Please refer to the official websites for events to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about ticketing, cancellations, and COVID-19 policies. Inclusion in the Philadelphia Monthly Cinema Arts Round-Up does not signify cinéSPEAK’s endorsement of an organization’s mission or political affiliations.
July is a great time to get out of the heat and into some local indie film screenings! Catch the closing program of the 2026 Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival, the local short film festival Life in Shorts, and two Palestinian film screenings. cinéSPEAK is also back with Movie Mondays at Two Locals, In Process with Rashid Zakat, and screenings from the Popcorn List. And if you want to take advantage of the cooler temperatures when the sun goes down, check out outdoor screenings at Freedom Greens & Garden, Cira Green Rooftop, Schuylkill Banks, and The Lawn at uCity Square.
Make sure to read the full round-up to map out your July movie calendar!
Friday, July 3, 2026 at 5 PM
Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival: Week Seis
The 2026 Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival concludes with two feature film screenings at Puentes de Salud. As You Like It – Like That! is a comedy about a struggling Cuban actress and single mom who must choose between a potential Hollywood breakthrough and her true passion when she attempts to direct a multicultural Shakespeare production in Miami while secretly filming a TV series. Entramas is a romantic comedy about a family of actors who keep secrets from each other. Catch these final screenings of this year’s PHLAFF!
Cost: Free
Puentes de Salud — 1700 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 7 PM
Lightbox Film Center Presents: With Hasan in Gaza
Three MiniDV tapes of life in Gaza from 2001 were recently rediscovered. This footage, shot by filmmaker Kamal Aljafari, is now a testament to a place and time that no longer exists. What started as a search for a former prison mate from 1989—a man lost to time and war—led to an unexpected road trip from the north to the south of Gaza with Hasan, a local guide whose fate remains unknown. With Hasan in Gaza transforms this forgotten footage into a cinematic reflection on memory, loss, and the passage of time.
Cost: $13.24-$15.28
Village of Industry & Art — 320 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Friday, July 10, 2026 at 6 PM
Life in Shorts 4: Indie Film Festival & Artist Vendor Market
The Life in Shorts Festival is presented by WinMore Media, a queer, POC-owned, independent creative studio and production company based in South Jersey. The festival showcases short films from emerging filmmakers, bringing together artists, film lovers, and the creative community in Philadelphia. The theme of this year’s festival is “The Helix Galaxy.” There will be a psychic, tarot readers, and more!
Cost: $15
Tir na nOg — 1600 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Saturday, June 11, 2026 at 1 PM
Barnes Cinema: Ja’Tovia Gary Retrospective
This screening is part of a series curated by Maori Karmael Holmes of BlackStar Projects in conjunction with the Barnes exhibition Freedom Dreams, which brings together film and video installations to invite viewers to engage with the memories, dreams, and histories of Black Americans. This program features films directed by Ja’Tovia Gary, one of the artists in the exhibition: Cakes da Killa: No Homo, An Ecstatic Experience, and The Giverny Document. The screening will be followed by a short lecture and conversation with writer and editor Niela Orr.
Cost: $0-$15
The Barnes Foundation — 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Monday, July 13, 2026 at 6 PM
cinéSPEAK x Two Locals Movie Mondays: Crooklyn
Movie Mondays is a monthly gathering every second Monday celebrating innovative Black filmmakers. In July, we’re delighted to present Spike Lee’s semi-autobiographical Black girl coming-of-age classic Crooklyn (1994), featuring legendary performances by Delroy Lindo, Alfre Woodard, Isaiah Washington, and Zelda Harris in her debut role! Enjoy happy hour 5-7 PM and the film program at 6:30 PM. BYO dinner and enjoy free movie theater style popcorn.
