A comprehensive look at upcoming local literary & film festivals and events, as featured in our 2025 Fall Arts Issue.
Click the following links for more 2025 Fall Arts listings: Visual Arts • Theatre & Performance • Dance • Festivals & Events
The Rosa Goddard International Film Series will host a screening of “Le Havre,” a political fairy tale from director Aki Kaurismäki, at The Kentucky Theatre on Sept. 17. Photo furnished
Rosa Goddard International Film Series
Wednesdays in September • Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St. • www.kentuckytheatre.org
This annual celebration of international cinema classics and contemporary films is curated and coordinated by local gift shop and bookstore SQecial Media and returns with film screenings taking place at 7:15 p.m. on select Wednesdays in September.
“After Life.” Sept. 10. If you could choose only one memory to hold on to for eternity, what would it be? Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda and released in 1998, “After Life” is a bittersweet fantasia in which the recently deceased find themselves in a limbo realm where they must select a single cherished moment from their life to be recreated on film for them to take into the next world.
“Le Havre.” Sept. 17. Fate throws a young African refugee into the path of a kindly old bohemian who shines shoes for a living in the French harbor city Le Havre. With inborn optimism and the support of his tight-knit community, the old man stands up to the officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale from Aki Kaurismäki that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic French cinema of the past, “Le Havre” is a charming delight.
“Yi Yi.” Sept. 24. “Yi Yi” (“A One and a Two . . .”) follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, every frame is deftly imbued with a compassionate clarity. Whether chronicling middle-aged father NJ’s tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang’s attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, this film is warm, sprawling and dazzling.
Twelve Lions Film Festival
Sept. 25-28 • Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main St. • www.twelvelionsfilmfestival.com
The Kentucky Theatre’s annual film festival showcases independent films from around the world, operating with a mission to further the careers of emerging filmmakers through premieres, workshops and panels.
This year’s event will feature a screening of “Stranger with a Camera” in collaboration with the Eastern Kentucky media center Appalshop, and special screenings of the films “Backside,” an observational-sensorial film set behind the scenes of racing season at Churchill Downs, and “She Dances,” a new feature film starting Ethan Hawke and Steve Zahn, filmed largely in Lexington. The festival will also feature dozens of additional shorts, documentaries and feature films.
Kentucky Book Festival
Nov. 1 • Joseph-Beth Booksellers,161 Lexington Green Cir. • kybookfestival.org
This celebration of reading, writing and publishing takes place each fall, with events geared to connect book-lovers and authors, spark engaging conversations and empower readers by providing access to new books as well as opportunities to learn more about writing in a fun, supportive environment.
Carnegie Classics: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
Nov. 8, 7-11 p.m. • Carnegie Center, 251 W. 2nd St. • (859) 254-4175 • carnegiecenterlex.org
For this fully immersive annual literary event, a classic work of literature is brought to life with themed food, beverages, performances and visuals. This year’s iteration will be centered around Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Guests are invited to let their imaginations go wild as they recreate characters and scenes from this highly imaginative tale. The event will include a “No Place Like Home” art exhibit and performances from Kentucky Ballet Theatre, Woodford Theatre, Uma Jewels & Friends and The Acousticats. Advance tickets are available for the event, which includes heavy apps, an open bar and plenty of artistic surprises. Costumes are encouraged.