Please refer to the official websites for events to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about ticketing, reservations, delays, rescheduling, cancellations, and other guest policies for venues, including relevant COVID-19 requirements. Inclusion in the Philadelphia Monthly Cinema Arts Round-Up does not signify cinéSPEAK’s endorsement of an event or organization’s mission or political affiliations.
May kicks off film festival season in Philadelphia, so we’re all about to be very busy in the best way! Attend cinéSPEAK Under the Stars to watch movies outside in Clark Park, the start of the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival which will go through July, and the Tri-Co Film Festival to see student films. You can also check out local student films at Moore College’s Film Theses Screening and WHYY Media Labs Student Showcase. Pack your picnic baskets and get ready for some serious movie and hang out time. We can’t wait to see you out there!
There are very many events this month, so make sure to read the full round-up to plan your May in Philly.
Friday, May 2, 2025 at 7 PM
Scribe Video Center Producers’ Forum: Ashley Tyner and William Tyner
Co-directors Ashley Tyner and William Tyner will be in attendance for this screening of The People’s Way. In this documentary, three community organizers in Minneapolis—Jeanelle Austin, Toshira Garraway, and Robin Wonsley— embark on various and interweaving journeys after George Floyd’s murder to care for their communities, find inner healing, and forge a path towards Black liberation. In addition to the screening, you can attend a workshop on Community Care and Black Futuristic Filmmaking with the filmmakers the following day.
Cost: $4-$8
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Tri-Co Film Festival
The Tri-Co Film Festival returns for its fourteenth year, showcasing work that demonstrates creativity, craft, and intentionality, and celebrating the diversity of media production by students at Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore colleges. Attend this evening of student-made short films to get to know up-and-coming filmmakers.
Cost: Free
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 7 PM
The Be Reel Micheaux Screening Series Presents: Beasts Of The Southern Wild
In this Academy Award-nominated 2012 film, six-year-old Hushpuppy and her father live a ramshackle but happy existence in a forgotten bayou community known as “the Bathtub.” But when a terrible storm threatens to flood their home and unleash the ancient creatures known as Aurochs, Hushpuppy sets off on a journey to find her long-lost mother. Stick around after the movie for a talkback with Vincent Williams and Len Webb of The Micheaux Mission and Stephanye Watts of the Be Reel Black Cinema Club, and to vote on the next film in the series!
Cost: Cost: $11.75-$16.25
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7 PM
Scribe Video Center Storyville: Stand Up for Madinah
Stand Up for Madinah, a 2024 short documentary by Zainab Sultan, follows Madinah Wilson-Anton, an African American woman elected as Delaware’s first elected Muslim State Representative. She advocates for her community as a politician and challenges perceptions of it in her free time as a budding stand-up comedian. The film premiered on Al Jazeera English.
Cost: $3-$5
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 6 PM
Girls Like Horror Presents: The Brood
Join Girls Like Horror to go see David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), one of his finest films based on his own divorce. Get to the Philadelphia Film Society East at 6 PM for a pre-screening mixer in partnership with artist Aysen Gerlach who will be selling custom made posters for the event. There will also be vending from Steinski’s Essential Ephemera and a raffle to win a gift card from Monster Vegan. The group will watch the movie at 7:15, and afterward head to Tattooed Mom for drinks and mingling. All are welcome!
Cost: $13.50-$15.50
Philadelphia Film Society East — 125 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Monday, May 19, 2025 at 7 PM
The Center for Jewish Nonviolence x Prayers for Peace Alliance x IfNotNow Present: No Other Land
Join these local organizing groups for a special screening of the Best Documentary Feature Film of the 97th Academy Awards, No Other Land. The screening will be preceded by a reception, and followed by a moderated panel discussion. All proceeds from this event will directly support the Sumud (Solidarity) Fund of Masafer Yatta.
Cost: $10
Landmark’s Ritz Five — 214 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Friday, May 23, 2025 at 7 PM
cinéSPEAK Under the Stars: Elia Suleiman’s It Must Be Heaven (2019)
cinéSPEAK’s annual Under the Stars Film Festival brings audiences together for magical evenings of outdoor cinema four Fridays in a row this spring. This opening night program features two films by Palestinian filmmakers: Elia Suleiman’s It Must Be Heaven, in which the filmmaker escapes from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to find that Palestine is trailing behind him; and Where the Wind Blows, in which Nassib returns to his hometown in Palestine to build the home he hopes to retire in. Bring your own chairs or blankets and come early to picnic and enjoy music by DJ Sadi.
