Screening times:
Thursday, September 3, 7:00 PM - BOOKED OUT! Rush tickets may be available in event of no-shows and cancellations
Doors open 6:00 PM

Enjoy trailers from the 2026 AIFF lineup, complete with exclusive behind-the-scenes commentary from the AIFF programming team! Connect with fellow film lovers and collect an exclusive printed program guide before everyone else!

Screening times:
Friday, August 21, 6:30 PM
Sunday, August 30, 5:30 PM

Cherien Dabis | Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Cyprus | 2025 | 145 mins
English, Arabic with English subtitles

Spanning seven decades, this deeply moving film traces the hopes and heartaches of one uprooted Palestinian family, bearing witness to the scars of dispossession and the enduring legacy of survival.

Screening times:
Saturday, August 29, 8:30 PM

Gregg Araki | USA | 2004 | 105 mins

Two young men are haunted by abuse in their past in this lyrical and disturbing work, newly restored under the direct supervision of Gregg Araki. The legendary American auteur makes a vibrant return to the big screen after 12 long years with I Want Your Sex. To celebrate, we're pairing it with this brand new 4K restoration of Mysterious Skin!

Screening times:
Saturday, August 29, 6:00 PM

Gregg Araki | USA | 2026 | 90 mins

Elliot is a kind-hearted if unmotivated twentysomething whose fantasies quickly come true when he lands a job with renowned artist and provocateur Erika. Legendary American auteur Gregg Araki makes a vibrant return to the big screen after 12 long years with I Want Your Sex. We're pairing it with a brand new 4K restoration of Mysterious Skin for our Gregg Araki Double Bill!

Screening times:
Sunday, August 9, 5:30 PM - SOLD OUT
Saturday, August 22, 6:00 PM - SOLD OUT
Thursday, August 27, 8:30 PM - show added!
Friday, August 28, 9:00 PM - another show added!

Sasha Waters | United States | 2026 | 91m

A moving documentary portrait of poet Mary Oliver, who was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic.

Screening times:
Thursday, August 13, 6:30 PM
Friday, August 28, 6:30 PM

Milagros Mumenthaler | Argentina | 2025 | 104 mins
Spanish with English subtitles

A quietly gripping psychological mystery with dreamlike, hallucinatory threads that weave a portrait of a woman struggling to understand herself.

Screening times:
Friday, August 14, 6:30 PM
Thursday, August 27, 6:30 PM

Lucio Castro | USA, Argentina | 2025 | 82 mins
English, Spanish with English subtitles

Over two summers, between city streets and forest paths, young art student Adnan has a series of unexpected intimate encounters both artistic and erotic.

Screening times:
Sunday, August 23, 7:45 PM

"Awakening in the Valley" | Giulia Maria Di Matteo, Isabel Oleschuk | Canada | 2026 | 15m

"Awakening in the Valley" will be preceded by...
"Willow” | Chabinaa Ariette | Canada | 2026 | 11m

Two new shorts by Halifax-based filmmakers! Cast and crew will be in attendance. Doors open 7:15 PM, screenings start 7:45 PM. Screenings will be followed by post-film chats.

Screening times:
Thursday, August 6, 6:30 PM
Sunday, August 23, 5:30 PM

John Early | USA | 2026 | 101 mins

A pitch-perfect blend of satire, melodrama, daring tonal shifts and intimate performances, John Early’s debut feature marks a bold new voice in contemporary cinema.

Screening times:
Saturday, August 22, 8:30 PM

Lynne Ramsay | 2018 | UK, France | 90m

A traumatized veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, his nightmares begin to overtake him. Men, By Women is our August Retrospective Series, screening Saturday nights at 8:30 PM! Masculinity perceived, portrayed and perforated by female directors!

Screening times:
Thursday, August 20, 6:30 PM

Brandt Johnson | USA | 2025 | 86m
Ellen Jovin and Brandt Johnson attending!

A grammar guru takes her pop-up grammar advice stand on an epic road trip across all 50 US states to show that comma fights can bring us closer together in a divided time.

