Bleak Week, a film festival dedicated to the ‘cinema of despair,’ emerged in response to calls for uplifting films following the pandemic. Initiated by American Cinematheque, a nonprofit arts group that organizes events in several historic theaters in Los Angeles, the festival was a deliberate contrast to the demand for comedies. The event aligns with the city’s June Gloom, offering an art house alternative to popular events like Shark Week.
“We didn’t know how it was going to go,” said Grant Moninger, the group’s artistic director. “People may like this or people may look at it and somehow be offended.” In 2022, he and Chris LeMaire curated a selection of austere films, including Elem Klimov’s anti-war epic “Come and See” and Béla Tarr’s 439-minute “Sátántangó.” LA-based film critic Katie Walsh, an early supporter, expressed her enthusiasm online, suggesting that the concept resonated well with audiences.
Global Expansion of Bleak Week
Five years on, Bleak Week has achieved global recognition. During June, the festival takes place in 100 theaters across 73 cities in eight countries, ranging from the United Kingdom and Canada to Puerto Rico and Latin America. In the U.S., the event isn’t limited to large cities. Venues in Columbia, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Brookline, Massachusetts, and Albuquerque, New Mexico also host their versions.
“Although Bleak Week sounds depressing, it’s really a celebration of the human experience,” Moninger said. “It’s what cinema is about: empathy and understanding the world.” The festival’s long screenings, such as “Sátántangó,” draw crowds, often selling out. Celebrities like Sean Baker and Mikey Madison have been seen in attendance, and even the late Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr made an appearance during Bleak Week’s second year.
The festival expanded to prominent venues such as The Paris Theatre in New York and The Prince Charles Cinema in London. According to Walsh, who frequently attends and moderates, Bleak Week allows audiences to explore a distinct range of emotions. “Bleak Week offers a chance to revel in this specific feeling in many ways,” Walsh said. “I just really love it. I see stuff that I would never see elsewhere.” After the films, she often takes time to reflect on what she has watched.
The Fifth Edition and Beyond
The latest festival edition is currently ongoing in Los Angeles, utilizing venues like the Egyptian Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3. This year’s program includes Q&A sessions with figures such as Isabelle Huppert, discussing films like “The Piano Teacher” and “Heaven’s Gate.” Filmmakers Ari Aster and Denis Villeneuve will showcase director’s cuts of “Midsommar” and “Incendies,” respectively.
Bleak cinema encompasses various genres—wartime, interpersonal drama, fantasy, and sometimes family-friendly films. Local programmers are encouraged to create tailored lineups, resulting in over 300 films being showcased globally this year. “They know their audience. They know what films will resonate,” LeMaire noted. “It’s fun for us to see all the different approaches.”
At the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, the focus is on animation, offering films like Hayao Miyazaki’s “Princess Mononoke,” Martin Rosen’s “Watership Down,” and Michael Schaack’s “Felidae.” The Argentina lineup includes local films and a retrospective of Aster’s work. Even notable figures like actor Finn Wolfhard and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw have selected films for Vancouver’s Park Theatre.
“Isao Takahata’s animated ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ is the most programmed film this year,” Moninger remarked, describing it as “the bleakest of the bleak experience.” The only condition for a film to be shown during Bleak Week is that it must be a narrative film, excluding documentaries.
To end on a lighter note, the Los Angeles festival concludes with a screening of the three “Paddington” films, providing attendees with a “marmalade chaser” to round off the event.
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