An Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, and Morocco's submission for Academy Award consideration as Best Foreign Language Film, ADAM is a little gem, a poignant portrait of a friendship that blossoms between two women in a society where shame and social acceptance dominate how women see themselves and others. It begins streaming Friday, 3/5. "Warmly perceptive, intimately loving." -RogerEbert.com

     If you remember the film KEDI, about the cats of Istanbul, then STRAY confirms Turkey's love affair with four-legged friends. Through the eyes of three stray dogs we get a tour of the streets of Istanbul and their canine culture. Begins streaming Friday, 3/5. Two bonus features with the director follow the film. "The ultimate love letter to dogs." - Variety

     Craftsman furniture may seem like a niche subject for a film, but not in Port Townsend. That's because we're home to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking at Fort Worden. This remarkable school is passionate about "hand tools, joinery, fine furniture, Northwest Coast Arts, wood turning, tiny homes, and creating an inclusive supportive community. They offer a course for women intended to break down barriers to becoming woodworkers; and seeding the next generation through summer camps for youth." Knock on wood, I think you'll appreciate GUSTAV STICKLEY: AMERICAN CRAFTSMAN, which begins streaming Friday, 3/5. And 50% of the Rose's ticket proceeds are being donated to the school.

     If you enjoyed THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT - and who didn't? - BROOKLYN CASTLE is for you. It is the remarkable and improbable true story of a Brooklyn middle school that defied stereotypes to build the highest ranking chess team in the nation. It begins streaming this Friday, 3/5. "A can't-miss film." -L.A. Times
     
    And I'm pleased to be adding two films to our Documentary - Art & Artists section: THE MYSTERY OF PICASSO and BLACK IS THE COLOR. In 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York mounted a major exhibition called "Harlem On My Mind." There was just one thing wrong: the show had no work by African-American artists. BLACK IS THE COLOR tells the story of how African-American artists took back their image, from the abolition of slavery to the present day. This short film begins streaming Friday, 3/5. "One leaves the documentary with renewed awareness that recent battles over inclusion, representation, and appropriation are the results of struggles that have been going on for decades." -Hyperallergic

Also returning this week, SAY AMEN, SOMEBODY, and KILLER OF SHEEP.

Cinematically Yours,
Rocky