The last release from Japan’s fabled Studio Ghibli features moonlit seascapes, a glowing orchestral score, and powerful dramatic portrayals that build to a stormy climax. When shy, artistic Anna moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle, she stumbles upon an old mansion surrounded by marshes, and the mysterious young girl, Marnie, who lives there. The two girls instantly form a unique connection and friendship that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. As the days go by, a nearly magnetic pull draws Anna back to the Marsh House again and again, and she begins to piece together the truth surrounding her strange new friend.

During the Vietnam War, the CIA recruited Hmong tribesmen in the hills of Laos to fight the Communists. Forty years later in California, LoCha Thao, a Hmong human rights activist (and former Wisconsin resident), is mysteriously approached about buying weapons to continue the fight. Recounting the rise and fall of General Vang Pao and his Secret Army, this complex and compelling documentary calls to mind the true stories behind both Argo and American Hustle. Director David Grabias will be on hand for a post-screening discussion. Presented in partnership with Madison’s Asian-American Media Spotlight.

Based on the unpublished memoirs of star Arielle Holmes, this searing look at Manhattan street kids boldly collapses reality and fiction.  Holmes and Jones play a pair of star-crossed junkies whose cracked romance plays out as they scramble between scores.  With its primal performances, roving 16mm cinematography, and throbbing electronic score, Heaven Knows What achieves an unparalleled level of intensity.  This visceral, uncompromising vision of New York’s homeless youth ranks among the most indelible American indies of the decade. (MK)