Cost: Free (Donations Encouraged)
Two Locals Brewing Company — 3675 Market Street, Suite 100, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 7 PM and 9:15 PM
cinéSPEAK x The Popcorn List Present: Fucktoys
cinéSPEAK is proud to be a partner of the second annual national tour of The Popcorn List, a collection of films curated by festival programmers to connect audiences to festival hits from first-time feature filmmakers without wide distribution. In Fucktoys, a cursed queer young sex worker sets out on a wild fundraising adventure through Trashtown, USA, after she’s told by multiple psychics that she can break the curse by paying them $1,000. Stay after the film for a talk back with special guests.
Cost: $10 (No One Turned Away)
Vox Populi — 319 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
RSVP (7 PM)
RSVP (9:15 PM)
Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 6 PM
cinéSPEAK Presents: In Process with Rashid Zakat
In Process is cinéSPEAK’s series that offers intimate space for local filmmakers to share about their creative process. This July, we are proud to feature the visionary artist Rashid Zakat. This event is a performance and open-laptop conversation with media artist Zakat. He will VJ (video DJ) a short set and then converse with the room about past projects, works in process, half-finished ideas, and the randomness of his media archive. Attendees are invited to arrive early for refreshments and informal networking before the salon begins.
Cost: $10 (No One Turned Away)
Symphony Philly — 1516 North 5th Street, Unit 104, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Friday, July 24, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Philly Palestine Coalition x cinéSPEAK Present: Palestine 36
This 2025 film takes place in 1936, where as villages across Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. All ticket sales and donations will go toward supporting mutual aid efforts in Sudan and Palestine. This event is co-presented with Philly Palestine Coalition, a solidarity organization with the mission of amplifying the voices of local and international Palestinians fighting genocide and all other systems of oppression.
Cost: $10-$30 Suggested Donation (No One Turned Away)
Studio 34 — 4522 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 2 PM
The Graterford Archive: Film Screening and Panel Discussion
Join Mural Arts and The Graterford Archive for a screening of The Sweet Science and a panel discussion about the history of the boxing program at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Graterford. Community members will have the chance to hear from several boxers who traveled across the country fighting professional and incarcerated opponents during the program’s run. Acclaimed visual artist James “Yaya” Hough will also showcase portraits of Graterford boxers, many of whom were his mentors.
Cost: Free
PMA’s Perelman Building — 2525 Pennsylvania Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 6:30 PM
cinéSPEAK x The Popcorn List Present: Seeds
Using lyrical black and white imagery, Seeds is a meditative film that examines the decline of generational black farmers and the significance of owning land. This screening is part of The Popcorn List national tour, and is co-presented with Get Fresh Daily and Black Earth Agriculture Hub. Come at 6:30 for a garden party with music and food and drinks from local vendors, enjoy a pre-screening conversation at 7:45 PM presented by Black Earth Agriculture Hub and Get Fresh Daily, and watch the film after the sun sets at 8:45 PM.
Cost: $5-$20 Suggested Donation (No One Turned Away)
Freedom Greens & Garden — 5200 Pine Street, Philadelphia PA 19143
More Events:
Wednesdays, July 1-29, 2026 at 6 PM
Sunset Social Wednesday Movie Nights
Cost: Free
Cira Green Rooftop — 129 South 30th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursdays, July 9-30, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Movie Nights on the Schuylkill Banks
Cost: Free
Schuylkill Banks
Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 12, 2026
Cost: $0-$40
The Colonial Theatre — 227 Bridge Street. Phoenixville, PA 19460
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Cost: $14.52
PhilaMOCA — 531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
Friday, July 17, 2026 at 7 PM
The Lawn at UCity Square x cinéSPEAK Present: GOAT
Cost: Free
The Lawn at uCity Square — 3701 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 4 PM
Art House Theater Day: Once Upon a Time in a Cinema
Cost: Free
The Ambler Theater — 108 East Butler Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002
Friday, July 31, 2026 at 7 PM
Storyville: In Excess by Melissa Langer
Cost: $3-$5
Scribe Video Center — 3908 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104
*Featured Image: Photo from a past cinéSPEAK x Two Locals Movie Monday. Photo credit: Melissa Simpson.
Sophia Abraham-Raveson is the Director of 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.
