20th Century Woman: The Documentary Films of Lee Grant

We're thrilled to present our first virtual repertory series, on the groundbreaking documentary work of Lee Grant.

From her Academy Award-winning exploration of Reagan-era America Down and Out in America, to her portrait of Coolidge Award honoree Michael Douglas and his relationship with his late father Kirk A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Grant's documentary work shows us her powerhouse perspective on our world. The full series lineup is as follows:

A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Lee Grant's first film role (and Oscar nomination) was for her role alongside Kirk Douglas in William Wyler's Detective Story, immediately before being blacklisted for 12 years. Her portrait of Kirk and Michael Douglas' Hollywood Dynasty is alternatively a celebration, indictment, and fabulous dinner party. This is the kind of film that could only have been created by a confidant and friend.

Opens Friday, April 24.

Down and Out in America

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Lee Grant's exploration of Reagan-era America takes us from the heartland, where farms that have fed the U.S. for a century are being dismembered by local banks, through the the tent-cities of Los Angeles and welfare hotels of New York. A groundbreaking and unforgettable look at life inside an America we have been too quick to forget.

Opens Friday, May 1.

What Sex Am I?

Lee Grant's groundbreaking What Sex Am I? follows a group of trans individuals struggling to make their way in every strata of 1980s America. From finding employment to finding acceptance, the first question the world forces them to ask is always, "What Sex Am I?" Made in 1985, Grant continues to prove herself a director decades ahead of her time.

Opens Friday, May 1.

When Women Kill

Lee Grant's acclaimed film explores life inside several women's prisons across the United States and the circumstances that led to the incarceration of various inmates. Grant focuses on women convicted of crimes ranging from drug abuse to first degree murder, their families, and features Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten.

Opens Friday, May 8.

The Willmar 8

Grant's feature length directorial debut follows eight women in America's heartland who are driven by gender discrimination to picket the bank where they work, in the dead of a Minnesota winter. Risking jobs, friends, family and their place in the community, the Willmar 8 began the longest bank strike in American history in a dramatic attempt to assert their own equality and self-worth. With a stirring original score by Peter, Paul, and Mary's Peter Yarrow, Lee Grant's first film is a knockout as relevant now as it ever was.

Opens Friday, May 8.

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This Week

  • Stupendous juggling! Amazing magic! Incredible unicycle tricks! Hilarious antics! Tons of audience participation! A rubber chicken! And accordion music!

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  • An actress (Amanda Peet) falls for the anxious law school dropout (Matthew Shear) babysitting her kids in this smart, New York-set romantic comedy.

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  • Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy is reimagined in a bold, modern adaptation set within London’s elite South Asian community.

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  • The new film from Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario), starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.

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  • Based on the global hit eponymous video game created by KOTAKE CREATE.

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  • Seven Latin American short films share a pulse, part of the 2026 Wicked Queer Film Festival!

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  • Silsila, a landmark of Bollywood cinema, was monumental in its day for its portrayal of transgressive love.

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  • Part of the 2026 Wicked Queer Film Festival!

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  • The killer tomatoes are back! But this time around, they're going to have to contend with late '80s George Clooney and his wicked mullet... 

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  • the burning cross

    Featuring a Q&A with Brandeis University Professor Thomas Doherty.

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  • An exhilarating space adventure set in the near future.

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  • i have sinned

     Post-film Q&A with NCJF Directors Sharon Pucker Rivo and Lisa Rivo and Mikhl Yashinsky, Yiddish translator of I Have Sinned.

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  • Boston's one and only open mic night for filmmakers!

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  • Post-film Q&A with Professor Hasia R. Diner, author of a dozen books.

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  • Howard Hawks and Christian Nyby's original 1951 adaptation of the novella that John Carpenter would later adapt in 1982 as The Thing.

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  • Imagine if you had three wishes, three hopes, three dreams, and they all could come true.

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  • Natalie Portman stars in Alex Garland's stunning adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's acclaimed novel.

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