Bleak Week: A Celebration of Cinema and Humanity’s Shadowy Corners

Bleak Week, a unique film festival, originated as a response to desires for uplifting movies post-pandemic. The American Cinematheque, a nonprofit arts organization curating for Los Angeles’ historic theaters, decided to explore cinema’s more somber aspects instead. Scheduled during the city’s June Gloom, Bleak Week presents an art house alternative to the popular Shark Week.

Grant Moninger, the artistic director, expressed initial uncertainty: “People might embrace this … or find it offensive.” In 2022, alongside Chris LeMaire, Moninger curated a series of austere global films, including Elem Klimov’s “Come and See” and Béla Tarr’s lengthy “Sátántangó.” Film critic Katie Walsh was an early supporter, recalling her online excitement: “I instantly felt it was meant for folks like me who crave such cinema.”

From Niche to Global Reach

Fast forward five years, Bleak Week now spans the globe. Set in 100 theaters across 73 cities in eight countries, it reaches places like the UK, Canada, and Puerto Rico. In the US, sites include Columbia, Missouri; Pittsburgh; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; Brookline, Massachusetts; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Despite its somber name, Bleak Week celebrates human experience. Moninger stated, “It’s about empathy and understanding through cinema.” Unenthusiastic expectations were overturned when “Sátántangó,” spanning over 7 hours, regularly sold out. Celebrities attend, both on stage and off, with appearances such as Sean Baker and Mikey Madison. Even the late Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr attended, despite earlier vowing not to return to America.

Bleak Week’s Expansion and Adaptations

Expansion led to Bleak Week’s presence at New York’s The Paris Theatre and London’s The Prince Charles Cinema. Walsh, who has attended and moderated at the festival, emphasized its value: “Cinema lets you experience life’s full spectrum. Bleak Week revels in that specific feeling, showcasing films I’d not encounter elsewhere.” After these films, Walsh shares, “I often need to reflect quietly.”

Fifth Anniversary: Over 300 Films in 2026

The festival’s fifth iteration unfolds in Los Angeles’ Egyptian Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3. This year, Isabelle Huppert will attend for Q&As on works like “The Piano Teacher.” Filmmakers Ari Aster and Denis Villeneuve will showcase their films “Midsommar” and “Incendies” respectively. The notion of bleak cinema cuts through genres, from war to fantasy, drama to family-friendly narratives.

Local programmers retain discretion over film selection; this year sees over 300 showings globally. LeMaire noted, “Local teams understand their audiences, selecting resonant films.” Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center chooses animation, including “Princess Mononoke,” “Watership Down,” and “Felidae.” Argentina features local films and Aster’s retrospective. At Vancouver’s Park Theatre, local filmmakers like Finn Wolfhard, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, and Samantha Quan selected films.

Prominent among this year’s selections is Isao Takahata’s animated “Grave of the Fireflies,” depicting sibling survival post-World War II in Japan. Regularly featured is “Come and See,” described as epitomizing “the bleakest experience.” Films must be narrative; documentaries are excluded. Moninger remarked, “Art derives from transforming tragedies into narrative,” maintaining this boundary.

Los Angeles’ festival iterations finish whimsically, ending with the “Paddington” films, affectionately deemed a “marmalade chaser.”