Radio Free Albemuth (Indie Night, June 4)
Director: John Alan Simon
Writer: John Alan Simon (screenplay), Philip K. Dick (novel)
Starring: Jonathan Scarfe, Shea Whigham, Alanis Morissette

Radio Free Albemuth is based on the novel by Philip K. Dick (who brought us the sci-fi works that inspired , Total Recall, and Blade Runner). The film is set in an alternate reality of 1980s America under authoritarian control.

After experiencing strange visions from an entity called VALIS, Nick Brady uproots his family from Berkeley to Los Angeles, where he becomes a successful music company executive. In time, Nick is drawn to a dangerous political conspiracy, along with the mysterious Silvia (Alanis Morissette) and best friend Philip K. Dick himself (Shea Whigam). Watch the trailer for what many call the “most faithful” film adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s work to date:

Arctic Tale (Family Films, June 1 + 2)
Director: Sarah Robertson

Narrated by Queen Latifah, this documentary by the creators of March of the Penguins follows Seela, a newborn walrus, and Nanu, a newborn polar bear, as they learn to survive in their natural habitats, and are threatened by changing climates.

Roger Ebert called the footage “astonishing, considering that it was obtained at frigid temperatures, sometimes underwater, and usually within attacking distance of large and dangerous mammals.”

Fall and Winter (Green Screns, May 31 + June 5)
Director: Matt Anderson

Fall and Winter is a documentary the true cause of our unfolding global crisis. Pollution, droughts and diminishing resources now threaten civilization. The film proposes new strategies for the future in hopes of reversing some of the ecological damage amassed thus far. 

Containing numerous interviews with philosophers, bio-architects, psychologists, and journalists, Fall and Winter is a beautifully shot exploration of our planet’s ecological crises.

The Last Ocean (May 31 + June 5)
Director: Peter Young

The Ross Sea is the most pristine marine ecosystem on Earth; home to countless species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet. Now, the fishing industry plans to remove half of the Chilean sea bass from the Ross Sea, which will destroy the natural balance of this untouched ocean.

Ecologists, photographers, and filmmaker Peter Young join forces to create this proposal urging the preservation of one of the planet’s untouched ecological systems.

Xmas Without China (Green Screens, June 2 + 3)
Director: Alicia Dwyer

Tom Xia, who immigrated to the U.S. with his parents as a child, challenges a family to live without any Chinese-made products in their home through Christmas. The Jones family accepts his challenge. But while the family empties their home of all Chinese-made products, Tom’s parents are fulfilling their idea of the American dream with material possessions. Through these two families, ideas of globalization, American identity and living in a cross-cultural world are explored.