Art Museum by the Zoo

An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.

Jimmy in Pienk is a quirky comedy about Jimmy Bester, a rugged seventh generation "mielie" farmer. Jimmy’s father suddenly dies in a freak accident, he is confronted by two loan sharks who come to collect what his father owes. Jimmy gathers the courage to leave his home and travel to Cape Town to seek help from his uncle, and he is not prepared for what awaits him.

19 year old Bert sits in the shade of a tree in Yo Park. Cassandra Warrior feeds her daughter Diamond Rose. Daniel Runs Close sweats under the sun at Wounded Knee Memorial site. Kassel Sky Little puts his boots on at the Waters Rodeo. Vanessa Piper is alone in the middle of Badlands. Lance Red Cloud hangs out behind the gas station at night. It is summer and they all live here, at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, USA.

Rosa, a mature mother of several children, is concerned that her beloved husband Don Peppino is losing interest in her, and does his best to provoke some jealousy in him. She is a masterful cook, and if her romantic charms are fading, her culinary skills are not. By one means and another, and after some amusing confrontations, she succeeds in keeping her husband from taking her for granted and harmony is restored.

Based on the autobiographical work of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, this production depicts the author at various stage of her life. Afflicted with mental and emotional issues, Frame grows up in an impoverished family and experiences numerous tragedies while still in her youth, including the deaths of two of her siblings. Portrayed as an adult by Kerry Fox, Frame finds acclaim for her writing while still in a mental institution, and her success helps her move on with her life.

A stop motion film about an oddball felted character who slips through floors into the past and the deepest parts of his psyche in his pursuit of self-understanding.

In the tranquil setting of a small fishing community on the east coast of Zanzibar, a fire is raging in the hearts of three young individuals—and the entire community feels the heat. Amri is a man trapped between his desire for a local fisherman and the traditional family-man role that he is expected to fulfill.

Two mermaid sisters, who end up performing at a nightclub, face cruel and bloody choices when one of them falls in love with a beautiful young man.

A mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Her husband refuses to move her beloved piano, giving it to neighbor George Baines, who agrees to return the piano in exchange for lessons. As desire swirls around the duo, the wilderness consumes the European enclave.

A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.

In Vivid Detail is the unusual love story between Leslie and Justin, an architect who suffers from Prosopagnosia, a neurological disorder that makes him incapable of recognizing faces. The couple must decide whether their new relationship can overcome the obstacles ahead of them as they try to cope with this bizarre but real condition, meanwhile raising the questions about how beauty is measured.

This short film by Ava DuVernay celebrates a love of African-American culture, camaraderie, love and romance.

Two young women bond while living together out in the California desert to be close to their boyfriends who are serving time at the nearby state prison.

Sybille, an accomplished actress, is given the chance to direct a film based on her own screenplay. Everything seems to go well at first. Her producers, two sisters, are two wacky but lovable characters, and Sybille dives into the adventure with them, putting aside her family life. But, from the unlikely choice of actresses, the successive rewrites of the script and the financial issues, the wonderful dream turns into a nightmare. Ever the optimist, Sybille will realise too late that her whimsical and totally crazy producers are going to drag her in their madness ... One thing is certain, nothing will happen as planned.

A slow-burning prairie grotesque. On the grounds of a rural sanitarium, three young women search for wellness, as a cult leader seeks to control their bodies through labor and daily rituals.

Bass takes over the upstairs Kanter-McCormick Gallery at the Art Center, expanding the territory of her gothic world in a new work The Latest Sun is Sinking Fast, an immersive, multi-channel installation incorporating 16mm film/video, sound, architecture, and featuring performances by Sarah Stambaugh, Bryan Saner, and Matthew Goulish. The solo exhibition features a spatial narrative installation that delves, through movement, texture, sound, and gesture, into the psychology of a recurring figure in Bass' previous films; while also introducing two new characters, blending the past into the present. Bass has designed the installation by altering the gallery, leading the viewer through a evocative memory of place, embedding us in a timeless society of lost souls in a haunted landscape. -Allison Peters Quinn, Exhibition Director, Hyde Park Art Center

Inka becomes an outcast to her small home town when she comes into conflict with the local priest. She is convinced she is right, but is being right worth the lonely fight?

Anne is at a crossroads in her life. Long married to a successful, driven but inattentive movie producer, she unexpectedly finds herself taking a car trip from Cannes to Paris with Jacques, a business associate of her husband. What should be a seven-hour drive turns into a carefree two-day adventure replete with diversions involving picturesque sights, fine food and wine, humor, wisdom and romance - reawakening Anne's senses and giving her a new lust for life.

As the only First Nations student in an all-white 1940s school, eight-year old Wato is keenly aware of the hostility towards her. She deeply misses the loving environment of the reserve she once called home, and her isolation is sharpened by her father’s serious illness. When Wato’s teacher reads from a history book describing First Nations peoples as ignorant and cruel, it aggravates her classmates’ prejudice. Shy and vulnerable Wato becomes the target of their bullying and abuse. Alone in her suffering, she finds solace and strength in the protective world of her magical dreams.

A court case ensues when a 47-year old man is caught with a 15-year old girl, and he claims he never knew she was so young.