This autumn, Arthouse Traffic will release films by three renowned directors who are considered classics.
From September 19, selected theaters will screen the dramatic comedy "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (1984). This film marked the first international success of Pedro Almodóvar, one of the most recognized contemporary Spanish directors and a two-time Oscar winner. Almodóvar, also known for films like "Parallel Mothers," "The Skin I Live In," and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," will celebrate his 75th birthday in September. The film "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" also celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The film follows Gloria, a woman whose chaotic life is filled with eccentric characters and events. One of her teenage sons is involved with adult men, while the other is a drug dealer. Gloria is constantly finding adventures, including a violent taxi driver, an ungrateful stingy mother-in-law, and a neighbor who is a sex worker paying Gloria to entertain exhibitionist clients. The film also features accidental sex with a stranger and a dead body in the apartment.
From October 3, theaters will show the biographical drama "The Color of Pomegranates" (1969), in a restored version commemorating the 100th anniversary of director Sergei Parajanov's birth. This is the second time UNESCO has declared a year in honor of Sergei Parajanov, the first being in 2004.
The film tells the story of Armenian poet Sayat-Nova from childhood to death, highlighting his spiritual journey, artistic contributions, and internal conflicts that made him a leading lyricist. He is a master of mystification who fell into his own traps.
The restoration was done by the Martin Scorsese Film Foundation in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna. Martin Scorsese received the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award for this work in 2014.
On November 21, the erotic melodrama "The Dreamers" (2003) will hit theaters. It is considered one of the most sensual films of the 21st century by IndieWire. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, a two-time Oscar and two-time Golden Globe winner, the film is known for its provocative content. Bertolucci is also famous for films like "The Last Emperor," "The Conformist," and "Last Tango in Paris."
Set in Paris in 1968, the film follows an American exchange student who finds himself in the midst of the student revolution—a seminal event for a generation. He becomes immersed in bohemian life and moves in with a young French brother and sister. As street protests reach their peak, a true sexual revolution unfolds in their apartment.
The film was a debut for BAFTA Award-winning actress Eva Green ("The Three Musketeers: Milady," "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"). Also starring are Michael Pitt ("Boardwalk Empire," "I Am Beginning"), and two-time César Award winner Louis Garrel ("An Officer and a Spy," "Little Women").
"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" "The Color of Pomegranates," and "The Dreamers" form the autumn retrospective series by "Arthouse Traffic." The company has previously screened classic films such as "Lost Highway," "Only Lovers Left Alive," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Chungking Express," "The Pianist," and "8 Women," among others.
The screenings in Ukraine are supported by the USAID program "Competitive Economy of Ukraine."