Come hang out with the filmmaker and film’s subject before the show! The film's protagonist, Ellen Jovin, will be at her internationally acclaimed Grammar Table to answer your most pressing grammar questions. After the movie, please stick around for a Q&A with director Brandt Johnson and Ellen, followed by a book signing of Ellen’s grammar bestseller.

Screening times:
Thursday, August 13, 9:00 PM (outdoors) - UPDATE: Due to wet weather, now screening indoors
Sunday, August 16, 7:30 PM (indoors) - show added!

Ridley Scott | USA | 1991 | 129 mins

35 years after its release, Thelma and Louise still sparks conversations about its relation to feminism, and is still a ride or die fable of female friendship anchored by two actresses with unmatchable chemistry.

Screening times:
Sunday, August 16, 5:30 PM

Will Braden/Cats | USA | 2026 | 73 mins
Various languages/Meows

A fun festival of silly cat videos found on the internet, that raises money for local cats in need. This screening is supporting My Grandfathers Cat; a charity based in Halifax that helps seniors and terminally ill people feed and arrange second forever homes for their beloved pets.

Screening times:
Saturday, August 15, 8:30 PM

Claire Denis | France | 2000 | 90 mins
French, Italian and Russian with English subtitles

An ex-Foreign Legion officer recalls his once-glorious life leading troops in Djibouti in Claire Denis’ almost dialogue-free masterpiece, rated by Sight and Sound as the 7th best film of all time. Beau Travail is part of our August retro series: Men, By Women

Screening times:
Saturday, August 15, 6:00 PM

Brendan Lyle | Canada | 2025 | 90 min

This Canadian mockumentary comedy film stars beloved Nova Scotian comedy duo Tracy and Martina, two working class friends from Cape Breton Island, who travel to Alberta to perform as an opening act for the indie rock band Slowcoaster, only for events to go awry in hilarious fashion.

Screening times:
Sunday, August 9, 5:30 PM
IMPORTANT: this screening occurs at Sanctuary Arts Centre in downtown Dartmouth, and not Carbon Arc's usual venue!

Robert Zemeckis | USA | 1988 | 104m
Preceded by short film "Every Dog's Guide to Complete Home Safety" | Les Drew | 1986 | 10m, courtesy of NFB

When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence. Make a day of it in Dartmouth! Dartmouth Comic Arts Festival is occurring all weekend at Alderney Landing so we’re bringing the ‘toons to you at the Sanctuary Arts Centre on Ochterloney St … so you can do both!

Screening times:
Saturday, August 8, 8:30 PM

Kathryn Bigelow | USA | 1991 | 122m

Absurd, over-the-top, and often wildly entertaining, Point Break is here to show you that the human spirit is still alive. Men, By Women is our August Retrospective Series, screening Saturday nights at 8:30 PM! Masculinity perceived, portrayed and perforated by female directors!

60th Anniversary Screening!

Screening times:
Saturday, August 8, 6:00 PM

Věra Chytilová | 1966 | former Czechoslovakia | 76m
Czech with English subtitles

Two bored Czech women play pranks on men and rebel against a materialistic society. Stylistically anarchic and spiritedly played, Daisies is a liberating rebuke of polite society that will bring the rebel out of viewers who are up for the freewheeling ride.

Screening times:
Friday, August 7, 6:30 PM

Jeong Jae-un | South Korea | 2001 | 112 mins
Korean with English subtitles

A sleeper hit in 2001 that has gained an intense cult following since then, Take Care of My Cat offers a tender and multi-faceted portrait of young women at the turn of the new millennium. And yes, there is a cat.

Screening times:
Saturday, July 18, 6:00 PM
Sunday, August 2, 7:45 PM

Taratoa Stappard | New Zealand | 2025 | 89m
English, Māori with English subtitles

When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers her horrific colonial heritage and is compelled to confront the titled Englishman who devastated her family in this breathtaking and violent gothic horror.

