Special Events
2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation
- Today, Feb 21
- Sat, Feb 22
- Sun, Feb 23
- Mon, Feb 24
Run Time: 90 min. Release Year: 2025
This is your annual chance to predict the Animated Shorts winners (and have the edge in your Oscar...
No Other Land
- Today, Feb 21
- Sat, Feb 22
- Mon, Feb 24
- Wed, Feb 26
- Thu, Feb 27
Director: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor, Yuval Abraham Run Time: 96 min. Release Year: 2024 Language: Arabic, Hebrew, & English with English subtitles
Starring: Basel Adra, Farisa Abu Aram, Harun Abu Aram, Nasser Adra, Yuval Abraham
This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by...
2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary
- Today, Feb 21
- Sun, Feb 23
- Tue, Feb 25
- Thu, Feb 27
Run Time: 165 min. Release Year: 2025 Language: English, Japanese
This is your annual chance to predict the Documentary Shorts winners (and have the edge in your Oscar...
Blue Velvet
- Sat, Feb 22
Director: David Lynch Run Time: 120 min. Release Year: 1986
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Hope Lange, Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern
In memory of Legendary Director David Lynch, we present his 1986 masterpiece Blue Velvet. Join us and enjoy...
2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action
- Sat, Feb 22
- Tue, Feb 25
- Wed, Feb 26
Run Time: 104 min. Release Year: 2025
This is your annual chance to predict the Live Action Shorts winners (and have the edge in your...
The Brutalist
- Sun, Feb 23
Director: Brady Corbet Run Time: 215 min. Release Year: 2024
Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy
Adrien Brody stars in this award-winning American epic. When a visionary architect and his wife flee post-war Europe...
Nickel Boys
- Sun, Feb 23
Director: RaMell Ross Run Time: 140 min. Release Year: 2024
Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Brandon Wilson, Ethan Herisse, Gralen Bryant Banks, Hamish Linklater
Director RaMell Ross’s visionary film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead continues to rack up...
Hidden Figures – A Science on Screen Presentation
- Tue, Feb 25
Tue, Feb 25 @ 7:00 pm: Special pre-show presentation from Drake professor, Meredith Moore.
Director: Theodore Melfi Run Time: 127 min. Release Year: 2016
Starring: Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson
Science on Screen is back for a third year! A series of films paired with presentations from scientists...
Telling Our Own Story: Iowa Black History + Panther Politician – The Films of S. Torriano Berry (a.k.a. Steve Berry)
- Thu, Feb 27
Run Time: 90 min.
Join us for a captivating evening celebrating Black history and storytelling. This program features the works of acclaimed...
A Red Carpet Affair 2025
- Sun, Mar 2
Run Time: 240 min.
Enjoy the live telecast like never before, complete with fun games, surprise giveaways, and lively banter from our hosts during commercial breaks! Savor delicious bites and sip on beer or themed cocktails from our multiple bars spanning both floors of The Varsity Cinema.
National Theatre Live: Vanya
- Sun, Mar 9
Director: Sam Yates Run Time: 115 min. Release Year: 2024
Starring: Andrew Scott
Andrew Scott brings multiple characters to life in Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, filmed live in West End, London. Hopes,...
The Quiet Man – In Celebration of St. Patrick’s Day
- Mon, Mar 17
- Sat, Mar 22
Mon, Mar 17 @ 7:00 pm: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the Varsity!
Director: John Ford Run Time: 129 min. Release Year: 1952
Starring: Barry Fitzgerald, John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, Ward Bond
An American man returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love and conflict.
Demons – Presented with The Fright Zone Podcast
- Thu, Mar 20
Director: Lamberto Bava Run Time: 89 min. Release Year: 1985 Language: Italian
Starring: Fiore Argento, Karl Zinny, Natasha Hovey, Paola Cozzo, Urbano Barberini
They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs.
Ex Machina – A Science on Screen Presentation
- Tue, Mar 25
Tue, Mar 25 @ 7:00 pm: Special pre-show presentation from Drake professor, Martin Roth.
Director: Alex Garland Run Time: 108 min. Release Year: 2015
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Corey Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Science on Screen is back for a third year! A series of films paired with presentations from scientists...
Lifers: A Local H Movie with Filmmaker Conversation
- Tue, Apr 8
Director: Scott Lucas Run Time: 82 min. Release Year: 2024
Starring: Gabe Rodriguez, Radkey, Ryan Harding, Scott Lucas
Local H Frontman and Director Scott Lucas will join us to introduce the film and for a Q&A...
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed with Optional Discussion
- Wed, Apr 9
Director: Laura Poitras Run Time: 122 min. Release Year: 2022
Starring: Cookie Mueller, David Wojnarowicz, Marina Berio, Nan Goldin, Noemi Bonazzi
Presented by OLLI at Drake and Des Moines Film in observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. A...
Lost Boys, Stolen Trucks with Filmmaker Intro and Q&A
- Sun, Apr 13
Director: Auden Lincoln-Vogel, Philip Rabalais Run Time: 75 min.
The boys are not alright.
Point Break – A Science on Screen Presentation
- Tue, Apr 29
Tue, Apr 29 @ 7:00 pm: Special pre-show presentation from Drake professor, Terrance Pendleton.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow Run Time: 122 min. Release Year: 1991
Starring: Gary Busey, John C. McGinley, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty, Patrick Swayze
Science on Screen is back for a third year! A series of films paired with presentations from scientists...
Goodbye, Mr. Chips in Partnership with the Des Moines Metro Opera
- Sat, Jul 12
- Fri, Jul 18
Sat, Jul 12 @ 1:00 pm: Des Moines Metro Opera and Des Moines Film are excited to present two screenings of Goodbye, Mr. Chips, a new opera reimagined for film by Gordon Getty. Fri, Jul 18 @ 1:00 pm: Des Moines Metro Opera and Des Moines Film are excited to present two screenings of Goodbye, Mr. Chips, a new opera reimagined for film by Gordon Getty.
Run Time: 115 min. Release Year: 2021
Starring: Kevin Short, Lester Lynch, Marnie Breckenridge, Nathan Granner, Walter Brown
This event is partnership with Des Moines Moines Metro Opera and Varsity Cinema. Enjoy an exclusive filmed introduction...