In January, Mountain Shadow kicked off our 2025 Season with this wonderful pre-theatrical "literary" Irish drama, “That They May Face the Rising Sun,” based on the great Irish novelist, John McGahern’s book by the same title. Click on the image above to read a film review by Mountain Shadow’s director, John Bennison.

Our pre-theatrical release of the Italian film, “Gloria!” concluded our 11th Season with a delightful musical drama for December, 2024. You can read the Mountain Shadow director’s brief review by clicking on the image above.

In the wake of the U.S. elections, Mountain Shadow’s November, 2024 film selection was a pre-theatrical release from Italy that offers a redemptive and hope-filled conclusion; with a reminder there’s still a tomorrow. Click on the image above to read a brief film review.

Straight from the Toronto International Film Festival, Mountain Shadow’s October selection was an uplifting docu-drama, along with Toronto filmmaker Q&A via Zoom. BORN HUNGRY is a gritty, life-affirming human drama about a young boy in India, abandoned on the streets, then adopted by a compassionate Canadian couple; only to become a renowned 5-star chef. Click on the image above to read a brief commentary on this film.

Mountain Shadow's 10th Annual Short Film Competition brought eleven Finalists out of 344 submissions -- selected by our volunteer member jurors -- to Walnut Creek on Sept. 14th; to present their animated, live-action and documentary short films in person for audience choice awards. Click on the image to read more about this terrific show.

"Daaaaali!" was Mountain Shadow's zany bio-pic selection for August, 2024. To read a brief review and filmmaker's statement about the surrealist artist, click on the image above.

The bio/drama of the life of literary genius, Samuel Becket, was Mountain Shadow’s pre-theatrical release film selection for July, 2024; based on his life’s maxim, “Dance first, think later.” Click on the image above to read a brief Mountain Shadow review.

Mountain Shaodw’s selection for June was the premiere of “THE GRAB,” a documentary global thriller combining hard-hitting journalism from The Center for Investigative Reporting with the compelling character-driven storytelling; taking you around the globe from Arizona to Zambia, to reveal one of the world’s biggest and least known threats. Click on the image above to read a review and a link to a post-screening Q&A with the main reporter.

Margreth Olin’s film, “Songs of Earth,” is far more than a nature documentary, or family biography about her aging parents. It’s a meditation walk, shot with breathtaking cinematography and set against the backdrop of life-altering environmental changes. This was Mountain Shadow’s selection for May 2024. To read a brief review, click on the image above.

Set against the backdrop of the filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in a field in Maine, the film heads far afield – to pursue an answer to the question: What in this world, if anything, is worth saving or will endure? To read a Mountain Shadow review of our selection for April, 2024, click on the image above.

An annual Mountain Shadow tradition: The "Best" of the Oscar Shorts. From 15 nominees (5 animated, 5 live-action and 5 documentary), Mountain Shadow selected six wonderfully-creative short films for our March show, 2024. Click on the image above to read a bit about each one.

For our February show, Mountain Shadow snagged this pre-theatrical release from famed British filmmaker, Ken Loach. In a British town that’s fallen on hard times, the local pub becomes contested territory after the arrival of Syrian refugees who are placed in the village. Can they get along? Click on the image above to read a Mountain Shadow review of this moving film.

“Inshallah a Boy,” was Jordan’s Oscar submission for “Best International Feature Film,” and was Mountain Shadow’s film to launch our 11th Season in January, 2024. Nawal, a widow, struggles to provide a stable life for her daughter; resorting to deception and challenging long-standing cultural mores. A “Critics Pick” by the NY times, and overwhelming well-received by our audiences, you can read a brief review and filmmaker statement by clicking on the image above.

The farce is a type of comedy that exaggerates the improbable; sometimes to the point of silly absurdity. However, such comedy is often employed to lay bare and critique the kinds of serious social norms that may need to be brought to light for more than mere amusement. Such is the case with François Ozon’s new film, “The Crime is Mine.” To read a brief review of Mountain Shadow’s selection for December, 2023, click on the picture above.

Mountain Shadow snagged this pre-theatrical release for our November, 2023 film. Sara Nodjoumi’s documentary film and personal memoir, “A Revolution on Canvas,” could not be more timely.Her father, An Iranian artist, flees Iran decades ago; due to an exhibition of his paintings in Tehran that are deemed politically subversive to the regime at the time. A brief review and recorded Q&A with the filmmaker can be found by clicking on the image above.

In “Fremont,” a female Afghan translator for the U.S. immigrates to America, and settles in Fremont, California. There she ends up working in a Chinese fortune cookie factory. You might say you can’t make this stuff up. But then again, the human tale about displacement and longing of the heart for a home – this time filmed in black and white to perhaps suggest its timeless quality -- is a universal plot line that bears repeating and remembering. To read a brief review of Mountain Shadow’s selection for October,2023, click on the image above.

Mountain Shadow’s 9th Annual Short Film Competition was held at he Las Lomas Theater, Sept. 13, 2023. Nine Finalist’s films, selected by a 22-member volunteer jury from 466 submissions, were presented to a 300-member audience. Click on the image above to read more about it!

‘UNREST’New technologies are transforming a 19th-century watchmaking town in Switzerland. Josephine, a young factory worker, produces the unrest wheel, swinging in the heart of the mechanical watch. ‘UNREST’ was Mountain Shadow’s film selection for August, 2023. To read a review and reflection, click on the image above.

“Mountain Shadow’s film selection for July, 2023, “Scarlet” is an enchanting cinematic period fable based on a beloved 1923 novella by Russian writer Alexander Grin. Shortly after World War I, veteran Raphaël (Raphaël Thiery) returns home from the frontlines to find himself a widower, with his infant daughter placed in his arms to raise. Tracing Juliette’s journey throughout the 20 years of great invention between the world wars, Scarlet weaves together music and fantasy, history and folklore, to craft a magical realist fable of identity and emancipation.” To read a Mountain Shadow film review and filmmaker statement, click on the image above.

“Chilé ‘76” was Mountain Shadow’s film selection for June 2023. Set during the early days of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, Chile ‘76 builds from quiet character study to gripping suspense thriller as it explores one woman’s precarious flirtation with political engagement. Carmen leads a sheltered upper middle-class existence. When the family priest asks Carmen to take care of an injured young man he has been sheltering in secret, she is inadvertently drawn into the real world of Chilean political opposition and must face real-world threats she is unprepared to handle. Drama Mystery-Thriller. To read more about the film and filmmaker, click on the image agove.