the DIA and director of the theater.

With its 50-year anniversary in January 2024 approaching, the DFT is carrying on its mission under the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety measures in place require visitors to present a current photo ID and proof of vaccination (or a negative PCR test) before admission and to wear masks inside the theater. The venue can hold about 1,050 guests, but it's currently limited in capacity to 300.

Since reopening on Oct. 15 under COVID-19 protocols with "The Velvet Underground" documentary, the DFT has been enjoying a strong comeback.

"For a lot of reasons, it's turned out to be quite successful, almost pre-pandemic numbers at this point," says Wilhelm. "We have a reduced number of performances, reduced seating. But the quality of everything and the experience of everything is one that people seem to be welcoming."

He credits a loyal audience and the relationship of trust that has grown through the decades — plus the power of the big-screen experience. The size of the audiences for two December showings of Jean Cocteau's 1946 classic "Beauty and the Beast," a movie that's available anytime for streaming, surprised even Wilhelm. More than 400 tickets were sold.

"Seeing that film and hearing the audience ooh and aah and gasp during many, many moments of it is like seeing it with brand new eyes," he says. "It's a matter of never condescending to the audience. ... What they want are really good films."

The DFT's staying power also is illustrated by what happened when it made the switch to virtual screenings during the 19 months of its pandemic shutdown. People continued watching its lineup of films at home. In fact, the DFT set a record last spring with its annual screening of the Oscar-nominated short films. It wound up having the the biggest all-virtual engagement for a single location in the United States.

The theater's 2022 schedule includes such special events as Monday's in-theater screening of "King: A Filmed Record ... Montgomery to Memphis." The 1970 Oscar-nominated documentary, shown annually by the DFT to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is a monumental record of the civil rights legend who spent his life countering racism with non-violent resistance. It also will be shown free online Monday through Friday. (To register, go to the DFT portion of the DIA website.)

Spring will bring the arrival of the Freep Film Festival, which runs April 27-May 1 and features the DFT as one of its main venues. And in March, the free virtual series "Visionary Women" will offer three documentaries on compelling 20th-century women artists. It's being held in tandem with the DIA exhibition "By Her Hand: Artemisia Gentileschi and Women Artists in Italy, 1500–1800," which runs Feb. 6-May 29.

The 12 movies at the heart of the 2022 winter-spring DFT schedule range from provocative new works of fiction to timely documentaries to classics of world cinema. The new schedule kicks off Jan. 22-23 with "The Whaler Boy," a film that Wilhelm has been eager to bring to the Motor City since he saw it virtually in 2020.

The story of a teenager living in a small village in the Bering Strait who finds relief from boredom on the internet, "The Whaler Boy" focuses on 15-year-old Leshka's infatuation with an erotic webcam model living in America. Convinced she is his dream girl, he begins a quest to find her that turns into what Wilhelm calls "an absolutely elegant fable."

Wilhem recalls what happened when he was watching the movie and got to the part where — spoiler ahead! — it's revealed that her zip code is 48202. "I fell off the little folding chair I was using to watch this in my living room because that's the DIA zip code. And sure enough, the kid googles Detroit, Michigan, 48202 and there is the Cultural Center," he recalls.

Another standout film, "Writing with Fire," which plays Jan. 29-30, chronicles the real-life staffers of Khabar Lahariya, India's only women-led news outlet as they investigate issues like discrimination based on gender and the caste system and learn to navigate the digital world of smartphones and YouTube. Directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, the documentary is on the short list of potential nominees for best documentary at this year's Oscars.

Another movie on the same Oscar short list, "President," arrives April 23-24 with timely urgency. Director Camilla Nielsson's look at the 2018 president election in Zimbabwe follows what happens when an activist candidate attempts to run for the top office. Although the ruling party promises a free and fair election, the film shows how the legitimacy of the process frays and leads to state violence against protesters. As the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The lessons for Americans in this story’s churning peril and carefully laid traps shouldn’t be ignored."

One of the most awe-inspiring movies in the schedule, coming Feb. 19-20, is "The Velvet Queen," a documentary that tracks photographer (and co-director) Vincent Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson as they attempt to capture the life and movements of the snow leopard in Tibet. The film, which offers sweeping vistas, glimpses of remote landscapes and an up-close look at an array of animals beyond the endangered big cat, has been praised for being a window into both nature and the human relationship and responsibilities to Earth.

DFT's commitment to introducing masterpieces to new generations is reflected in the May 27-28 screenings of "Nights of Cabiria," Italian director Federico Fellini's 1957 classic about a prostitute who withstands the betrayals and suffering of life with a persona that is equal parts comedy and heartbreak. Cabiria is played by Fellini's wife, actress Giulietta Masina, who is long overdue the same recognition for her cinematic genius that he received.

The winter-spring lineup concludes with "Hit the Road," which runs June 3-5. The debut feature film of Panah Panahi, who's the son of acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi, has made a big impression on critics for its careening, unpredictable mix of humor and emotions. It's about a road trip involving a family of four packed together inside a vehicle (the dad has a broken leg, plus the family dog is sick) and the dynamics of their relationships to one another.

As Variety put it: Road trips can be claustrophobic and tiresome, but here, "its 93 minutes whip by so airily, it’s possible not to realize how much you’ve learned to love the family whose road trip you’ve shared in, until the credits roll and you immediately start to miss them."

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.

Detroit Film Theatre

The theater is part of the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. For information on the DFT lineup and COVID-19 protocols or to buy tickets in advance, go to DIA.org and click on the DFT box. You also can call the DIA recorded information line at 313-833-3237. Leave a message to receive a 2022 winter/spring schedule brochure for the DFT.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Film Theatre's new schedule has edgy fare, docs and classics