Cost: Free
The Bowl at Clark Park — 4300 Chester Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 6 PM
News Matters: Screening and Panel Discussion
News Matters (2021) is a documentary directed by Brian Malone that chronicles the efforts of a group of local newsroom staff in Colorado as they battle to save The Denver Post after its acquisition by global venture capitalists. The film sheds light on the broader crisis facing the newspaper industry, highlighting the challenges of corporate ownership and the importance of local journalism for democracy and civic engagement. After the film, stay for a panel discussion featuring leaders in the local journalism community.
Cost: Free
Parkway Central Library — 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Friday, May 30, 2025 at 7 PM
cinéSPEAK Under the Stars: River of Grass
For week two of Under the Stars, enjoy unique environmental films and celebrate West Philly Porchfest with pre-screening musical performances. River of Grass is an ode to the Florida Everglades past and present, told through the prescient writings of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and those who today call the region home. River of Grass will be preceded by the short film Mawtini (My Homeland), about a young Palestinian woman and an older Indigenous woman who start a guerrilla garden on the lawn of their apartment building.
Cost: Free
The Dog Bowl at Clark Park — 1101 South 45th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Spring Showcase
End AANHPI Heritage Month in a meaningful way by attending this full day of films, performances, and community gatherings that celebrate the richness, complexity, and resilience of AANHPI stories. Watch short films honoring Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the documentaries Ten Times Better and Chinatown Cha-Cha with post-screening conversations, a collaborative free screening with Scribe Video Center, and the closing film Paper Marriage with a Q&A.
Cost: $0-$50
Multiple Locations
More Events:
Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 7 PM
Night School Cinema Presents: Hello Dankness
Free
Bok — 800 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Friday, May 2, 2025 at 5 PM
PHLAFF Presents: First Friday Series at Cherry Street Pier
Cost: Free
Cherry Street Pier — 121 North Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Philly Premiere: Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers
Cost: $12
PhilaMOCA — 531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Monday, May 5, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Moore College of Art and Design’s Film and Digital Cinema Thesis Screening
Cost: Free
Parkway Central Library — 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7 PM
Cost: $18.25
Landmark’s Ritz Five — 214 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Wednesday, May 7 – Friday, May 9, 2025
Scribe Video Center Body of Work: Yoruba Richen
Cost: $5 per event
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Wednesday, May 7 – Saturday, May 10, 2025
Philadelphia Independent Film Festival
Cost: $15-$250
Multiple Venues
Friday, May 9, 2025 at 7 PM
Cost: $11.50-$15.50
Philadelphia Film Society Center — 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 11 AM
Cost: $5-$8
Ambler Theater — 108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
All The Girls Love Blood: Kiss Of The Devil with Elliot Passantino
Cost: $12
PhilaMOCA — 531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 7 PM
Lightbox Film Center Presents: Herzog on 45
Cost: $13.24-$15.28
Bok Auditorium — 800 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15, 2025
WHYY Screenings of Free for All: The Public Library
Cost: Free
Multiple Library Locations
Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7 PM
Cinema in the Cemetery: Eraserhead
Cost: $2-$20
Laurel Hill East — 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132
Friday, May 16 – Sunday, May 18, 2025
28th FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia
Cost: $75-$200 for passes; Ticket prices TBA
Philly Film Society Bourse — 400 Ranstead Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 12 PM
Cost: Free
Parkway Central Library — 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 7 PM
Lightbox Film Center Presents: Nationalité immigré
Cost: $13.24-$15.28
Bok Auditorium — 800 Mifflin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 4:30 PM
WHYY Media Labs Student Showcase
Cost: Free
WHYY — 150 North 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 7 PM
Viva Video Presents: Miami Connection
Cost: Cost: $11.75-$16.25
Bryn Mawr Film Institute — 824 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Sunday, May 25 – Sunday, July 6, 2025
Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival 2025
Cost: TBA
Multiple Locations
Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 7 PM
Philadelphia Film Society Presents: Philly Film Showcase
Cost: Free
Philadelphia Film Society East — 125 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
*Featured Image: Still from Where the Wind Blows, directed by Hana Elias. Courtesy of the Redford Center.
Sophia Abraham-Raveson is the Managing Editor for the cinéSPEAK Journal. In addition to working at cinéSPEAK, Sophia is a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania, a volunteer with the restorative justice group Let’s Circle Up, and a musician and songwriter in her band Charm School Looks.
