Arts Agenda: Independent films, fests and special screenings

Each week, ArtsATL delivers a critic’s short list of the shows, exhibitions, concerts and events we recommend for the coming weeks within one discipline or venue type in the kaleidoscope of Atlanta arts and culture. Every week, we’ll present a different art form. 

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December 21, March 8 and April 12

From London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, three timeless masterpieces as performed by the Royal Ballet — The Nutcracker (December 21), Romeo and Juliet (March 8) and Giselle (April 12) — come to cinemas across the U.S. In Atlanta, screenings begin at 3 p.m. at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

December 27

The Plaza Theatre in Atlanta presents A Night of David Bruckner Short Films, celebrating one of Atlanta’s own genre visionaries. The program will trace Bruckner’s evolution from early shorts like Contents Under Pressure and Talk Show to cult favorites, including segments from the V/H/S franchise and Southbound. 7 p.m. December 27 at the Plaza Theatre

December 31 and January 1

See a special screening of Stranger Things 5: The Finale on the big screen at 8 p.m. December 31 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema and at 8 p.m. December 31 and noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. January 1 at the Tara Theatre.

January 8

Jacques Tati’s magnum opus PlayTime follows American tourists and Paris denizens through a business day and a raucous evening in the modern city. Its climactic 45-minute sequence of the slow unraveling of a restaurant’s opening night juggles dozens of characters and uncountable gags. This latest screening in the Film Love series, a 4K restoration of the 1967 classic, begins at 7 p.m. January 8 at the Tara Theatre.

January 10

Celebrating 50 years of India’s most iconic film, Sippy Films presents the original uncut version of Sholay, restored in 4K and Dolby 5.1 by Film Heritage Foundation. Voted the greatest Indian film ever made in a 2002 British Film Institute poll and honored as “Film of the Millennium” by BBC India in 1999, the blockbuster film directed by Ramesh Sippy premiered at the Minerva Cinema Hall in Mumbai in 1975, where it ran for five years without a break. Sholay: The Final Cut screens at 7 p.m. January 10 at the Plaza Theatre.

January 11

When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients’ dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose in Paprika. Only a young female therapist can stop it and recover it before damage is done. MomoCon presents Satoshi Kon’s 2006 animated film at 1 p.m. January 11 at the Plaza Theatre.

January 15

See the remastered Stop Making Sense, the concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity in 1983, at 8 p.m. January 15 at the Tara Theatre.

January 16-25

The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy will screen at the Tara Theatre over two weekends in January — The Fellowship of the Ring on January 16 and January 23, The Two Towers on January 17 and January 24 and The Return of the King on January 18 and January 25.

January 24 and February 14

Relive the magic of extraordinary past performances recorded live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera with the Met-premiere production of Mason Bates’ The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay on January 24 and an abridged, English-language version of Massenet’s enchanting fairy tale opera, Cinderella, on February 14.

February 4-6

For more than a decade, SCAD TVfest has spotlighted the latest in design, creativity and innovation on television, streaming and digital media. SCAD TVfest takes place at two venues in SCAD Atlanta’s Midtown location from February 4 through February 6.

February 16

The Georgia Comedy Film Festival is where filmmakers, television producers and screenwriters can showcase their creative work in Atlanta. It happens from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. February 16 at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

February 17

The Atlanta Short Film Festival is one of the premier film festivals in Atlanta, showcasing international independent short films and videos of all genres that are 30 minutes or less. This Festival features the best films and screenplays not only from Georgia but also creativity from across the United States and around the world. It’s scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. February 17 at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

February 18-March 3

In 2026, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival returns to Atlanta area theaters February 18 through March 3 and streaming March 6 through March 15.

February 19

In a contemporary New York City, members of a dysfunctional family of vampires are trying to come to terms with each other in the wake of their father’s death in Michael Almereyda’s Nadja. Meanwhile, they are being hunted by Dr. Van Helsing and his hapless nephew. See it at 9 p.m. on February 19.