Screening times:
Sunday, July 12, 7:45 PM
Sunday, August 2, 5:30 PM

Sho Miyake | Japan | 2026 | 89m
Japanese with English subtitles

Lauded by IndieWire as “one of the finest, most soulful Japanese filmmakers of his generation”, Sho Miyake’s latest explores longing and loneliness in an adaptation of two short mangas by revered artist Yoshiharu Tsuge.

Screening times:
Saturday, August 1, 8:30 PM

Harry Dodge and Silas Howard | United States | 2001 | 95 mins

Groundbreaking when it was made and still fiercely innovative today, By Hook or By Crook is a newly-restored  trans and butch buddy film; an anti-authoritarian tale of friendship, trust and redemption.

Screening times:
Saturday, August 1, 6:00 PM

Steven Soderbergh | USA, UK | 2026 | 100 mins

Steven Soderbergh takes the art caper film in a surprising direction with a film that mixes black comedy with deeply felt human connection. ICYMI stands for “In Case You Missed It (at the Multiplex)”, where we screen films we think deserve a longer theatrical run!

Screening times:
Sunday, July 26, 5:30 PM
Friday, July 31, 6:30 PM

Mark Jenkin | UK | 2026 | 114m

When fishing boat the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the harbour, it’s surely a sign. Director Mark Jenkin (Bait, Enys Men) once again uses the Cornish coast as his muse in this beautiful 16mm puzzle. 

Sweet Sequined Sixteenth Birthday Double!

Screening times:
Thursday, July 30, 9:00 PM

Baz Luhrmann | USA | 1996 | 120 min

The children of two rival families fall in love at first sight before they realize they should be bitter enemies. You know the rest! Carbon Arc Cinema turns 16 years old this July! Birthday celebrations include a Baz Luhrmann double bill (Romeo + Juliet will be preceded by Strictly Ballroom). Free popcorn to anyone wearing sequins or sparkles!

IMPORTANT: This was an outdoor screening, however the strong likelihood of wet weather means we will head into the indoor auditorium as usual.

Sweet Sequined Sixteenth Birthday Double!

Screening times:
Thursday, July 30, 6:30 PM

Baz Luhrmann | Australia | 1992 | 94 mins

A maverick ballroom dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner in Baz Luhrmann’s campy underdog romance. Carbon Arc Cinema turns 16 years old this July! Birthday celebrations include a Baz Luhrmann double bill (Strictly Ballroom will be followed by Romeo + Juliet). Free popcorn to anyone wearing sequins or sparkles!

Screeing times:
Thursday, July 16, 6:30 PM - SOLD OUT
Sunday, July 19, 8:00 PM - show added!
Sunday, July 26, 8:15 PM - another show added!

Boots Riley | United States | 2026 | 114m

A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat clothing designer in Boots Riley’s (Sorry to Bother You) latest satirical critique of the state of the world. 

Screening times:
Saturday, July 25, 8:30 PM

Lynne Fernie, Aerlyn Weissman | Canada | 1992 | 85m

Lynne Fernie and Aerlyn Weissman’s hybrid documentary/drama delves into the history of Canadian queer women’s experiences in the mid-20th century, in a film rich with humour and heartbreak.

Forbidden Love will be preceded by local short "Anita Louise and the Wild Women" | Arena Alamino | Canada | 2025 | 12m introduced by Arena Alamino!

Screening times:
Thursday, July 9 6:30 PM
Saturday, July 25 6:00 PM

Amalie Atkins | Canada | 2025 | 86m

Without a drivers license, cell phone, running water, or even a functioning landline 90-year old Agatha’s forges a solitary existence on her ancestral farm, preserving heirloom seeds in her handmade universe.  Agatha’s Almanac offers a window into the experiences of a nearly lost generation and carves out a (mostly) calm space in a chaotic world.

Screening times:
Friday, July 24, 8:45 PM

Houston Bone | Canada | 2026 | 85m
With Chloe Van Landschoot attending in person!

Haunted by strange urges and visions, a pregnant woman named Sara accepts an invitation to dinner that spirals into a bloody, demented nightmare.