Film series: Worth a Watch

A young man in a bright blue shirt plays a wind instrument while walking toward the camera. A lively crowd behind him raises their arms in an outdoor setting.

Though we would argue that all films at Cornell Cinema are worth watching, our “Worth a Watch” series brings to campus some of the most critically acclaimed recent releases from the past year.

We prioritize films that have not yet made it to Ithaca, focusing especially on creating access to compelling international features, independent films, and festival hits. We also aim to select films that reflect the diverse interests, experiences, and language backgrounds of our Cornell Cinema community.

This semester, we are thrilled to present the Ithaca premieres of Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana, a slow-burn drama about power and privilege at an elite golf resort in Manila, and Indonesian filmmaker Wregas Bhanuteja’s trippy, genre-bending trance film Levitating.

In early fall, we will partner with the Carl Sagan Institute and the Cornell Astronomical Society on a special screening of the sci-fi adaption Project Hail Mary (2026), starring Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller, and with the Department of Performing & Media Arts on a special screening of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) featuring Cornell alum Dominique Thorne ‘19, star of Marvel’s Ironheart series.

You also won’t want to miss this year’s Sundance Short Film Tour, which features inspiring short-form storytelling from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, our annual Silent Film with Live Music at Sage Chapel, or our most popular event of the year, CatVideoFest!

Finally, we will wrap up the semester by celebrating America’s 250th birthday in the best way we know how – Nicholas Cage stealing the Declaration of Independence in National Treasure (2004)— and with a special presentation of Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of The Odyssey (2026).