BAMPFA Announces Vibrant Spring Film Season with Psychedelia, Fassbinder and More

Even as many Berkeley movie theaters have closed, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) is experiencing increased film attendance. BAMPFA has unveiled its spring film season, running from March 1 to May 10, featuring a diverse lineup of seven film series.

Psychedelia & Cinema (March 1-May 10)

The season begins with “Psychedelia & Cinema,” exploring films about expanded consciousness and those that induce it through cinematic techniques. BAMPFA has collaborated with UC Berkeley’s Center for the Science of Psychedelics to present over a dozen films, including classics like “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “The Holy Mountain,” as well as Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place.”¹ “Space is the Place” will be shown on March 21.

Fassbinder and the New German Cinema (March 6-May 17)

This series showcases films from the New German Cinema movement of the 1960s and 70s, inspired by the work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The series includes films by Fassbinder, as well as Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and Volker Schlöndorff.

Iranian Cinema: From Aesthetics to Politics (March 7-April 23)

BAMPFA will present a series of Iranian films, including 4K restorations of “The Postman” and “Bashu, the Little Stranger.” Iranian filmmaker and screenwriter Rakhshan Banietemad will present her films “Under the Skin of the City” and “Gilaneh.”

African Film Festival (March 8-May 9)

The annual African Film Festival will focus on coming-of-age stories and portrayals of urban life, featuring films from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, and the United States.

Impulses and Abstractions: Sound and Music in 1960s French Cinema (March 14-29)

This short series examines the innovative use of sound in French cinema during the 1960s, drawing from the French New Wave. Films include Alain Resnais’ “Last Year at Marienbad,” Agnès Varda’s “Cléo from 5 to 7,” and Jacques Rivette’s “Paris Belongs to Us.”

Sentimental Education: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha at the Pacific Film Archive (April 2-19)

Complementing BAMPFA’s exhibition of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s artwork, this film series explores her work as a filmmaker and cinephile. It will feature films that influenced Cha, such as “The Passion of Joan of Arc” and “Floating Weeds,” as well as her own moving-image work.

Lucrecia Martel: Un destino común (April 4-19)

This series features the work of acclaimed South American filmmaker Lucrecia Martel, including her new documentary “Our Land/Nuestra Tierra.” Martel will appear in person for screenings.

Tickets for BAMPFA’s spring film season are available for purchase at bampfa.org/film.