Bleak Week: A Cinematic Celebration of Human Experience

Bleak Week, a film festival highlighting the ‘cinema of despair,’ emerged as an alternative to the calls for upbeat films during the pandemic. The programmers at the American Cinematheque, an arts nonprofit curating for Los Angeles’ historic theaters, decided to flip the script. As people sought comedies and feel-good films, they chose to explore the opposite. The festival coincides with Los Angeles’ June Gloom, presenting an art house counterpart to Shark Week.

According to Grant Moninger, the artistic director of the group, the concept initially faced uncertainty. People might embrace or reject it. In 2022, Moninger and collaborator Chris LeMaire curated a collection of austere world cinema. This lineup included Elem Klimov’s anti-war epic ‘Come and See’ and Béla Tarr’s 439-minute ‘Sátántangó.’

Notably, LA-based film critic Katie Walsh championed the idea from the start. She recalled tweeting the ‘sickos’ meme when Bleak Week was announced, and enthusiasm quickly grew online. The concept translated into something significant.

From Local Experiment to Global Phenomenon

Five years later, Bleak Week expanded globally. Throughout June, over 100 theaters in 73 cities across eight countries host the festival. This includes locations like the United Kingdom, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Latin America. In the United States, smaller cities like Columbia, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Brookline, Massachusetts, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, also participate.

Despite its seemingly depressing name, Moninger describes Bleak Week as a celebration of the human experience. It embodies empathy and understanding, core cinema values. Initially dismissed as niche, the festival’s prolonged screenings, such as ‘Sátántangó,’ often sell out. It’s not unusual for celebrities like Sean Baker and Mikey Madison to attend screenings, drawing audiences to Bleak Week’s unique atmosphere. Even legendary Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, who had vowed never to return to the U.S., made an exception for the festival.

Bleak Week 2026: Expanding Diversity

The festival’s fifth edition is in progress in Los Angeles at venues like the Egyptian Theatre, Aero Theatre, and Los Feliz 3. Notable guests include Isabelle Huppert, Ari Aster, and Denis Villeneuve, who will participate in discussions or present special cuts of their films.

One key aspect of Bleak Week is its openness to various genres. Bleak cinema can cover themes ranging from wartime and interpersonal drama to fantasy and even family-friendly content. Local programmers have the autonomy to select films for their audiences, resulting in over 300 movies showcased globally.

For instance, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago focuses on animation, screening classics like Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Princess Mononoke,’ Martin Rosen’s ‘Watership Down,’ and Michael Schaack’s ‘Felidae.’ In Argentina, the schedule includes local films and a retrospective of Aster’s works. Vancouver’s Park Theatre features films selected by local filmmakers. Highlights include ‘The Celebration,’ ‘The Deer Hunter,’ and ‘The Virgin Suicides.’

A Unique Rule: No Documentaries

The festival consistently showcases Isao Takahata’s animated ‘Grave of the Fireflies,’ depicting a boy and his sister’s survival post-World War II. Annually, ‘Come and See’ is featured, epitomizing the bleak cinematic experience.

A distinctive rule for Bleak Week is to avoid documentaries. The festival centers on narrative films, transforming personal tragedies into art. This approach underscores the broader human experience conveyed through cinema.

Ultimately, the Los Angeles festival concludes with a sweet touch, screening the three ‘Paddington’ movies. This ‘marmalade chaser’ serves as a gentle reminder of the diverse emotional spectrum captured in film.